I think the OP suggests 'losing the queen' ie. culling and then combining. I'm thinking of doing the same with my only angry colony. Problem is, when i did this with a similar colony last year, the benign queen was killed too.
Question: what is the best way to combine an angry colony (queen culled) with a benign colony?
Plan the assault on the angry colony so that most of the flyers are out... ie a sunny day!
Prepare a brood box with combs and an empty super and a queen excluder.
Also a sprayer with very dilute sugar solution and a smoker.
Later you will need feeders a new floor and extra lid
Suitably attired quietly remove the hive lid and gently add a couple of puffs of smoke under the crownboad wait and then remove adding some more smoke.If you have a super or 2nd brood / brood&1/2 remove complete box to one side with crownboad in place. ( on another empty box or similar... not on the ground)
Smoke brood box and spray some sugar solution onto top of frames, then gently place to one side ( on another empty box or similar... not on the ground)
Place your new brood box prepared earlier on the hive floor... some of the flying bees will start to enter it.
Gently remove one frame from the set aside brood box and gently mist the bees attached with the sugar solution.. keeping them in the box with a puff or two of smoke as you do so.
Shake all the bees from the comb into the new brood box ( the super if placed on top helps as a funnel)
The bees will be busy cleaning the sugary spray so will not tend to fly up at you... continue one frame at a time until you have cleared all of the bees from all of the boxes... remember to also shake any remaining bees clinging to the sides of the box into the new box ( another empty brood / super etc may be useful to place the cleared frames temporarily)
Once you have all of the bees into the new box put the queen excluder on top of it and reassemble all of the original ( now cleared of bees) boxes on top, they will have eggs and brood from the grumpy queen that will need dealing with later* replace the crown board and roof and walk away.
The following day return to the hive and before proceeding puff some smoke into the entrance( This is one of the rare occasions in beekeeping you will need to do this!!) The smoke will drive bees upthrough the queen excluder and into the top boxes.
If you can get help it would be useful at this stage.
Slide two sheets of Correx sheet ( I use them as crownboards without feeder holes all year round) above the queen excluder, and lift the top boxes to one side ( take the roof off to lighten the load). Keeping one sheet of correx on top of the queen excluder, and the other beneath the top boxes.
Take the lower box with the floor and place well away from the main colony.
Place the set aside boxes with all the bees onto a new floor.. removing the Correx sheet!... flying bees will return to it.
The removed brood box on the old floor, with the queen excluder and the Correx sheet will contain the queen (s)... once again lift each frame using smoke and sugar misting to inspect.... a good proportion of the bees in that box will have returned to the old site.... find and dispatch queen.
Close up this box and put a lid on it... (possibly feed)
*Four days later... or up to ten... go back to the hive on the new floor and go through the brood boxes and check for any queen cells and break them down... check every nook and cranny... I have even gone back in for a second look a couple of days after.
Go back to the old box that has the new frames in it ( on the old floor) and double check for a queen... reunite any bees to original hive.( although I know of a beekeeper who would simply pour a cup of petrol into this colony to destroy the drones)
Now you should have a colony that is hopelessly queenless... and even grumpier than before!
However to accomplish a merger with another colony of better temper....
Later in day when bees have ceased flying....
Remove lid, smoke bees down place a sheet of newspaper to cover ( Financial Times used to be Grandads choice) on top and dampen with the sugar spray.
Bring new colony to combine and remove floor and lid and place on top of newspaper (Feed)
Put lid back on and strap together....
In a day or so the apiary will be full of bits of newspaper and you will have accomplished a combined colony, which should be a delight to handle.
Good Luck
Yeghes da
