>  REGARDING           RE>combining hives
>
>Duane Bajema wrote:
>>Last week, I had a hive tip over due to strong wind.  I lost some
>bees and now the hive is is occupied by a relatively small bee
>population.  I want to join the small population with an existing
>strong hive since the small colony would have a difficult time
>surviving the winter.
>
>My question is, how do I proceed here in Northwest Iowa where the
>temperatures are already below freezing?  Will the two queens do
>battle till one survives or do I run the danger of losing both
>queens if I join the colonies?
>
>I have joined a queenless colony with a queenright colony many times
>using the newspaper method, but I have never joined two queenright
>colonies at this late time of the year.
>
>Suggestions?<
>
>This is certainly a difficult time of the year to have to deal with such a
>problem.  The results of doing nothing would, as you surmise, probably lead to
>the winter kill of the weak colony.  In this light, I would think that you
>would join these colonies at this time of the year without using newspaper.
>With temperatures as cold as they are getting now in the midwest US,  I doubt
>that there would be any intra-hive battles between the workers.  The queens
>would probably be OK too, for the most part.  If they should happen to come
>upon each other they might fight, but that's a chance you will have to take.
>The alternative would be to open a hive in the cold to go looking for the
>queen when the colony would probably be in winter cluster!  Hive combining
>might work or might not, but leaving it alone surely won't work at all.
>
>Ted Fischer
>Dexter, MI USA
Duane or Ted,
        It might also be easier on both colonys if you seperate the two clusters
with a deep super of honey. This will keep both clusters isolated untill
each  hives scent has intermingled . As the honey is used the two should
get closer to each other and benifit from each others heat production. I
don't think the two clusters will ever combine in that there are two queens
however if they survived till spring this would make a perfect two queen
colony, 1 on top and 1 on the bottom. From what I understand this is or was
a common practice in the past and in some areas is still used. Supposedly
these will produce higher yields of honey while benefiting from each others
heat and ventilation etc.
        Good luck and would like to know how things turn out.
        To all you out there so willing to find fault, don't be so
critical, chill out, move over and make some room.  This is the greatest
thing that has come to beekeeping since flowers.
George