Content
Uniting bee colonies in the fall is a familiar and inevitable procedure in every apiary. With any configuration, by the end of summer there will be one or several weak colonies that will not survive the winter. It is recommended to unite bee colonies for better productivity during honey collection.
Why is it necessary to unite bee families?
Observation of the state of the apiary is carried out from spring until the onset of autumn. If the bee colony has overwintered, there are at least 6 frames left in the colony and the presence of brood, this is a composition of medium strength. With a reproductive queen, the swarm will become stronger, the composition will increase, and a strong bee colony will leave for the winter.
By the beginning of autumn, weak bee colonies will not be able to raise a sufficient number of young individuals for a successful winter. If the bees stop taking bribes in favor of heating the babies, the queen will stop laying eggs.The foragers will switch to honey collection; at the end of autumn, the supply of product will be in excess, but the number will not be sufficient to maintain the required temperature in the nest in winter. The bee colony does not survive the winter.
The main task for which it is necessary to unite bee colonies in the fall is to increase the number. To strengthen the nest, it is necessary to combine several weak bee colonies into one for greater productivity during honey collection. An apiary is only profitable when it brings income to the beekeeper.
It is mandatory to unite a queenless bee colony with a full-fledged colony in the fall. If queen cells are not laid on the brood or the young queen came out too late and did not have time to be fertilized before the beginning of September, honey collection stops, such a bee colony without measures taken is doomed in winter.
When beekeepers unite bee colonies
Bee families are united depending on the reason. If the goal is to obtain a family of bees for a good bribe, the union is carried out before the main honey harvest. For a safe winter, beekeepers with experience in beekeeping recommend uniting bee families in September. After analyzing the condition of the colony, the beekeeper determines the feasibility of the event. Promising bee colonies meet the following requirements:
- no signs of infection;
- there is a fertilized queen with good ability to lay eggs;
- the volume of sealed honey is normal;
- the number is sufficient.
If one or more problems are discovered during inspection, bee colonies need correction. Without measures taken, the bee colony will die in cold weather. If she can survive the winter, she will be incapacitated in the spring.
Methods for connecting bee colonies
Each bee colony has a certain smell, which collectors and receivers can easily identify. The introduction of strangers with an unfamiliar smell is perceived with aggression, especially if the bee colony is with its reproductive queen. There are several methods for uniting bee families:
- uniting a weak bee colony with a strong one;
- strengthening an average bee colony with a colony left without a queen;
- creating a honey honey colony based on spring layering;
- connection of a captured swarm and an old family of bees;
- moving two clearly defective nests into a new hive;
- union of swarms.
The treatment disorients the individuals responsible for guarding the hive. Before bee colonies are united in the fall before wintering, the insects are fed the same syrup with the addition of strong-smelling herbs or substances. Capped honey in combs from different hives will have the same smell.
How to unite bees
Insects have a good sense of smell and easily navigate the area. Therefore, they always find the nest unmistakably. To unite two fragile bee colonies, the hives are gradually moved closer to each other. If they plan to move an inferior colony with a strong one, the latter’s house remains in place, and the dwelling intended for release is moved.
Manipulations are carried out in the fall only in good weather, when the working individuals have flown away to collect nectar. The rapprochement takes several days, the timing depends on the distance. On the first day, they are moved 1 m forward or backward, shifted to the sides by 0.5 m. During this time, the pickers will get used to the new location of the home.When the end point is reached, the home of the weak bee colony is removed and the colony is relocated. The collectors will fly to the new hive with a bribe.
If the goal is to unite two weak families of bees, whose nests are located at a great distance from each other, the displacement method is not used. In the evening, each bee colony is fed with syrup, then they are placed in a dark, cool place. During this time, the foragers will forget the location of their former home, then they can be united in a new place for each bee family.
How to unite bee colonies in the fall
In order to unite weak and strong bee colonies in the fall, the frames with brood are first removed from the inferior one. This measure is necessary to control the number of insects in the colony. Bee families with minimal numbers adapt more easily to a new home.
In autumn, the difference between night and day temperatures is quite noticeable. At night, the covers are removed from both hives, and the bee colony gathers in a club to keep warm. In the morning, empty frames are removed, making room for a weak bee colony. The queen is taken from the bee colony intended for relocation.
The frames with the club are placed in a strong nest, fumigated with smoke with the addition of shag or incense. Uniting in the fall does not cause problems; bee families quickly calm down. After a certain time, an inspection is carried out and the vacated frames are removed. Two families of bees winter safely. In the spring, the beekeeper receives a full-fledged colony without signs of aggression between individuals.
How to unite two weak bee colonies into one in the fall
It is necessary to unite bees in the fall from two weak families if there is a threat that neither of them will survive the winter on their own.After the temperature drops, when bee colonies gather in a club, their numbers are clearly visible. Insects located on 4-5 frames will not be able to warm themselves even if there is a sufficient amount of honey.
A bee colony with fewer insects is subject to relocation. Sequencing:
- Remove the covers from the hives and remove the cushions.
- In the evening, empty frames are removed from the nest where the bee colony will move.
- Using a special device, a set of frames with a club is carefully placed next to the stronger bee colony at the outer frame.
- In one room you get 2 clubs with 2 queens and the necessary supply of food.
In the case when it is necessary to unite equally weak families of bees in the fall, it is recommended to use a hive that does not belong to any of them. The transfer principle is the same, both queens are left. In the spring, a strong individual will get rid of a weaker one.
Uniting bee colonies in the fall through a newspaper
In beekeeping, the following method is often used to unite bee families in the fall. The event is held when most of the honey plants have already bloomed, approximately mid or late September. Sequencing:
- The hive containing the relocated bee colony is gradually moved closer.
- The queen is removed from a weak colony of bees 5 hours before the insects are united.
- Both nests are treated with a scented solution; a drug can be added to it to prevent varroatosis.
- A newspaper is placed on top of the frames of a strong bee colony.
- The body with the weakened one is placed on top.
The bee colony from the lower and upper tier will gradually gnaw through the paper and take the remains out of the hive. The time spent working together will be enough for the two bee colonies to get used to being next door.
Uniting bee colonies in August
The autumn union of bee colonies is carried out in order to strengthen the colony for a safe winter. In August, it is necessary to combine insufficiently strong bee colonies with strong ones for better apiary productivity. Weak nests are unprofitable; they will not produce bee products and will not survive the winter. An average colony will produce little honey. Strong colonies of bees will provide for themselves and the beekeeper, and will safely overwinter with a minimum amount of death.
Uniting bee families before honey harvest
For greater productivity of the apiary, before the main honey harvest, beekeeping practices the union of one bee family with another. The spring layering with a young queen, which is sufficiently strong by this time, is taken as a basis. It is enhanced with brood from an old family of bees. It is better to combine nearby vertical hives. Scheme of work:
- From the lower section, all sealed frames with babies are raised to the upper part, and frames with brood from the old queen are added.
- In their place they put sushi or wax.
- Both parts of the housing are insulated from each other with a grid.
- In the old colony, leave 2 frames with brood and substitute dry land.
As a result, it turns out that the lower section with empty honeycombs will be filled with eggs and honey, thus forming another nest. After a certain time, the baby will emerge from the upper tier, freeing the honeycombs for honey. The joint work of layering and young individuals will increase honey productivity.An old swarm can be used to unite bee colonies in the fall or to strengthen a bee colony with an average number of insects.
How to combine two swarms of bees
Bee swarming is a natural process necessary to maintain the population size. Beekeepers use this natural feature of insects to create bee colonies. More often, young individuals with a new queen fly away from the old family. The main thing is not to miss the moment of swarming of insects; the swarm that has flown away never returns to the old nest.
The hive is pre-prepared, the swarm is poured into a new home, and empty frames with wax or drying material are placed. From a swarm of other bees, the queen is removed, and the insects are placed with the first ones. The procedure is carried out in the evening. In the morning there will be drawn honeycombs on the foundation, and the drying ground will contain eggs. The pickers will fly away for a bribe. The union of two or more swarms is always successful. The main condition is that the insects must be of the same breed.
How to combine a bee colony and a captured swarm
Returning a swarm to an old hive is one of the difficult tasks in beekeeping. The swarm flies away with the still unfertilized queen, their task is to form a new nest. He never returns to his old home. Before leaving, the scouts find a place; young individuals do not leave their home without a certain signal. If the swarm has been caught, it will be quite difficult to return it to the former bee colonies; the old queen will not accept them.
For testing, several swarming insects are released through the entrance, and at the same time the nest is smoked. If, despite the smoke, old insects attack swarmers, you should not unite them.This method is rarely used: the young queen is first removed, all the insects are placed in a swarm and treated with a flavoring agent, then poured back into the hive. The method will be effective if the breed has a calm character. With aggressive species, combining a swarm and an old bee colony is undesirable. The caught swarm is placed in the hive, the queen is returned and frames are placed.
Precautionary measures
To ensure that the union of bees from two or more nests in the fall is successful, the work is carried out taking into account the following recommendations:
- A weak swarm is placed next to a strong one, and not vice versa.
- A sick bee colony, even if it has been treated, cannot be combined with a healthy one; there is a risk of spreading the infection.
- Individuals of different breeds, peaceful and aggressive, should not be placed in the same house.
- The queen is left more reproductive and placed under a hood for several days so that representatives from another bee family get used to it and do not show aggression.
- The work is carried out in the evening after all the insects have returned, then the collectors, tired and inactive, will accept the invasion of strangers more or less calmly.
The colony that is being introduced must be well-fed, with its crops full of nectar. Then the receiving party will not perceive her as a thief.
Conclusion
The unification of bee colonies in the fall is carried out in order to increase the number in the swarm; weak bee colonies will not be able to warm themselves in the winter. If the nest was left without a queen or she stopped laying, the insects did not have time to lay queen cells in time, the young queen bee was not fertilized before wintering, and the bee colony will not overwinter without repopulation.
