Shaking out DLW colony to boost small nuc

[Beeline]

This colony was queenless a month ago. Bought in a new mated queen and on my inspection a week later saw her walking about the frame so left them alone for 2 weeks. Opened up yesterday. Thorough inspection revealed no queen and sporadic drones brood - no worker brood.

I have a small colony (2 frames) with a mated queen at a different location to this DLW colony. It could do with a boost in foraging workers which the DLW colony has.

If I was to place the smaller queenright colony in the position of the DLW hive and took the DLW hive say 20 m away and shook them out, hopefully preventing the DLW(s) from returning, is there a good chance they would be accepted at the door but more importantly, would they accept the queen?

My intention would be to give the DLW hive some smoke so they gorge themselves on stores before shaking them out so hopefully they will be received by the nuc. Perhaps spray both colonies with some scented light syrup to confuse scents.

Would appreciate your comments.

 

[protheroe]

you would be better off finding the DLQ ,remove and then combine.I have shaken a few nucs out but never a full size hive.Most of the shake outs were fine but i had one that flew to the next door hive and there was a large amount of dead bees through fighting.I always use air freshener now,a quick spray and it masks the smell of the hive,i never get fighting when combining using this method

 

[BBG]

Protheroe

No bees harmed by the spray.

Would you give more detail of procedure please.

 

[Beeline]

DLW btw not DLQ. Thanks.

 

[oliver90owner]

I would be reclaiming my money (or a replacement) from the supplier, if the queen is a drone layer.

Reputable ones will likely have had the same problem with a batch of queens and would respond positively, I would think.

I would prefer to go the test frame route to determine it queenless before doing anything else.

Although your plan may well work, with only a very small colony, there may be more risk, what with a large number of returning bees, likely at one time.

Your small colony would benefit from a boost with emerging brood from another colony. Without a large flow of forage at the moment, there is unlikely a great deal of lost crop to be considered at this time.

RAB

 

[Heather]

I would be reclaiming my money (or a replacement) from the supplier, if the queen is a drone layer.
RAB

And if drone laying workers - shake all onto a white sheet about 15ft away and allow them a receiving brood box for their return. Usually the drone laying workers don't return as they have become a little heavier in their development.

The sheet allows you to inspect the remainders...

Never failed for me, have to say - all the other bees find their way back - you wont have house bees to linger anyway, as none emerged recently..

And if a dwindling colony- then do a newspaper join- never just allow to mix- world war 3

 

[Beeline]

RAB - the limes have come into flower in the past week so that should hopefully a good flow on the go.

Defo a DLW.

If I have interpretted Heather correctly, it's advisable to give them an empty brood box to return to and then combine with the queenright nuc, using the newspaper method, rather than letting them flying in.

This was my first experiment at 14 x 12. Now alot of the drawn foundation is littered with drone cells. Suppose I could just scrap it all down to the base sheet and re-use next year.

 

[protheroe]

Protheroe

No bees harmed by the spray.

Would you give more detail of procedure please.

if you are combining, just spray some air freshener over the open hives,then combine,no need for newspaper.I have never had fighting using this method and the bees are not harmed.dont soak the bees in it,just a blast for a second or two.No fighting because its all the same smell.