> I have united colonies like this by drenching each with thick syrup
> and uniting. By the results the following spring, I would guess both
> queens lived.

We never bothered with drenching.  We just united them on a nice day.  At
this point, though, it is getting very late on the Prairies, so maybe some
drenching would help.

> Or...why not winter each as singles on top of the inner cover of
> another colony. This is a great way to winter singles in the
> north...as long as there is a good population.

I have heard this recommended often, and maybe it works south of the 49th,
but any time I've tried it, the bottom colony has suffered -- often to the
point of being lost.

allen
A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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