increasing number of hives

[marmite]

I have 2 hives.The first is on a brood and a half and is very strong. The rape seed is out and I put my first super on last week.The second hive is on 6 frames and is not bad but nothing like as strong as the first. Both hives have plenty of eggs, larva and brood as well as pollen and nectar.
What is the best way of setting up an additional hive and when should I do it please?

 

[Erichalfbee]

You could demaree.
Make sure queen is in bottom box and put QE on top of that.
Then put two supers on top another queen excluder then your half.
The half will raise queen cells and you can take your pick from them.

 

[marmite]

Thanks for the advice. Being a newcomer I'm sorry if I ask silly questions but I did not see the queen last year so she was not marked. and as there are so many bees this year I suspect I will not find her.
Will this work?.If I leave the brood box on the bottom of the hive then the QE then 2 supers(One added last week + one more) then the 1/2 brood then another empty brood box.I assume that the presence of queen cells will tell me whether she is upstairs or downstairs. If upstairs I could move her down and if downstairs I could more the brood and a half at the top to another site close by.
I assume I will have to make a new entrance at the top Lastly do I remove all queen cells except say 2 and then let the brood box with the queen cells alone to get on with it.
I hope this makes sence but if I am way out I'm sure you will let me know.

 

[Madge]

I would wait until they're getting ready to swarm, and then create an artificial swarm using those queen cells.

 

[drstitson]

making increase

very easy to increase number of hives - just takes a rectangle of plastic or wad of cash and a winter sale or two!

now increasing number of colonies inside the boxes is a different matter entirely.......

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thanks for the advice. Being a newcomer I'm sorry if I ask silly questions but I did not see the queen last year so she was not marked. and as there are so many bees this year I suspect I will not find her.
Will this work?.If I leave the brood box on the bottom of the hive then the QE then 2 supers(One added last week + one more) then the 1/2 brood then another empty brood box.I assume that the presence of queen cells will tell me whether she is upstairs or downstairs. If upstairs I could move her down and if downstairs I could more the brood and a half at the top to another site close by.
I assume I will have to make a new entrance at the top Lastly do I remove all queen cells except say 2 and then let the brood box with the queen cells alone to get on with it.
I hope this makes sence but if I am way out I'm sure you will let me know.

You're better off shaking all the bees off the frames into the bottom box then putting one brood frame (with laying room) back in that box - then QX, supers and brood box with frames of brood - nurse bees will move up to the top box to care for the brood, queen will be in the bottom

 

[oliver90owner]

You could very easily know where the queen is. Slip a Q/E between the brood boxes and wait, at most, three days before checking again - all providing you can see eggs!

If in a rush, hope she is in the bottom and shake the bees from the shallow brood frames into the bottom box as you re-arrange them. The nurse bees will return to the upper box in a short time.

They may not raise queen cells, of course, and the process is far easier if using a second deep and demaree more properly.

Box of mostly foundation at the bottom with only one or two frames of brood and the queen and the rest of the brood up top of stack. The advantage here is that if no queen cells were drawn, or you wanted another cell you could swap fresh eggs and open brood to the top later. Putting the brooded frames upstairs and emerged frames back in the bottom will help to maintain a large foraging colony with maximum swarm avoidance. After three weeks you could be on double brood rather than a brood and a half, if you wished.

RAB

 

[scuttlefish]

Yep, what Jenks & RAB said, I've increased from two to six hives that way.