- Joined
- Sep 23, 2010
- Messages
- 4,098
- Reaction score
- 4,185
- Location
- North London, West Essex and Surrey
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 70
If she doesn't try, she won't know.I know. Don't try.
If she doesn't try, she won't know.I know. Don't try.
Thankyou @Finman and @ericbeaumont for advice on this. Like always in beekeeping there are different solutions to the same problem with possible different outcomes depending on the situation and the decision depends on your attitude to risk. In my particular situation with a newly mated queen that I really like that needs a few more nurse bees, I will find a frame of emerging brood from another hive and add to it without other bees. I’ll also double check it has enough pollen and top up it’s feed.
I will also use Eric’s idea of mixing super bees from 3 hives on another occasion when a colony is stronger and needs boosting - but without spraying with sugar!!
Thanks again for both your advice, much appreciated
Elaine
I like to make mistakes.it does not mean that you must try everything.
I like to make mistakes.
You believe house bees don't leave the hive until they become foragers?Supers bees are more likely to be house bees, so won't have located on the original site.
Can you expain why is too much space is not good? I can see it would be harder for them to keep warm, but are there other considerations?
I forgot that bit!You believe house bees don't leave the hive until they become foragers?
She knows already. Finman is a proper beekeeper. He knows.If she doesn't try, she won't know.
He knows
There's knowing and then there's knowing (and no, I'm not going to try drinking petrol).She knows already.
It’s a v good way to learn. I make mistakes all the time!I like to make mistakes.
To boost the hive forward it needs couple on emerging frames, but not at once. Only very young bees stays in the hive, and you get them enough from emerging frames.
When one box is full of bees and brood, that is a real beginning of the hive. It takes time, because brood cycle is 3 weeks. It takes 3 weeks that emerged bees start to forage.
When you get advices from other beekeerpers, it does not mean that you must try everything.
Seems to have worked - thanksShake out the laying workers (I assume by worker drone laying you mean laying workers) on a board sloping up to the entrance of the colony in need, once it's been put into a poly nuc. The LWs will soon pick up the Q+ hive scent and go in and boost the weak colony; any that don't convert won't be allowed in.
If bees from two colonies are mixed directly they'll fight, but they won't from three colonies. Use bees from supers and shake them onto the entrance board.
Best feed the nuc in the absence of a flow or a strong foraging force.
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