Uniting with Supers

[Stupeex]

When uniting two colonies, if both have supers can I just unite the weak over the supers of the strong with one sheet.

Essentially can you unite over a super?

 

[JohnSB]

I think I saw just this a week or so ago at my local beekeeping association's training apiary. I believe what they did was put one brood chamber on top of the other (with newspaper and queen excluder in between), and then put the supers on top of that. I would wait for another more experienced beekeeper to confirm of deny this is the best way to do it before acting however .

 

[Stupeex]

Each hive has supers contain bees from differing factions. That's the crux of my problem, not sure you can mix them.

 

[oliver90owner]

Stupeex, Can I ask: Why you would be uniting two apparently strong colonies at this time of the year?

RAB

 

[JohnSB]

I see. Then perhaps use a clearing board on one set, when they are clear put them on top of the other lot and follow the original plan?

Are they both strong colonies? Having supers on each would suggest they might be. If that's the case, why are you uniting them?

 

[Stupeex]

One of the colony's has been Q- for a while despite 2 attempts to re-queen, 1 attempt produced a good queen but two weeks later she died or failed and I need to reduce the number of hives in the garden. The colony I am adding to strong is significantly weaker.

Clearing board plan to be put into action -

 

[isc26]

Did this myself a couple of weeks ago and had the same question. Was advised to do as follows, imagine the words as the hive.

Roof
Crown board
Super
Super
Queen Excluder
Newspaper
BB - Queenless
Queen Excluder
Newpaper
BB + Queen
Floor
Stand

It worked for me. I think the basis was that the two BB togeather made for a quicker unite & the 2 QX & Newspaper kept the different tribes apart at both potential trouble spots.

 

[Moggs]

Just to complicate things - (don't you just love it when somebody does that) - be careful if the 'host' colony is very strong in number of bees as denying them access to a super or two could cause quite a bit of stress and possibly induce the swarming instinct while the bees are chewing their way through the News of the World (not that anybody would throw away the very last copy of course )

 

[moby]

Tangent!!! I have heard of people using airfreshner to unite hives aparently spraying the top bars of one hive and the bottom of the other to be united disorientates the bees and dispersed the hive smell has anybody used this method?