Recombining an unplanned split

[Bee]

Split was Sunday - did an inspection and found 5 very charged QCs on a frame in a very full hive. Queen is laying well & from September last year.

I took queen & 4 frames into a nuc. Not looking to make this a new colony so plan to recombined but not done this before.

So this is the plan:

On Wednesday I'll do an initial check for EQCs in the queen- hive and knock them down

On Friday I'll do a second inspection and again knock down every EQC.

I'll then (on Friday) move the queen and the frames out of the nuc into a second brood box. I'll place that brood box on below the brood for the queen- box and have the queen- box + the super on the top. I'll separate the box with a sheet of newspaper with a few starter slits in it.

Retreat and wait until Sunday when I'll check that the two colonies are combined. I'll then rejig all of the frames to make a full set and any additional newly drawn comb will go into the shed freezer for the next time its needed

Comments appreciated! I've not done this before

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

so let me get this right.
Just a a week after splitting them you are going to once again unite the two halves leaving the queen still in a hive packed with bees and brood and still desperate to swarm?

 

[Bee]

so let me get this right.
Just a a week after splitting them you are going to once again unite the two halves leaving the queen still in a hive packed with bees and brood and still desperate to swarm?

I don't know - that's why I'm asking for advice
I don't want two colonies & want to recombine at some point - but not having done this before I've zero Idea how long to leave it
Clearly if its any longer then I'll need to either allow a new queen to be born or add one. My thinking was that doing this fast would avoid the need to do that

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

just keep them as two colonies for now - let them make a new queen with one of the original QC's (if you've taken the m all down give them a frame with eggs from the hive where the old queen is now) once the new queen is mated and laying then consider reuniting them - killing the old queen and keeping the new

 

[StephenT]

you could try this method. I am doing it on 3 hives and have just reunited the nuc’s. I’ll have to wait and see whether it works

https://thewalrusandthehoneybee.com/the-voice-of-peter-little-exmoor-bees/amp/