Newspaper for joining two hives

[italic63]

I tried this method today taking a queenless hive that has had laying worker brood for weeks now. The problem I have had is that I have a dadant hive which has a screwed in bottom board so I used 2 brand new supers which together can fit brood size frames. After placing the newspaper I proceeded to transfer the frames into the supers above the queen right colony. Now I have a 200/300 forager bees confused in front of their ex empty hive, they are trying to get but will find no frames.. Should I completely move the old hive away or should I try and get the forager bees into the upper part above the newspaper and reunite them with their colony? The supers do not have openings so the bees have no way of getting in the top part of the hive and the bees from the queen right colony of course wont let them in.
Thanks in advance for your advice

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Leave them to it - too late to change it all now - they will bef their way in eventually

 

[italic63]

Thanks for the quick response. What should I have done differently?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thanks for the quick response. What should I have done differently?

do both the hives have a screwed in bottom board? if not, you could have put the one without a fixed bottom board on top. Regardless of that, what you should have done is constructed your temporary two super hive where the colony to be moved sat (also giving it a temporary floor and entrance) wait until the bees have settled in there.
At the same time prepare the 'bottom' colony late afternoon, putting the newspaper in place and holding it in place with a queen excluder, then close up and wait until late evening.
In the evening, take the roof off the 'bottom' colony (and make a few holes in the newspaper) and the temporary box then quickly move the top box over and put it in place over the newspaper, close up and leave them to it.

 

[oliver90owner]

If moving a double shallow brood, I would have put those, with the frames, on top of the original brood box. Late in the evening, when the bees are quiet they would hardly notice being lifted from the pile and gently placed on the prepared box - a simple ‘move across’ operation.

It is always best/easiest if the two hives are adjacent when uniting. Removing the not-required parts of the hive may be best, but usually, once the colonies are united, the bees don’t go astray.

Planning, to make the uniting easy, is very much worthwhile.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Should I completely move the old hive away

Yes, and the stand.

 

[italic63]

Should I avoid the sports section when choosing the newspaper? Not sure because they are mostly girls on the bottom and boys above?

 

[pargyle]

Should I avoid the sports section when choosing the newspaper? Not sure because they are mostly girls on the bottom and boys above?

Have you left a queen excluder in place ? Drones can't get through them ....

 

[madasafish]

Newspaper is so 19th century and will be obsolete in a decade.
Air freshener is the way to go.
Unite boxes to boxes.
or one frame with bees into another hive.
Easy. No waiting .
All done in 30 minutes (tops).

My bees refuse to read the Tabloids anyway.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Newspaper is so 19th century and will be obsolete in a decade.
Air freshener is the way to go.
Unite boxes to boxes.
or one frame with bees into another hive.
Easy. No waiting .
All done in 30 minutes (tops).

My bees refuse to read the Tabloids anyway.

They like smelling of vanilla instead, well mine do any way.

 

[italic63]

Have you left a queen excluder in place ? Drones can't get through them ....

Only below the honey super

 

[Corbeehives]

Isn't it best to shake out laying worker colonys as they can kill queens in QRC's if you try to unite them?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Isn't it best to shake out laying worker colonys as they can kill queens in QRC's if you try to unite them?

You can unite a laying workers colony to a very strong queenright one

 

[Corbeehives]

You can unite a laying workers colony to a very strong queenright one

Ok thanks for the info

 

[plain_hunt]

Should I avoid the sports section when choosing the newspaper? Not sure because they are mostly girls on the bottom and boys above?

Only if there are boxing reports in it, you don’t want to give them any ideas!

 

[RichardBeeW]

@madasafish & @Curly green finger's - I've also read (Roger Patterson or Dave Cushman I think) that suggested using a Fox's Glacier Mint crushed up in a water spray bottle. I have 2 x QR nucs (one with a late Q I really wish to keep on for next year and one with a late mated Q who has yet to begin laying yet - or she's still virgin). The non-laying Q has 5 heaving frames of workers from the previous Q that disappeared the newly laying Q I want to keep has BIAS but less adults. Was going to unite via paper method today but would you (or anyone else?) suggest air freshener / crushed mint spray is as good or better? Thanks as always to everyone for your views

 

[drex]

I use air freshener or paper, depending on circumstance. I find no difference in the result. I prefer to use the paper if I can. Aesthetically it seems better - but that is probably just my anthropomorphic bias

 

[madasafish]

I use newspaper on mini nucs as difficult to judge dosage .Otherwise paper.

 

[RichardBeeW]

Thank you @drex and @madasafish