I caught a swarm about a month ago and realized a few days later that I didn't get the queen. I moved a frame of brood over to help them along....but the laying workers seem to be in charge and despite a few empty queen cells---no eggs and of course no queen. Because I am leaving town for six weeks, I want to close down this unproductive hive. So based on my reading here, yesterday I dumped the girls on the ground outside my two other established hives--and removed the hive they were in. Well...this didn't work out exactly as I envisioned. The bees all flew back to where their old hive was and now they are a mini-swarm--hanging on the gas meter outside our back door. I need to get them moved--any advice on what my next step should be?
Leave them. Don't worry about them.
A little late now, but why not a newspaper combine?
I didn't do a newspaper combine because I was worried about the laying workers getting at the queen in the established hive. Was that a crazy thought....? Would laying workers in a newspaper combine create any problems for the established queen?
I talked to a seasoned beekeeper at the farmer's market today and he told me to put the bees in a nuke--with more eggs and brood. He said that this would at least get them off of the gas meter by our back door. If they manage to make a new queen--good deal. IF not, then do a combine later in the summer when I return.
Put them in a NUC and a frame of brood. You might have to do this several times in order to succeed.
sure there isn't a virgin in that clump?