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Author Topic: What causes one hive to build faster than another?  (Read 2326 times)

Offline Jim7310

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What causes one hive to build faster than another?
« on: May 29, 2015, 01:48:36 pm »
I have a question, the answer to which may be obvious to you with more experience, but is baffling me. I started two new hives from packages this spring in a new location for me (roof of office building). The packages both came from the same apiary and the hives are set up right next to each other; both hives have been treated exactly the same and must be foraging in the same area. Given all of those similarities it has surprised me to note that one hive is outperforming the other by a factor of 2 to 1, at least judging by the amount of comb they have built out and filled with brood and stores.

Does the individual queen have that much to do with how fast a hive builds up or are there other factors that may be influencing these two hives that I am not taking into account?

Jim

Offline mikecva

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Re: What causes one hive to build faster than another?
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2015, 02:28:12 pm »
The biggest factor is the health of the queen, then the exposure to the sun (one in the shadow of the other) and you could be just having bees from one hive moving into the neighboring hive (this happens a lot if the bees were pulled from the same original hive or the packages were close to each other for a time.) I have had this problem in the past and I would reduce the size of the entrance to the strong hives or put up a small wall (laminated board) between the hives for a couple of weeks. I have also rotated one hive 90 degrees for two to three weeks.   -Mike
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Online Michael Bush

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Re: What causes one hive to build faster than another?
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2015, 10:09:35 am »
Success leads to more success.  Failure leads to more failure.  A successful hive is succeeding, in part, because it is succeeding.  They have more bees, who can raise more brood, so they have even more bees...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin