Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: tedh on July 14, 2019, 07:48:07 am

Title: Newspaper combine question
Post by: tedh on July 14, 2019, 07:48:07 am

Hi Everyone,
I'll be doing a combine today and have been wondering:  When doing a newspaper combine do you close off the upper entrance or leave it open.  I've done it both ways but have always wondered which is considered the "correct" method.  Thanks, Ted

Title: Re: Newspaper combine question
Post by: Bakersdozen on July 14, 2019, 08:49:13 am

I would close off the upper entrance.  Are the temperatures supposed to in the 90's?  They are here and I would be concerned about over heating the weaker colony.  So, you could probably have an upper entrance open for ventilation.  How's that for a wishy washy answer?

Title: Re: Newspaper combine question
Post by: tecumseh on July 14, 2019, 09:14:13 am

I always provided an upper entrance in hot weather..  Typically I face this to the opposite side of the hive than the bottom entrance.   In cooler weather it is not so important...  in hotter weather the upper part of the combine can die from over heating. <has happened to me.

Title: Re: Newspaper combine question
Post by: Jen on July 14, 2019, 01:44:37 pm

 :D Baker

Title: Re: Newspaper combine question
Post by: tedh on July 14, 2019, 02:59:13 pm

Thanks folks!  We went with leaving the upper entrance open as high temps, high humidity and no wind made us nervous.  I like tecumseh's idea of having the upper entrance on the opposite side as the lower entrance but we started early due to heat and i just now saw it. Thanks, ted

Title: Re: Newspaper combine question
Post by: Mikey N.C. on July 16, 2019, 09:07:19 pm

Was it laying worker hive ? ( I assumed) high heat , definitely, ventilation up top .

Title: Re: Newspaper combine question
Post by: tedh on July 17, 2019, 07:12:29 am

Hey Mikey!
Not a laying worker hive.  Circumstances, including a triple deep hive, not enough woodenware on hand and a swarm that wasn't building up fast enough led up to the decision to combine.  We left the upper entrance open but in the future we'll leave it open and on the opposite side from the bottom entrance, as Tecumseh suggested.  Thanks, ted