Would taking some bees from a feral hive and adding them to a nuc hive help the nuc to grow faster?
How do I go about adding bees to the nuc.
can they be put straight into the new hive or will they need to be isolated for some so they lose the scent of their original hive first?
How are you going to remove them from the feral hive? If with a trapout, just use the nuc for the catch box on the trap. They will combine easily and without fighting. Trap as many as you want, then take them to the bee yard and remove the cone.
I was hoping to do a trapout on an old wall, but decided not to. There are a lot of small holes that may be exits, and the surface is not very smooth. I was thinking of trying to make a crude bee vac, and before I do that, try putting the cone directly into a box and hoping that maybe a few hundred will go in there.
another issue is that it is in a private garden (very large) and I am not sure how many times I will be able to go there before my escort gets bored.
If you have another hive that is strong enough just find a frame of capped brood, "if you don't have far to move it", shake the bees off and add it to the nuc. That is if there is a empty frame you can remove from the nuc
I wouldn't bother adding old foragers to a nuc. If you can't get nurse bees or brood I would wait it out.
well we are hoping to try out a homemade bee vac on the wall tomorrow. hopefully we can get at some brood comb.
If the queen is good and there are enough bees to cover the brood, may be slow to start but they should pull through. d2
If is not cold lightly spray both the nuc and the bees to be added with sugar syrup . Then dump then in.