[AnVil]

I may have to merge queenless colony in a box with a queenright nuc. Normally I would put a box with a queen on the bottom, then newspaper and queenless box on top. In this case I want new hive to keep location of queenless box. Does anyone have positive experience placing queenright colony on top? Any other options to merge them?

Thanks!

 

[Saltybee]

How long queenless ? Not yet Laying workers?

 

[Gray Goose]

What about the foragers from the NUC is the NUC in the same yard or different? You May need to place another NUC there to round up the foragers. If there are several hives nearby and you are not worried about drift then one could let them find a home .

Yes I have newspaper combined with queen on top works the same. I have provided a top entrance like the inner cover opening 3/8 X 2 inches for then to use until completely combined.

 

[AnVil]

The nuc is within few feet from the queenless box and there are a few other boxes and nucs close by. The box will be queenless for one week when I plan to do the merge.
Last weekend I installed bunch of packages with brand new queens and the following day after installation I went in to open up a candy plug when I saw one queen being dead already. So I closed the box and left it till next weekend when I should see if I have other hives and nucs accepted their queens and then I'll decide who do I merge. Sort of planning on what decisions I would have to make next weekend.

 

[IAmTheWaterbug]

I put a tiny queenright nuc on top of a queenless deep a couple of weeks ago. It's doing fine.

I put small queenright deep on top of a small queenless deep a few days ago, and they looked fine this morning. The newspaper was all gone, and the bees were actively working both boxes. I consolidated them down to one box, and I'll check for fresh eggs this weekend.

 

[Gray Goose]

The nuc is within few feet from the queenless box and there are a few other boxes and nucs close by. The box will be queenless for one week when I plan to do the merge.
Last weekend I installed bunch of packages with brand new queens and the following day after installation I went in to open up a candy plug when I saw one queen being dead already. So I closed the box and left it till next weekend when I should see if I have other hives and nucs accepted their queens and then I'll decide who do I merge. Sort of planning on what decisions I would have to make next weekend.

AnVil, you could also just take 1 frame from the queen less package and add it to other packages, for a 2 pound package you either have 4 or 5 frames of bees. just goose several other packages. either way you are 1 queen down, just how you want it to look at the end of the day.
Or add your best NUC to the 2 pounds of queenless bees and you would be ready to split sooner. good luck

 

[AnVil]

I did not think about that, thank you for a good suggestion!

 

[Gray Goose]

I did not think about that, thank you for a good suggestion!

Welcome, that is the effort here offer 10 ways to do something and you get to pick your Favorite. we all see things differently. And rarely can see them all.

hopefully you have a pic of the dead queen and get one for replacement. some places with proof of DOA will offer replacements. The good news may be it is a queen from a different mother and you have some genetic diversity.

 

[DeepCreek]

Do you have the ability to move them and force an orientation? You wouldn't lose your foragers. You could then move them back.

 

[AnVil]

hopefully you have a pic of the dead queen and get one for replacement. some places with proof of DOA will offer replacements. The good news may be it is a queen from a different mother and you have some genetic diversity.

She was alive on arrival, I had a box of queens sitting a couple days before packages came in. So she was alive when I installed it, but I decided to keep the candy closed for a day to give them some extra time. So I saw her dead in the cage when I went to open the candy for bees. I found other queens alive though but that whole thing got me worried about other queen acceptance. Will see this weekend.

 

[AnVil]

Do you have the ability to move them and force an orientation? You wouldn't lose your foragers. You could then move them back.

Limited. But this is a possibility. I thought foragers would get reoriented after a couple days not able to get out of the hive while sitting behind the newspaper, wouldn't they?

 

[Saltybee]

She was alive on arrival, I had a box of queens sitting a couple days before packages came in. So she was alive when I installed it, but I decided to keep the candy closed for a day to give them some extra time. So I saw her dead in the cage when I went to open the candy for bees. I found other queens alive though but that whole thing got me worried about other queen acceptance. Will see this weekend.

Not impossible there is a queen in there already. That could be why they let or caused her to die.

 

[Saltybee]

I only half believe in reorientation after watching bees for a while. Still try it, but just saying.