How do you add field bees from one hive to another?

[OzBuzz]

So I have a weak hive I obtained from a cut out. I added a frame of brood a few weeks ago and it's mostly emerged now-plenty of nurse bees but not many field bees to build up stores. How can you add field bees quickly without fighting?

[OzBuzz]

I forgot to menton-I could feed but there is lots of nectar and pollen at the moment-but few field bees to collect it. I'd sooner they collect stores naturally than be fed if possible... The queen isn't laying much as there isn't the stores to support lots of brood

[L Daxon]

OzBuzz,
I had a similar question.  I hived a small swarm recently and gave them a couple of good frames of brood from a stronger hive.  I am feeding with a large top feeder and wondered if just the field bees will work the syrup or if all ages of bees inside the hive  will all go after it.

The syrup doesn't seem to be disappearing very fast, but it is sure attracting robbers. I made the mistake of offsetting the top just a bit for ventilation and it seemed the smell of the syrup attracted hordes from my other hive.  I fixed that off set error this morning and smoked the heck around the outside of the top feeder hoping it might disguise the smell of the syrup, at least for a while.  The hive is a little calmer now but I still see little "fights" every few minutes.

[Michael Bush]

You can't really add field bees as they will just return home.  You CAN add nurse bees as they don't know their way home... shake in some fuzzy bees (not shaking in the queen, of course) and you've added some bees.  They will get recruited as needed...

[OzBuzz]

So nurse bees can "convert" to field bees on an as needs basis? Can i just shake a whole frame of bees in and let the workers leave or do I need to shake most of them off before adding the nurse bees? Obviously ensuring the queen isn't on the frame

[iddee]

Adding field bees is the easiest way. You just switch places with the two hives in the middle of the day. That's all there is to it. The foragers from the strong hive go to the weak one and vice-versa.

[L Daxon]

How can you add bees, nurse or field,  from one hive to another.  Won't they smell different and cause fights?  I thought that is why you had to do the newspaper separation when adding one group of bees to another.

[asprince]

A forager bringing gifts (pollen or nectar) will always be welcome.

This method works great, I use it all the time.

Steve

[rast]

 As iddee and asprince said, just swap em and watch. Works great.

[OzBuzz]

I'll do that! Thanks everyone for your help! Slight spanner in the works though! Found the Queen dead on the ground today :( I'll ask a question I have in another post

[Michael Bush]

I guess I didn't take that into account.  You can swap places and in a sense you will be "adding field bees"...

If you shake a frame of bees in just smoke the hive lightly and the frame lightly and shake them in.  Yes bees get recruited to do what needs to be done.  Early recruitment of bees to forage has been documented for many years and is the main concept behind the "cut down split".