>>        The singles are often overwintered over a strong hive.(Even a single
>>medium can survive the winter here like that).   They generally survive the
>>winter and do good the next year but they are not always of sufficient
>>strength in late spring to rent out for blueberry pollination.
>>
>>Regards Stan
>
>Would someone please explain in detail the process of putting two hives
>"together" for the winter without actually combining them?  I know this is
>old hat for many on this list, but there are others like myself who just
>don't know the exact details and don't want to find out the hard way.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Rick
 
The smaller (single-story) unit is placed over another, full-sized colony,
with a board between.  The board should have a rim around it to provide bee
space (much like an inner cover or crown board).  If the board has a
through passage for air (such as a screened-over bee-escape hole) or is
made of hardware cloth (screen), the warm air from the lower cluster helps
the upper one maintain its temperature.
 
An entrance is provided for the upper unit, often by cutting a 1-2" wide
section out of the dividing board or screen's rim. In this situation I
usually pin a little landing board of cardboard just below the upper
entrance, securing it with drawing-pins/thumbtacks.  This gives the bees
that fly from the upper unit a better chance of returning safely in the
cold and snow.
 
The piggy-back colony still needs plenty of sealed stores.  These can be
supplemented in late winter or early spring with dry sugar.  As far as the
size of such a colony, in order to winter successfully, I'm not sure, as
I've done it only a few times.  Just what the minimum population could be
is something to explore.
 
Ex:  Last winter I had an autumn swarm which I hived in a medium super.
They hadn't accomplished much by frost, so I set it over a screened board
like mentioned above, and placed some extracting combs of buckwheat honey
in the super, in place of a few empty combs.  The cluster covered maybe 6
medium combs. By beginning of March they were a pitiful group, not much
bigger than a fist.  I gave them dry sugar, and a little candy and somehow
they squeaked through.    Later in spring they slowly built up to 3 deeps
and gave me 2 full supers to boot.  I wouldn't have wagered on their
survival, judging by their state in late winter.  Surprise, surprise.  (The
larger colony, underneath, was none the worse from this arrangement.
However, I did jack up the overall top cover 1/2 " to make sure the
moisture from below didn't rise to accumulate on the weak colony above.