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Advice on transferring bees to a new hive

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  • 07-09-2017 9:47pm
    #1
    Zr105
    Registered Users Posts: 1,453 ✭✭✭


    Would appreciate any advice on this

    I was recently offered a hive the trouble is that it is in quite bad condition, to the point some of the sides have actually separated away from each other, and until the other day it had no roof in place.
    there seems to be a reasonable stock of bees in it and I'd imagine they must be quite strong as the hive has been in this state for a while as it hasn't been looked at in the last 3/4 years,

    I would like to try to transfer them into a new hive and just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the best/easiest way to do it, I'm thinking it will end up being a case of trying to just pull each frame and move into a new box but I'm a bit concerned that the frames may all be glued solid in place with propolis due to the movement of the side walls opening up big gaps


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    #2
    brianmc
    Registered Users Posts: 868 ✭✭✭brianmc


    Zr105 wrote: »
    Would appreciate any advice on this

    I was recently offered a hive the trouble is that it is in quite bad condition, to the point some of the sides have actually separated away from each other, and until the other day it had no roof in place.
    there seems to be a reasonable stock of bees in it and I'd imagine they must be quite strong as the hive has been in this state for a while as it hasn't been looked at in the last 3/4 years,

    I would like to try to transfer them into a new hive and just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the best/easiest way to do it, I'm thinking it will end up being a case of trying to just pull each frame and move into a new box but I'm a bit concerned that the frames may all be glued solid in place with propolis due to the movement of the side walls opening up big gaps

    If there is reasonably straight comb, go for it. The frames may be pretty stuck but there's not a lot of choice.

    If the comb is gone wild and curved all over the place you have a bigger problem. It's too late in the year to try the easy approach of adding a second brood box above the first and letting them move up into the extra space with nice new frames.

    It would be best to get them into something more weatherproof as soon as possible.


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    #3
    victor8600
    Registered Users Posts: 1,611 ✭✭✭victor8600


    Zr105 wrote: »
    , I'm thinking it will end up being a case of trying to just pull each frame

    Firstly put the new box with 5 new frames in the location of the old hive -- returning bees will go into that.
    In the old box, slowly (to give bees chance to escape) separate frames with a long knife (or your hive tool) before pulling on each frame. If the top bar of the frame starts to detach, leave the frame in place and remove frames around it. Then push the frame from below. Throw away as many frames as possible, after 3-4 years worker cells would be quite narrow already.


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