Combining bee colonies before a bribe: how and when to combine

In order for the apiary to develop normally, it is important to strengthen bee colonies. This is done by combining with more productive layering or by returning the emerged swarm. But when strangers live in the same territory, the threat of hostility between insects increases. It will be possible to prevent this phenomenon with the help of the correct unification of bee families before a bribe. At the same time, it is important to strictly adhere to the main recommendations for the procedure.

Reason for beekeepers to join together

By connecting bee families it is possible to solve the following problems:

• adjust and help weak families;
• create honeycomb families or attach shoots to mother ones.

This process is considered complex and time consuming. The main difficulties lie in the fact that bees react aggressively to representatives of other families. They identify insects by scent.

The key factor in connecting families is the season. At the same time, at the beginning of spring, the bees are open to replenishment, rarely fly out of the hive and quickly remember the location of the new bee nest. Insects do not have a pronounced smell, so it is much easier to combine them.

To combine 2 houses, you just need to transfer the frames with insects to a common hive. After that, the inhabitants of the hive will decide for themselves who will be the queen in the new family. Even if the selected queens were already present in two different houses, one of them could become a drone.In such a situation, it is worth removing the individual from the mass of insects. If both queens are capable, the choice can be made by the bees.

Methods for connecting bee colonies

There are many ways to unite bee colonies. This helps each beekeeper to choose the most suitable one.

With cologne or perfume

Perfume is often used to connect bee colonies. Cologne is also used for this purpose. These products are suitable for making fragrant syrup. They are sprayed by both families to get the same scent.

With newspaper

This method is often used in Siberia, because many honey plants there bloom early. You can unite families in this way in mid-September. At the same time, one of the hives needs to be moved closer to the future common house every 2-3 days. The house is moved 1 meter. In this case, it is required to rotate it 30 degrees each time.

It is important to remove the queen a couple of hours before the unification. To avoid pathologies, both houses are recommended to be disinfected. On a hive of individuals that are considered stronger, it is worth putting an ordinary newspaper. It is recommended to install a house of weak offspring from above.

This procedure is considered to be very effective, since the strongest of the weak families is always found. She gnaws through the newspaper and takes out the remains from another hive. By working together, the insects approach each other, which helps to avoid problems.

Take a glass

To unite bees before honey collection, both families need to be sprinkled with vodka or moonshine. You can also use alcohol for this purpose. In this case, you can not be afraid that insects or honey will suffer. This method does not harm anyone.

Using this method helps soak insects with alcohol. This makes it difficult for them to determine where their own and where other people's bees are. So, to unite families in this way, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Remove the cover from each hive and remove the magazines.
2. Smoke the bees lightly with smoke so they don't bite.
3. Sprinkle both hives with plenty of alcohol or vodka.
4. Set stores.
5. Cover the roof.

In the absence of fights and dead bees, insects begin to intensively ventilate the room to remove the smell of fuselage from frames and honeycombs. At this time, they themselves are saturated with this aroma. Therefore, gatekeepers fail to distinguish their bees from strangers.

Basic rules

In order for the union of bees to be successful, you should follow these rules:

1. Work late at night. This is worth doing in warm and dry weather.
2. Before the procedure, feed the bees.
3. Treat insects with the same scent.
4. Replant the uterus or cover it with a protective cap.
5. Put a weak family into a strong one.

Families get together at different times of the year

Bee families can be combined at different times of the year. At the same time, the procedure is characterized by its own characteristics.

Spring

At the beginning of spring, any quality replenishment will bring great benefits to the bee colony. At this time of the year, insects easily remember the location of a new home. Therefore, it is worth moving all the frames with bees to a new hive. At the beginning of spring, families do not yet have their own smell and instinct to protect the premises. If you connect bee colonies, new individuals immediately begin to work.

Summer

At this time of the year, the bee colonies managed to build up their potential. Therefore, they should be united to form honey families. To do this, it is recommended to place a newspaper in the hive between the two buildings. Gradually, the insects will gnaw through the paper and unite. This pooling method helps to significantly increase bribes.

Autumn

Bee colonies often have to be united in the fall. This helps make them stronger. At this time of the year, the process looks the same as in summer. However, it is important to take precautions. It should be borne in mind that it is better to lose a queenless family than a good quality queen.

Precautions

To successfully unite bee families, it is important to adhere to the following rules and recommendations:

1. Work should be carried out in the late afternoon, when most of the bees are in the hives and their activity is greatly reduced. Experienced beekeepers advise to perform the procedure from 18 to 20.
2. Relocation of individuals is recommended only in good clear weather. Poor conditions cause fights between the bees, which prevents the desired results from being obtained.
3. Before moving the bees should give the same smell. This improves their habituation to each other. It is also important to consider that the bees feel their combs and behave more calmly on them.
4. Experienced beekeepers always feed bee families before uniting. At the same time, before carrying out the operation, it is worth blowing a little on the insects with a smoker. In this case, they fill their proboscis with honey and become calmer. In addition, bees with a full crop of honey are more readily accepted in other people's hives.
5. Before combining the bees, the uterus should be kept under a hood or Titov's cage should be used for this purpose. Thanks to this, you can be sure that after combining different bee colonies, the queen will be alive and will be accepted into the family.
6. It is always required to move a weak family to a stronger one. Only in this case does its subsequent development take place. A strong family cannot be transferred to a weak one.

It is strictly forbidden to unite a sick family with a he althy one. In this case, the process will end with the infection of the bees. Also, do not combine insects of different species. It is permissible to combine bees of the same breed.

Combining bee colonies before a bribe is considered an important process. It helps to make them stronger and significantly increase the amount of honey. Today, there are many effective ways to combine, which differ depending on the seasonal factor and the devices used. Thanks to this, each beekeeper can choose the most suitable option.

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