one of my hives is doing WAY better than the other. the one i requeened seems to be slow (as you’d imagine they are weaker). I’m seeing lots of foragers coming from the strong hive at a time, the weak one maybe a few once in a while. I’m worried they will not get what they need. I have 1:1 syrup on them and they are taking it. Should i put on a pollen patty for good measure?
Feeding syrup to a new colony is how you limit them. They backfill the brood nest, the queen has no where to lay and they get set back. Giving them a “pollen” patty will only set them back more. If they take it, the result is short lived bees. If they ignore it, the result is small hive beetle food… A frame of emerging brood would do far more to help…
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OK sounds good thanks, should i brush the bees off the frame or hope for the best when transferring? I’ve heard nurse bees get a pass when going into a new hive. I just don’t want them to fight.
Have a smoker lit. I would leave the bees on the frame. If they look like fighting is breaking out, smoke them heavily until they stop. Usually there is no issue.
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Went great. Picked a frame with all worker brood and mostly capped. No fighting but i did smoke them. heard some buzzing for a few minutes after but it died down. Made sure the queen wasn’t on the frame i transfered. Thanks @Michael_Bush
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