What to do with stragglers after uniting?

[SireeDubs]

Hello all,

Last night, I united two colonies with no problems (I hope!). Anyway, there were a few stragglers on the site of the old colony (q-), so I put a BB there to collect them.
There are enough of them for me to want to add to the united hive, but how best to do it? Don't really want to open up again, as q- colony are pretty hacked off already... Can I (in the nicest sense) dump them in front of the other hives and let them make their way in? Is this best done in evening?

Thanks in advance!

T

 

[enrico]

Put a board in front of the hive sloping up to the entrance in late evening
And just knock them out onto the board, most will just crawl up and in if you are lucky. There may be some fighting but...... Or .... If there are loads of them pop them in a nuc with a frame of eggs! Worth a try.
To be honest I don't give them a home to go back to, I let them find someone else's!
E

 

[beeno]

I usually put the hive up to the entrance and they just walk in and start fanning at the entrance. I think they know it is their colony.

 

[Curley]

Hi SireeDubs

Don't know if I'm teaching grandma to suck eggs but I have found the best method is to do all the preparation during the day (paper on receiving colony, held down with QX) and then come back after dark and very quietly and gently do the move . That way there are very few stragglers. Do suit up just in case but probably no bees will come out at all.

 

[SireeDubs]

Thanks all. All safely in parent colony now. Put them on a board in front of hive and they seemed to get in. Uniting also seems to have gone smoothly. Fingers crossed for a better season than last year!