Uniting colonies

[kazmcc]

I have been reading again...which got me thinking again ( never a good idea )

When you unite two colonies, is it inevitable that you will get some dead bees? Or is the aim to keep them apart until they begin to recognise themselves as being from the same colony? Can it be done without loss?

 

[JamesB]

well ive seen some news paper put between 2 colonies (brood boxes etc) the bees chew through the paper and the scent form the queened brood begins to intermingle.

All ive seen is a load of paper shreds deposited outside the hive

 

[SixFooter]

I've seen very few dead bees after uniting with the paper method. Tried once uniting 3 colonies by just throwing them together and shaking them up. I saw quite a number of dead bees at the next inspection.

 

[kazmcc]

I've seen very few dead bees after uniting with the paper method. Tried once uniting 3 colonies by just throwing them together and shaking them up. I saw quite a number of dead bees at the next inspection.

Lol, shaking them up like a snow globe not surprised there were lost of dead bees with that method

 

[margob99]

My impression today, after a uniting process that, being my first, was probably very amateurish, is that some bees do die. You get the ones who are left behind at their original site; I watched them today and even though the new hive was about 3 ft away - and in their original flight path - they couldn't figure out where the new hive entrance was. Some did, some didn't.

Was saddened to see little huddles of bees on the ground, so I managed to scoop them up and put them into the hive being merged with a stronger hive.

Some got squashed between hives. No matter how gently I tried to do it, it was always going to happen.

Some bees from the weaker hive trying to make their way into the entrance of the stronger hive got zapped - inevitably.

And still later, I saw a ghastly sight - some wasps killing bees and ripping them apart; carrying their body parts away to be eaten elsewhere, I suspect. Truly horrible.