Dumped queenless hive---but.....

[gailmo]

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?

[AllenF]

Leave them.   Don't worry about them.

[VolunteerK9]

A little late now, but why not a newspaper combine?

[gailmo]

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.

[gaucho10]

Put them in a NUC and a frame of brood.  You might have to do this several times in order to succeed.

[Kathyp]

sure there isn't a virgin in that clump?