Uniting Colonies

[@karlsteingall6832]

Best bee info online!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Karl!

[@framcesmoore]

Ha glad to see u making videos again always enjoyed watching them they are so helpful thanks have a blessed week

[@billw7894]

Thanks for sharing you are a great teacher, thanks from Missouri

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hello in Missouri. Thanks for your kind comment!

[@charlestanner6093]

Thank you Paul from upstate NY USA.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Your are very welcome Charles!

[@nikilogue8811]

Thank you for your videos. They are very helpful. Would you consider doing a walkaround video on your Toyota flatbed bee truck set up? Thank you

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Our pleasure. I have considered a topic on bee trucks and moving hive equipment around. Thanks for the suggestion. maybe we'll get to it this fall.

[@matthewkobe]

When these colonies are united, do the queens fight to the death or do the workers kill one of the queens? How exactly does one of the queens die?

[@blaineparker8733]

Listen at 5:48

[@davegaetano7118]

Why not use two woodbound queen excluders between the two blue chamber boxes? Maybe both Queens will survive, and the hive can easily be split in the spring.

[@uswwt]

I guess in Canada winters are very harsh that a small colony just simply has little chance to make it. If you want to boost the chance of wintering survival of a smaller hive, perhaps a double screen board is the answer. Although I know nothing about beekeeping in the north. I am in California where a hive with just a couple of frames will go through winter fine by themselves lol.

[@davegaetano7118]

@@uswwt Yes, I suspect that a double screen would be better.

[@baryalkhan8544]

Great video as always!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Baryal.

[@RonnelVP]

Do you eventually consolidate these two brood chambers into one box for wintering? If so, can you explain your process when doing so. Thank you.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Ronnel We winter the united hives in 2 brood chambers and split them the next year.

[@abdullahfelten108]

If you are missing a hive tool, I think it was left between the two boxes. Thanks for the video

[@seribugler5149]

I think I saw Yiza remove it before they united the brood chambers

[@arkas6797]

A quoi peut servir la deuxième petite entrée ? Merci pour la belle vidéo.

[@JessicaBrunskill]

like your video's they are very good

[@dandolan4986]

Hi. I'm in northern California and have 4 hives in my apiary. This year, I used a swarm box for the first time and collected a swarm about 2 months ago. I planned to add the swarm to one of my other colonies, however, before I was able to do this, the hive in the swarm box got established and is now flourishing with frames of brood and honey. One of my other colonies is a bit weaker than the other three, so I'm thinking of using this method (shown in the video), in June/July, to merge the colonies. Part of this is to help the weaker colony, but I'm also concerned that the swarm box will fill up and become honey bound creating other problems. Do you think that would be a good approach even though were still in late spring, early summer?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

I think that should work fine.

[@alanridout315]

I use a queen excluder to keep the newspaper from blowing away, but only works if there is only 1 queen.

[@abdullahfelten108]

You could possibly rig one by cutting out some of the wires (I'll call them) or cut them all out to have just the frame. Of course it depends on how many hives you have as you wouldn't want to do this to many. Perhaps making one just to hold it down and then slide it out once you have the edge of the top box on the news paper.

[@blaineparker8733]

Do you have to remove the queen from the weak hive, or do you let the queens work it out?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Blaine We mention that later on in the video.

[@larrywedding2512]

Do you close the 7/8’s hole in the brood box in winter?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

No. Cheers!

[@larrywedding2512]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Do honeybees cluster in the winter when they are living in hollow trees?

[@jasoncralley]

Very good information. Video Idea: Ventilation... I have heart varying opinions on the matter. I'd like to hear what the experts say.

[@blackberry5908]

Hi, would a queen excluder be a good idea ? Leaving 2 queens so they help each other out ?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Blackberry. I don't believe it would work in our conditions. The queens don't lay eggs this time of year so there is no advantage in having two. Only one queen would survive anyway. It is best if they join together as one colony and cluster through the cold months.

[@blackberry5908]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre thank you very much

[@noahriding5780]

Do you have any math comparison results on when beekeepers don't unite colonies but on survival rates of where they are stacked next to each other for shared heat? It would be interesting to hear numbers on this comparing both survival rates and how many are stacked together, be it 2, 3, 4, etc.

[@abdullahfelten108]

I think the purpose is to merge the colonies to increase the overall population of one colony. One strong colony going into winter would be better than two dead outs in the springtime.

[@noahriding5780]

@@abdullahfelten108 I agree. Thank you. I just had more than one question. Wish you also success with your bees.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

HI Noah I don't have any good data on what you are asking. Certainly there can be some advantages of keeping hives close together sharing heat. A good example of that is our double nucleus colonies. We have several videos on that method. I still have some weaker hives to deal with. You have given me the thought of putting these in double nucleus colonies. Thanks!

[@noahriding5780]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Thank you for the reply. It means a lot to get a reply even if the answer isn't easy to say.

[@mendezsacher9422]

Does American brood rot transmit infection?

[@pencintalebah]

if the types of bees that exist in Indonesia, it is difficult to put together. especially the type of apis cerana... if you may know what type of bee is it?

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

Interesting question. Dr Jamie Ellis in Florida might know.

[@bamabeesqueens]

Can you do a video on how you make bottom boards

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Kevin We will soon post plans for all our equipment on our website and will do a video too.

[@bamabeesqueens]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre I look forward to seeing the video. I am trying to maximize the equipment I can get out of a sheet of plywood. You had mentioned you get extra out of a sheet of plywood by cutting it a little short in the front I can only get 10 bottoms out of a sheet. So looking forward to see how many you get per sheet and what you do with waste.

[@BUMIloka]

Berapa hari untuk memanen nya

[@blaineparker8733]

I got my answer at 5:48!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

🙂