[CessnaGirl]

I did my first newspaper combine with 2 swarm nucs yesterday afternoon. Both were on very small swarms. One was a swarm that had a non laying queen I've been watching for a long time (she was a supercedure queen and never laid any eggs) and the other was just a small swarm that was doing very well for its size - beautiful comb and brood. All went well. I put several small slits into the newspaper and plugged the top (queenless, yes, I pinched her) nuc's entrance hole. Here is my question: How long will it take for them to combine? After not raining for over a month, it rained a lot last night and I am worried the newspaper hanging out between the boxes is/can wick moisture into the boxes. Is this a silly concern? Also, I am concerned about the top box getting too warm this afternoon. I want to add the top nuc's comb to the bottom nuc as soon as possible and finish it up today, if possible. Is this reasonable? Are they even through the paper yet? :scratch:

 

[johng]

24-48hrs is plenty for a combine. Most of the time the newspaper is not even necessary.

 

[tnmx]

Do not worry about the rain and the newspaper. They will not get enough moisture to hurt anything. The bees are probably already dragging out pieces of the newspaper.

 

[CessnaGirl]

I feel silly asking this question, but I don't see it addressed (maybe it's THAT silly). I used print free newspaper I just happen to have. Does it matter if it is printed? Is the ink toxic/irritative or at the very least, bother, the bees? Just wondering......

 

[Vance G]

Most ink these days is vegetable in origin and is non toxic. They don't eat the paper, just shred it and carry if off.

 

[Michael Bush]

> I used print free newspaper I just happen to have. Does it matter if it is printed?

No.

> Is the ink toxic/irritative or at the very least, bother, the bees?

No. All newspapers are now printed with non-toxic soy ink.