> Now..the question is this....The hives themselves  look like they were
> never painted or protected in any way..the wood is warped and
> weather-beaten.  So i am afraid to move them as they are.  Plus..the
> frames are completely propolized and there is burr comb
> everywhere....impossible to remove the frames.   So..i tried putting a box
> of dark comb ontop...plus a box of foundation...but nothing has
> happened...  The queen refuses to come up into my equipment and lay....
> How do i get her ..and the colony..up into my sturdy equipment to i can
> move them to my apiary.   I think it would be a shame to not take
> advantage of this queens obvious characteristics..
 
Here's a crazy idea:  If the bees have glued the frames to the point where
they won't move, place the old hive body _upside down_ on the bottom board
and the new one on top (right side up).  Hopefully the queen will reject the
cells sloped the wrong way and eventually wander upstairs and find cells more
to her liking.  Once you know where she is separate her from the old body with
a queen excluder until the brood emerges.
 
-Mike