# Stacking hives?



## NCbeek (Mar 23, 2011)

Since top bars have to be worked more often and sometimes harvested more often; wouldn't it be a pain to have to take one off the top to work the other? I mean literally a pain in the back. Aside from the weight, you would have many more disoriented bees around when you removed the top one. You would also risk breaking comb. I would think sitting one next to the other would be better.


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## Ambassador (Mar 30, 2012)

NCbeek said:


> Since top bars have to be worked more often and sometimes harvested more often; wouldn't it be a pain to have to take one off the top to work the other? I mean literally a pain in the back. Aside from the weight, you would have many more disoriented bees around when you removed the top one. You would also risk breaking comb. I would think sitting one next to the other would be better.


Yeah I suppose that would make it tough. I was just thinking of putting a short swarm box on top of an existing for just a few weeks while I knock together a full size hive. Its out in a farmers field and it took us forever to get the first hive level. I think you are right though...might create more problems than it solves.

Thanks!


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## Colleen O. (Jun 5, 2012)

I think you should to try to put your nuc in the spot where your new hive will be so that you don't lose the foragers. I just experienced this for the first time and it was a dramatic hit to the nuc that I moved. I had a new nuc in the spot where I was going to put the new hive but had a more mature nuc that was bursting at the seams and decided I had to hive that one instead. I swapped the new nuc for the old. It worked out well because the newer nuc needed the boost and is now really taking off but it did set the nuc I hived back a bit. They are recovering quickly but I will remember the lesson.


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