consolidate hives/donor colonies question

[Cuckmere couple]

so

early June - not much of a flow on here now

i have 3 colonies each around 4-5 frames of bia/capped

is it worth trying to strengthen 1 or 2 at the expense of the others to take advantage of main flow or are they strong enough as is etc?

i believe that the queen will only lay at the rate she has the bees to support so if you take a frame from a smaller colony it would take (even a good q) more time to lay up a replacement than it would leaving them together

advice welcome....

 

[enrico]

Totally dependent on how many colonies you want at the end of the year. For honey combine but for colony numbers don't!
E

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks Enrico

if i wanted to keep the 3 im talking about...could i combine to a 'honey' colony and keep the spare queens in nucs for summer and then re split?

 

[simonforeman]

I will be interested in the experienced beeks advice on this good point as ive been contemplating the same with 5 hives and 4 nucs.

 

[B+.]

i believe that the queen will only lay at the rate she has the bees to support so if you take a frame from a smaller colony it would take (even a good q) more time to lay up a replacement than it would leaving them together

advice welcome....

The queen is quite an optimistic creature actually, when fed enough she will lay her little heart out. It is for the bees to do what they can with her ambitions. That is how the nest grows in Spring and it isn't until the supply of fresh nectar declines that she is fed less and lays less.
Enrico is absolutely right in how he recommends you approach the current years production, but, if you've an eye towards expansion, perhaps you should keep them as individual colonies. This, of course, requires an increase in the amount of equipment, so, a lot depends on your plans/ability to support a larger apiary.

 

[Beefriendly]

If a queen only lays 4 to 5 frames of brood at this point in the season she is a poor queen. Giving her more bees will not improve her laying rate.
One big hive will bring in three times the honey of one half the

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

thanks Enrico

if i wanted to keep the 3 im talking about...could i combine to a 'honey' colony and keep the spare queens in nucs for summer and then re split?

By the time you've taken the queen and a couple of frames of broodand bees to make up nucs - you have just about got the makings left for a mediocre 'full' colony

 

[Cuckmere couple]

If a queen only lays 4 to 5 frames of brood at this point in the season she is a poor queen. Giving her more bees will not improve her laying rate.
One big hive will bring in three times the honey of one half the

Thanks BF....they are all this years queens so recently mated, hence the low number of brood frames

 

[Cuckmere couple]

By the time you've taken the queen and a couple of frames of broodand bees to make up nucs - you have just about got the makings left for a mediocre 'full' colony

ok....ive ended up adding a few seams of bees from small swarm colonies...in process of uniting

 

[Beefriendly]

so

i have 3 colonies each around 4-5 frames of bia/capped
.

Thanks BF....they are all this years queens so recently mated, hence the low number of brood frames

If you provide accurate information...it helps.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

If you provide accurate information...it helps.

agreed...incomplete picture given

 

[Cuckmere couple]

so i united yesterday having killed the queen from the angry mob and placed the more placid crowd above

just a thought....will the lower box start drawing q cells and make it hard for integration?