Splitting and Uniting Equipment

Uniting and dividing devices are the hive parts used to combine two colonies safely in one hive, or to separate a colony, hive boxes or bees from one another: the uniting board, the dummy board, the double-screen board, the clearer board, the queen cage and box fastenings belong to this group. The right device makes it possible to manage colonies without fighting or queen losses.

Why are colonies united, and why are they divided?

Balancing the number and strength of colonies is an ongoing task in beekeeping.

• Uniting: Combining a weak or queenless colony with a strong one is done especially to go into winter strong in autumn and to be ready for the nectar flow in spring. The saying "two weak colonies are worth less than one strong one" is common among beekeepers.
• Dividing: Done for purposes such as swarm prevention, making new colonies (splits), queen rearing, clearing bees from the honey super at harvest, and separating brood and bees when disease is suspected.

Bees from different colonies recognise each other by scent and attack strangers. The main job of uniting devices is to let these scents mix gradually. Dividing devices, on the other hand, physically separate bees, the queen or boxes from each other while allowing heat and scent to be shared to some degree.

Uniting devices and methods

Newspaper method

The simplest and most common method of uniting; it needs no special device.

1. Decide which of the colonies' queens will stay; remove the other queen before uniting.
2. Spread a single sheet of newspaper over the top bars of the strong colony and make a few small slits in it.
3. Place the weak colony's box, with its frames, on top of the newspaper.
4. The bees chew through the paper within a few days; during this time the scents mix and they unite without fighting. The bees carry the paper scraps out.
5. After about a week, check the hive, rearrange the frames and remove the surplus box.

Uniting board (perforated or mesh board)

A board with an opening in the middle covered with fine mesh. The two colonies are placed one above the other, separated by the mesh; the bees cannot touch each other, but scent and heat are shared. A few days later the mesh is removed, or replaced with newspaper, to complete the union. It is a more controlled method than newspaper, especially with aggressive colonies and in cold weather.

What are dividing devices?

Dummy board (follower board)

A flat, frame-sized board placed inside the hive parallel to the frames. It is used to reduce the hive volume for a weak colony, to keep two small colonies in one hive (each with its own entrance), or to reduce the winter volume. If it is to divide completely, it must fit tightly against the hive walls and must not let bees pass underneath or over it.

Double-screen board

A dividing board covered with two layers of mesh and with its own entrance. Placed on top of a strong colony, it is used to set up a new split or a queen rearing unit. Heat from the colony below reaches the upper section; the two layers of mesh stop the bees touching each other and the queens meeting. By opening the upper section's entrance in a different direction, the distribution of foragers can be adjusted. When no longer needed, the board can be removed and the colonies reunited.

Clearer board

A board fitted with a one-way passage (bee escape) in the middle. It is placed under the honey super a day or two before harvest: the bees go down but cannot come back. This way the super is cleared of bees without shaking or brushing.

• There must be no brood in the super; bees do not leave brood in a box that contains it.
• There must be no holes or gaps in the boxes; otherwise robber bees will pour into the honey super.
• The board must not be left on longer than necessary; after a few days the bees may block the passage with propolis.

Queen cage and excluder

Cages used when introducing a new queen to a colony keep the queen separate from the colony for a few days while allowing scent exchange; once the bees have accepted her, the queen is released. A queen excluder is also a dividing device: it keeps the queen in the brood box and, in some splitting methods, guarantees which section the queen stays in.

Boxes used when making splits

When starting a new colony, frames with brood and bees taken from the parent colony are put into a nuc (small nucleus hive) or a separate hive. Nucs with two or more compartments are small units separated by tight dividing boards, each with its own entrance; they save space and heat in queen rearing and mating.

Box connecting and separating parts

"Uniting and dividing" also applies to hive boxes. The following parts do the job of connecting and separating the boxes:

• Hive strap and transport lock: Holds the floor, boxes and roof together as one block; prevents the hive coming apart during transport and in storms.
• Hive tool: Bees glue the joins between boxes firmly with propolis. To separate the boxes, the flat end of the hive tool is inserted into the join and used as a lever; starting at the corners and opening slowly protects the wood and the bees.
• Box lifter: Lever or hoist devices set up beside the hive for lifting full, heavy boxes without straining the beekeeper's back.

Timing for uniting and dividing

Common mistakes

• Uniting colonies with two queens and leaving it to chance which one stays.
• Uniting in the middle of the day during the robbing season.
• Not slitting the newspaper at all, or using thick paper; the bees cannot get through and the upper colony runs short of air.
• Putting a clearer board under a box with brood.
• Trying to keep two colonies in the same hive with gaps left at the edges of the dummy board.
• Believing, as some older texts say, that uniting "increases genetic diversity": when colonies are united, one queen remains, and the colony's genetics depend on that queen.