United Buckfast Nuc With Swarm

[XYZ]

Hi everyone, I hope you're all well!

Due to a knock-on effect and some on-the-spot thinking/reacting I took a nuc with a new buckfast queen and united it with a swarm I caught (once the swarm queen was found and removed). Swarm queen was really dark, and big. She's not completely out the picture yet but this part is for another conversation. The unite was pretty standard:
1. Nuc transferred to BB
2. Newspaper over swarm BB
3. QEx on top of newspaper
4. Q+ BB on top of QEx

The hived swarm was in day 5 at this point and had drawn out a lot of comb. Also I found eggs so assumed they'd settled. I had fed them one rapid feeder worth of thymol syrup since I have a big bucket of it. I did plan on oxalic trickling them - which is leading up to my question. The uniting was planned for another colony but things went wrong there. I made a decision which in hindsight I'd not have recommended to myself, but here we are.

Since I didn't oxalic trickle them before the unite - will it harm the colony if I go in after the "customary" 10 days wait (from sticking newspaper on) and trickle them?

 

[Murox]

You have eggs and larvae and you have fed them thymol syrup so I guess they are drawing comb fast too - maybe you should establish if you actually need to treat at all first -sugar roll or alcohol wash, the thymol syrup may have helped you already.

 

[XYZ]

Thanks Murox I appreciate that

 

[Bakerbee]

Can i ask why the thymol syrup would of helped. I thought thymol syrup was to help against nosema not varroa. Am i missing domething i should know?

 

[Murox]

Can i ask why the thymol syrup would of helped. I thought thymol syrup was to help against nosema not varroa. Am i missing domething i should know?

Thymol based varroa treatments – thymol-based fumigants
Apiguard, Api Life Var – not to be confused with Apivar. though introducing into the hive via syrup is not the same .
But Thymol is antiseptic, strongly antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral, and it still smells.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Can i ask why the thymol syrup would of helped. I thought thymol syrup was to help against nosema not varroa. Am i missing domething i should know?

I think the OP just used it because it was available, thymol in syrup does bugger nothing to combat varroa

 

[XYZ]

Yeah I have a bucket of thymol syrup so I just used it because it was close by. Not for any treatment reasons.
Fully intended on oxalic trickle but looks like I'll have to do that once the colonies have united. Will go back on day 10 to shuffle the frames about and let them settle before trickling.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Pointless trickling once you have capped brood.

 

[XYZ]

Would it be sensible to remove the newspaper after a few days, rearrange the brood frames down to one box, then come back on the evening to trickle?
Capped brood will be minimal - surely *if* there is a heavy mite load a trickle would be better than nothing?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well if neither Buckfast queen nor swarm queen were laying a week ago then do it.
I presumed your Buckfast queen was already established. Is that not the case?

 

[XYZ]

Well if neither Buckfast queen nor swarm queen were laying a week ago then do it.
I presumed your Buckfast queen was already established. Is that not the case?

She's not long been released from her push-in cage. There may be a small patch of capped brood but not much.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Then do it today but make sure you don’t trickle them again this winter
But then I wouldn’t be uniting a new queen with a swarm. I’d wait fir her to be established then do it

 

[XYZ]

Yeah I wouldn't do that again. Cheers

I saw some newspaper on the floor today, which is good to see. Indications so far is successful. Will open up possibly tomorrow and get them into one box.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Yeah I wouldn't do that again. Cheers

I saw some newspaper on the floor today, which is good to see. Indications so far is successful. Will open up possibly tomorrow and get them into one box.

I notice Oxalic strips are being advertised in the UK. Maybe something that would be useful but are they a permitted treatment?