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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>
  • To: Eric Solie <esolie AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: "ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Wax moths
  • Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2017 17:39:36 -0400

Eric,

Some thoughts on combining hives are found here:
https://www.baileybeesupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/the_flip_side_of_making_splits.pdf

Your suggestion should work fine -- variations on that scheme are sometimes used when making up queen-cell builders, certain two-queen hive configurations and when overwintering weak hives -- but it is unnecessarily complicated, takes too much time and uses too much equipment for my tastes. Most importantly, it won't do a better job than the other methods. In the final analysis, "it all works" so I try to keep it simple.

Note that the major queen pheromones are primarily spread by touch/contact, not by smell, so in your proposed set-up the isolated section above the screen won't really benefit much from the queen pheromones below. That's why bees will often raise queen cells on brood frames above a queen excluder even though there is a good queen below it. The bees may... perhaps... benefit from combining the "hive smell" but the newspaper method does that just fine, and "smell mixing" isn't a critical factor in success anyway.

Hope this helps.

Randall Austin


On 7/7/2017 4:43 PM, Eric Solie wrote:
Basic combining question: Instead of using newspaper to combine hives
can I use a screened bottom board and provide an entrance above the
board. It will keep the bees separate, yet allow the queen pheromone
through better. After 2 days I would remove the screened bottom board
and 2nd entrance.
Eric

On Thu, Jul 6, 2017 at 6:10 PM, Shadi Cinpinski <shadikaze AT gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks, Walter.
Yes, this nuc was weaker and wax moths decimated the larvae that were close
to hatching out. There were a ton of dead bees in various stages of larvae
that I found at the bottom of the single nuc box.

On Thu, Jul 6, 2017 at 6:03 PM Walter Starks <walterstarks AT icloud.com>
wrote:
I would probably buy a queen for the nuc. Weak hives typically produce
poor queens. If wax moths are moving in I imagine this is a very weak hive.

Another option would be to just do a newspaper combine with one of the
larger hives.

Also, if you use wooden frames there's no need to burn them because of wax
moths. Just clean out the damaged comb and put it back in the hive. The bees
will rebuild it. If the comb is really badly damaged just remove the old wax
and install new foundation.

______

Walter


You never can tell with bees. ~ Winnie-the-Pooh

On Jul 6, 2017, at 5:08 PM, Shadi Cinpinski <shadikaze AT gmail.com> wrote:

Hello,
I recently started a nuc that I asked the group about previously. I went
back into the nuc today- after just 6 days and saw that wax moths were
moving in.
At this time, I have queen cells that look like they are forming in the
middle frames. I took the 2 frames with wax moth webbing and burned them
(thankfully these were outer frames and not the ones with what I think are
queen cells). I also cleaned out the entire single nuc box- all moth larvae
were killed off by burning or our hens. I put in another frame of pollen/
nectar from one of our strong hives and reassembled the nuc, but I don't
want to mess with our 2 healthy hives anymore.
Any thoughts? Is this nuc doomed? I did a nuc split for practice as this
is my first full year of bee keeping, so input is appreciated.

Thanks,
Shadi Ana
--
Shadi Cinpinski,
704-589-0992

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--
Shadi Cinpinski,
704-589-0992

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