Hello Guys!
I have a weak colony and I want to combine it,with a strongest one.But the problem is that the weak colony is
in a different place from the stronge colony.About 200 metres away.I am afraid that some of the foragers from the weak colony will
return to the old weak hive.What can I do??
I would suggest the following steps:
1) wait for the bees to return to the hive (late evening) and then close the entrance.
2) Remove the outer and inner covers from the strong hive. Place a sheet of newspaper, or ideally an even thinner paper, if available (with 8-10 sizeable slits in it) over the top of the strong hive. Spray it gently with diluted honey. Place the weak hive on top of the strong one. Shake any bees, if left on the weak hive's bottom board, into the weak box.
*(2a) Another option would be to just spray the top of the strong hive with diluted honey and place the weak hive on top. The bees should be ok and merge well without fighting).
3) Close the hive.
4) Very important!: Make sure to place a branch at the entrance of the combined hive so the bees from the weak hive, once they start coming out in the morning, are forced to reorient. The reorientation process will assure they now return to the new location and do not drift back to the old.
5) Go back to the hive in 3-4 days and reduce the boxes (move the used frames from the weak box to the strong box(es) beneath) if the weak addition has too many unused frames.