sharing brood comb with a friend

[Bob Wilson]

I have a friend with a single weak hive (2 frames of bees), which he believes to be queenless. I was thinking about sharing a frame of brood with him...
1. If it really is queenless, it might take several frames over several weeks to turn his hive around. Correct?
2. How can I tell if my hive can afford to sacrifice a frame? How much brood should a healthy hive have in mid-July in Georgia?
3. How long can the frame stay out of the hive before it becomes chilled in 90 degree weather?

[BeeMaster2]

Bob,
What is the make up of your hive? If it is 2 brood boxes with a soccer ball side brood in each, I would not think twice about removing a frame. If you have a flow on and a single brood box with a large brood  area I would not worry about it.

At 90 degrees there is no chill. I would only worry about the brood drying out if the air is dry. Do not leave it in direct sunlight.
Jim Altmiller

[FloridaGardener]

If you're handy with scrap wood, you can make a little transport box in a few minutes.  It'll be just wide enough that the frame's "ears" sit on top of the short sides.  On the bottom, staple 1/8" mesh and a couple of 1x2s to brace the four walls. Voila!  I used a smooth cloth (so bees don't get stuck it loops) to cover the top, when moving brood to an outyard, inside my SUV.

Not from personal experience, but it's probably a good idea to situate it in the car so it doesn't tip over. 

[cao]

The answer to your first question is a frame of open brood each week for three weeks will solve they laying worker issue.  As far as whether your hive can take the loss,  that's a judgement call.  If you take a frame that is full of eggs or really young larva then there is not as much of a drain on your hive.  If you have an empty drawn frame that you could stick in the broodnest a few days before you need it, there wouldn't be much of a drain at all.

[Bob Wilson]

Dry as a bone here, no rain for 4 weeks. Seems a dearth. Lot of bees hanging around the front, and not a lot of purposeful flights in and out. I didn't look through the brood area in the last 3 or 4 weeks, so I don't know. Of the 15 frames in the long lang, starting at the short entrance, it is ?,?,?,?,?,?,B,B,B,B,1/2BH,1/2BH,H,H,H.
I guess part of my question is whether my contribution would be a lost cause in his hive. I suppose he needs to examine his hive and see what the problem really is.

[BeeMaster2]

Bob,
Have him or look at the frames and see if the wet brood are brown or tan. They should bee bright white. Look at the capped brood. I?ll bet there is very little capped brood. Probably not a single side fully capped. This probably means his hive has Snot brood.
If to try a 70/30 mixture of apple cider vinigar and one to one sugar water. Put it in a clean spray bottle and spray a generous amount on top of the brood frames on e a week for 3 weeks.
Jim Altmiller

[TheHoneyPump]

I have a friend with a single weak hive (2 frames of bees), which he believes to be queenless. I was thinking about sharing a frame of brood with him...
1. If it really is queenless, it might take several frames over several weeks to turn his hive around. Correct?
2. How can I tell if my hive can afford to sacrifice a frame? How much brood should a healthy hive have in mid-July in Georgia?
3. How long can the frame stay out of the hive before it becomes chilled in 90 degree weather?

1.  Yes.  Starting with two frames in July, it will take a significant boost in population to turn the hive.  Share a frame that has a palm patch of capped brood and some fresh eggs, young larvae around it.  If his hive starts building queen cells, tell him to buy a 5 frame nuc and add it to the existing 2 frames of bees plus the brood you gave.  A mated queen will not be enough, it will need a nuc.  And letting the hive make their own queen at this time would be foolishness.  Not enough calendar days, nor existing bees, to bee successful. It would be merely an educational/experience exercise.

2.  What are your goals for your hive?  Just survive the summer?  Make the winter?  Make a honey crop?  If you have a good queen and an age balanced population, in July can take all the brood away and the hive will survive the summer.  To make the winter, do not take what would leave them with less than 4 frames brood.  If you want honey, do not take what would leave them less than 6 frames.  I do not know about Georgia, but early to mid July my hives are sporting 9 to 12 frames of brood, and they need it all to catch the flow cycle.  The flow schedules in Georgia will be different, definitely.  Check into that before you decide.

3.  At 90 deg, the brood will not chill.  Wrap the frame in a warm moist towel to transport.

I have no idea what snot brood is. If there is a correct disease name for whatever that is please use it. Snot leaks out of wimpy kids and mad cows. Please use proper terms when discussing bee diseases.  Per Jim look for pearl white glistening larvae and capped brood in a tight pattern.  If those conditions are not present, then inspect closer for a brood disease or pest/parasite (eg varroa) and identify it before adding any of your resources to the friends hive. For your brood frame will bee doomed to suffer the same fate. 

FYI:  There is a very good phone app developed locally for help with identifying pests and diseases.  It can be found in the app stores for androids and iOS.  It is called "Bee Health".  Check it out.  I am sure all will find it useful.

[jalentour]

If I read your post correctly, you have 9/15 frames in use.  Sounds like a pretty new package. 
I would be hesitant to share too much with your neighbor. 
If you choose to supplement his hive then do what ThePump says.
You might get lucky and get queen cells in the first frame.

[Ben Framed]

@ Honey Pump
Thanks for posting the Bee Health idea. I just downloaded!!
Phillip