Uniting in a Beehaus?

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jezd

Drone Bee
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Location
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Hi there,

Can any existing Beehaus owners explain how uniting works and if extra kit is needed? I know there is a division board but not sure how or if this is used to united colonies.

I can confess that my new Beehaus is due to arrive next week - I have my doubts about the new hive but wanted to test it for myself alongside standard national stock.

Cheers

Jez
 
The end of your post sounds more like:
"Hello my names Jezd and I am an alcoholic"

What colour are you getting?
 
The end of your post sounds more like:
"Hello my names Jezd and I am an alcoholic"

What colour are you getting?

lol, thats true also!

I wanted white but green is the one being supplied due to higher stock at present.
 
Ferrari red down beside the garage, polished with a bit of canuba wax to make it glisten in the photographs of course!

I'm a bit concerned about the correx in the supers, but I'm sure that will be covered one way or another as reviews start coming in.
 
I would guess you can unite by simply slotting the frames next to each other after giving them a good spray with something like rose water, or maybe dust all the frames with icing sugar first so in the confusion they don't notice the new arrivals.

If there is some sort of edible division board someone with experience of Dartington hives or even a BeeHaus will tell us.
 
I would guess you can unite by simply slotting the frames next to each other after giving them a good spray with something like rose water, or maybe dust all the frames with icing sugar first so in the confusion they don't notice the new arrivals.

If there is some sort of edible division board someone with experience of Dartington hives or even a BeeHaus will tell us.

thats what I planned to do with the icing sugar but assumed they had a solution built in given they suggest the two halves are used for swarm control.
 
The Swarm control is a permanent division board, splitting the hive in two. I guess you could make a frame the same size as the division board and pin newspaper to it.
 
The Swarm control is a permanent division board, splitting the hive in two. I guess you could make a frame the same size as the division board and pin newspaper to it.

yep, I think so

Jim may be able to advise on what they supply...
 
I'm a bit concerned about the correx in the supers, but I'm sure that will be covered one way or another as reviews start coming in.

Hombre, what is your concern about the supers? PS it is NOT correx.
 
The Swarm control is a permanent division board, splitting the hive in two. I guess you could make a frame the same size as the division board and pin newspaper to it.

That would be my plan.

People are getting hung up a bit on the beehaus. What other hive do you buy a special uniting device? One minute people are saying you must make everything for beekeeping and next they are wanting to buy every gadget and accessory going.

What we need is advice from a Darington owner or even Mr Darington himslef!!!
 
That would be my plan.

What other hive do you buy a special uniting device? !

I have unite just now about 15 hives, I just put them together and no even newspaper.
Now in autum I have done those much. I have united all my 10 mating nucs away.

I have build big 2 box hives from small nucs and colonies.

hive+hive is easy, but to unite 2 frames of bees to normal colony may make victims.

Medium frames I have concentrated into one hive and bees I have put to nearest bigger hive.

Nothing to do with hive type.

Safe way is to feed and then put colonies together stomach full.



.
 
Thanks Jim, my concern was that it looked like Correx in the video that I saw. An unfortunate association between corrugated and blue in my mind - despite it normally coming in a variety of colours.
I actually think that a nice bright colour, with smooth lines would look good at the bottom of a big lawned garden, with a small wood behind. Nothing wrong with a bit of aestheticism. Shame I don't have such an idyllic garden.
I will go and have a look to see if there are any detailed photos of the inside so that I can have a proper virtual look around.
 
Dartington says to unite the colony back to 10 frames in the autumn. he doesn't explain how, but simply removing the colony division board in the BeeHaus and letting the queens sort it out. Usually the younder queen likks the older one but to be sure I'd remove the old queen.

The other option will be to take 4 frame with a queen on and sell as a late summer nuc.

Dartington suggests to remove extra frames over the winter, ie extract honey and older brood combs for disease control.
 
Steve,

suggests to remove extra frames over the winter

Makes simple sense. Don't need, say, 15 frames for over-wintering. It is surplus, so is harvest. Empty combs are a simple addition in front of the nest for expansion in spring (normally use foundation if colony is strong, so is part of regular replacement of the old comb with new foundation) and replace some of these previously extracted frames for early storage for the bees - does away with the hassle with those 1/2 supers for the earlier part of the season and keeps inspections a simple 'removal of coverboard and look' operation. Some of the advantages of the design over vertical types like Nationals.

Futher-more, positioning the winter cluster back from the opening (in the autumn) makes it so easy to add frames in front of, or behind, the nest without disturbing every frame at visits early in the season.

BTW he does say how. IIRC, remove old queen and remove the divider. Move queen to front, if necessary, after about a week. Close up the rear entrance, when bees using that entrance have died off. He re-unites much earlier in the season, so don't mix up his wording, on uniting and reducing to 10 frames, as a single operation. I am talking about the Dartington not the omlette.

Regards, RAB
 

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