Hi StewartBrilliant videos! Thank you. A question about uniting - don't the flying bees from the brood box you have moved return to their original spot? I have three hives in a row. and wish to unite the two end ones. If I unite them using this method, won't the flying bees from the brood box you have moved want to return to their former site - and perhaps even try to join the hive in the middle?
Hi Stewart, I wonder if I may ask you a question. United my weaker colony with a stronger one as I am preparing them for the Heather. I destroyed the queen in the weaker hive and when I went to check a week later ( as we have had non stop rain in Durham UK) the weaker hive had built queen cells in which one hatched and the original queen has gone. Has the weaker hive done this as they have thought the queen has gone and built emergency queen cells? Should I have put the brood from the weaker hive in the stronger hive? Thanks
Hi, The way I would unite two colonies is to remove the queen from the weaker colony, use a sheet of newspaper to separate them held down with the queen excluder and place the stronger one on top of the weaker one. Allow them to chew through the newspaper and you then shouldn't have any issue with queen cell production. Stewart
