reuniting - or joining hives

[alldigging]

How do people merge hives, nucs and hives, nucs and nucs?

Do you use an extra brood box and newspaper?
Which way round do you put them? Mergers on top or bottom?
If you're adding in a queen where do you put her?
How long should you leave them?
What should you check before you do a merge?
What if there are supers?
Would you do it sooner rather than later?
Are there any reasons for not reuniting to consider?
Are reunited hives more likely to swarm?

 

[MJBee]

1. Newspaper for all, brood box for "Nuc to brood" to get boxes same size.
2. Queenless box on top.
3. Get queen accepted by one or the other before uniting.
4. 3 days but better to leave them for a week.
5. Make absolutely sure that one is queenless (test frame)
6. Clear, remove, unite, replace.
7. Unite prior to your main honey flow - to give max strength.
8. Want to increase number of hives, both queens are exceptional.
9. Only if restricted for space.

Phew - my brain hurts - now waits with baited breath for corrections

 

[oliver90owner]

now waits with baited breath for corrections

Addition to Answer 8.

Health status of both parts.

Edited to add:

7. Sooner, if one part is Q-

 

[galileo]

Health status as an addition to 5, also.

 

[richardbees]

1b Make 3 small cuts with sharp knife point in the centre of the box
1c.....and use FT or Sunday Times for better quality newsprint

 

[Mart_got_hives]

Is there any mileage in leaving both queens in place when uniting and letting the bees sort out which they want to keep? Or is that too risky? Afterall I'd expect the bees have a better idea of which is the better queen than the beekeeper

 

[oliver90owner]

Is there any mileage in leaving both queens in place when uniting and letting the bees sort out ...

No.

If they are both rubbish, then each unite should be to other separate colonies.

Two rubbish colonies rarely ever make one decent colony. A case here of the beekeeper should know better. Read that as you wish.

 

[alldigging]

What time of day is best?

I've got a laying queen in a nuc and an AS from 15th May which hasn't got any eggs in. Have checked hive today.

They're at opposite sides of the apiary so I can move the nuc over a couple of feet at a time and get that right by the hive. There's some nasty frames in the hive with places to hide lots of queen cells.

So - air freshener ? Elsewhere someone recommended using this for merging nucs? http://www.airwick.us/instant-sprays-air-freshener.php

Am I ok using that? Do you spray each of the frames you're leaving in the hive and then spray the frames you're putting in from the nuc? And then shut them up and see how they get on in a week?

Any other things to think about or do?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do you spray each of the frames you're leaving in the hive and then spray the frames you're putting in from the nuc?

No.Spray the top of the bottom box and the bottom of the top box. Not much,just enough to scent the joining surfaces.
Unite when bees have stopped foraging in the evening.

 

[Chorlton Honey Bees]

i united two hives although not sure they mixed well lots of dead bees out side hive I put the queen right box on top and the q- colony on the bottom newspaper method

 

[madasafish]

What time of day is best?

I've got a laying queen in a nuc and an AS from 15th May which hasn't got any eggs in. Have checked hive today.

They're at opposite sides of the apiary so I can move the nuc over a couple of feet at a time and get that right by the hive. There's some nasty frames in the hive with places to hide lots of queen cells.

So - air freshener ? Elsewhere someone recommended using this for merging nucs? http://www.airwick.us/instant-sprays-air-freshener.php

Am I ok using that? Do you spray each of the frames you're leaving in the hive and then spray the frames you're putting in from the nuc? And then shut them up and see how they get on in a week?

Any other things to think about or do?

Works well for me.... 2 second spray into each colony.

 

[beezers]

Does the spray have to be a particular scent?
Will the nectar/honey be affected?
Can it be used to clear supers?

 

[alldigging]

Works well for me.... 2 second spray into each colony.

For direct merge or va newspaper?

 

[richardbees]

...for direct merge

I've done it for small nuc using Airwick - suggested somewhere on this forum, and it worked ok.

edit

anyone tried "Shake 'n Vac" for Varroa?

 

[BeeJayBee]

Does the spray have to be a particular scent

No, but I think the recommendation is to use Airwick "Naturals".

edit:
Found it http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=248840

 

[madasafish]

Does the spray have to be a particular scent?
Will the nectar/honey be affected?
Can it be used to clear supers?

Naturals..is what I use.
Doubt it
?Dunno (what's a super?

 

[Chris Luck]

12 frame Dadants - try to find and use heavy lifting equipment.

Chris

 

[MJBee]

12 frame Dadants - try to find and use heavy lifting equipment.

Chris

Even 10 frame Dadants are a challenge, I am trying to recruit some muscle to unite a Dadant A/S made earlier this year

 

[brianmc]

Is there enough confusion in uniting bees to allow you to unite a colony from one end of the apiary to a colony at the other end?

Or do I need to unite them to a new apiary or somehow get them beside each other before uniting?

 

[nikca]

Even 10 frame Dadants are a challenge, I am trying to recruit some muscle to unite a Dadant A/S made earlier this year

Call me Mike and I'm there...