Why work off two brood boxes

[Finman]

Lost me here totally.

PH

Get a navigator!

A pleasant woman voice says: turn left, right, left, no no left left

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Are you making honey or splits or what?

 

[davethegas]

O~oh, tin hat time again!

 

[Mike a]

If colonies are not big enough for main yeild, I join smaller hives.

Guessing here but did you combine three colonies into one to maximise collection Finman?

 

[Hombre]

That would be a YES.

If you have colonies/nucs that are queenless today, your options really are to buy a queen, donate a queen cell or merge.

The first option costs money but saves time.

The second option, if the queen emerges in a week, is mated and starts laying in three weeks will produce bees in three weeks and foragers three weeks later. The best part of nine weeks, just in time to wave goodbye to a summer crop.

The third option is to merge the failing colony/nuc with another colony so that the bees and emerging brood reinforce that colony and their foraging efforts to bring in a summer crop. Having done so, then the colony can be split later back into the colony and a nuc at your convenience at will with a purchased queen or as a suitable virgin becomes available, in time to build up for entry into the winter.

There are obviously other options, but let's not confuse the issue.

It used to be easy to buy breakfast cereal, corn flakes, wheatabix or shredded wheat. Nowadays the selection is vast and all the kids want is the toy, a bit of distraction. Give em porridge, keep it simple and the kids regular

 

[Finman]

Guessing here but did you combine three colonies into one to maximise collection Finman?

I have done that too. And in autumn I may join 5 nucs to get wintering hive.

Our yield season is 1 month. Everything must be maximised!

 

[Finman]

.
The most usefull is to join swarms. 4 kg swarm is a good beging. It nees normally 2-3 swarms together. That occupies 2 langstroth hives and get normally surplus honey.

 

[Finman]

Actually continuous debating about one or two brood box is stupid thing.
If you omit your one box system, use it. If two, use it. No
need to digg bad and good reasons. The boath works.

To use 2-queen system, that i do not understand because one queen makes high enough honey towers.

In Finland professional like to use one brood box system but some use swarm prevention that they move regularly all brood over the excluder. So actually they use 2 broods.

What ever: try to find youself something profilic. Small is not beautyfull.

 

[Frisbee]

Finman........

Moving your hives as you do, do you know which box has a queen in...?
therefore do you just add another box (or two) to a queenright one?
Do you do anything to the colony to help the merge....? dust/spray with sugar.....newspaper to separate for a few days....or do you know which box belongs to which or just let them get on with it as long as there is only one queen?

Frisbee

 

[Finman]

Finman........

Moving your hives as you do, do you know which box has a queen in...?

It is there. No need to know where. I lock the frames that they do not move. Sometimes I have lost a fat queen when frames shake in the box.

I pile again the hive and they have not forgot they smell.

or do you know which box belongs to which or just let them get on with it as long as there is only one queen?

of course I know


In moving case I often join two weaker hives. I take another queen of febore movin and then just pile then without spaying or papering. They will not fight when they are almost same size colonies.

 

[Frisbee]

Thanks......

Frisbee