A question about uniting

[Glenviewbee]

Sorry - LONG!
The background:
This was the bottom BB from a Demaree colony containing a couple of unsealed emergency QC's - I had messed up and removed the Queen in error when making up a nuc from QC's the previous week. Originally there were 9 frames made up of about 4 frames brood and the rest stores. This BB was moved to a new location in the apiary, so I am aware the flyers would return to the original site (where BB with 2 further unsealed QC's plus a 3 frames brood and 3 of stores)
Estimated timeline was for capping to occur 19 May, emergence then 26/27 May
However - in the week following the manipulations there was a lot of chilled brood disposed off from that hive and the behaviour of the bees seemed a bit weird - quite a bot of 'milling around' and not a lot of foraging activity.
So 30th May transferred the remains of the colony into a 5 frame nuc to close down empty space - noted still quite a bit of stores, but not that many bees and no sign of the QC's.
Odd behaviour still continued - occ bee fanning at entrance with nasanov gland exposed, but no frenetic activity, no fighting, but just different to other hives. Decided the colony was being robbed so waited until dark, blocked entrance, moved hive across apiary, changed entrance direction. Left colony 24 hours blocked in, then opened entrance, 1 bee space wide, at night, covering entrance area with dry grass and branches to force re-orientation.
So, not much change in subsequent behaviour of bees - on inspecting the bees are fine, still some stores and remaining capped brood to emerge, no eggs or larvae, but just doesn't 'feel right'.
I have a small Q+ colony (actually the queen that I moved in error originally) - I am thinking that the Q+ colony needs a bit of beefing up and this nuc colony needs something, so I am thinking of uniting them.
Am I asking for trouble?
Do foragers always return to their 'home' hive at night? If this is the case then if I shut up the nuc at dark, then the next day move them over newspaper on the Q+ colony, then the nuc will have gone from the location of where the robbing, if that is what it is, and things should improve.
I don't have access to a frame of eggs - very low on the laying front in my collection of colonies due to swarms, VQ's and general numpty (me) mistakes....!

 

[Davelin]

Don't understand the bit about 'chilled brood disposed of'. By who, you or the bees?

Also if no fighting at the entrance how did you conclude that robbing was taking place?

It's only just over a week since Q should have emerged so too soon to assume they are queen less in my opinion.

If you don't have a spare frame of eggs you could cut out a patch and stick in, or do you know anyone nearby you could scrounge a frame off?

I think you may have been guilty of too much interfering, but given the present situation I wouldn't assume queen less. Mind you I suppose that if there is a queen and you unite they could fight it out.

 

[Glenviewbee]

The bees were disposing of the chilled brood out of the entrance

I figured it was robbing as I would watch the entrance and the bees would fly from it to the hive next door. It was very obvious last thing in the evening when the bees just sauntered out of the entrance of the colony and then leisurely flew back to the hive next door. Also the presence of an occasional single bee scenting can be indicative of robbing according to some research I did on the net about it.

I quite agree I am probably guilty of interfering - misplaced newbie enthusiasm I'm afraid. I transferred them from the BB to the nuc as there seemed to be a cavernous amount of space for them after the brood disposal and general reduction in numbers

I'll leave them alone for a couple of weeks and see how they get on.

Thanks