Boosting small colonies

[Silvbee]

Something that I've not tried but might be worth a go is to put workers in a paper bag and put it in the recipient hive. The bees find their way out of the bag at some time after you walk away and are accepted - maybe a pin prick or two in the bag so they can chew their way out. My guess is that it would be better if they had some food with them so they had some food to offer - but if they were smoked before being shaken into the bag at your out apiary, they would have fed and have full crops.

Thanks Adam I'll give that a shot and report back.

[Neils]

Icing sugar is another suggestion that I've heard, but not actively tried enough to validate.

Shake bees or transfer frames (alternate between recipient and donor frames) then liberally dose with Icing sugar. By time they finish cleaning up they're supposed to have forgotten they were ever separate colonies.

[Silvbee]

Thanks Adam I'll give that a shot and report back.

Hi all,

So, I couldn't find a paper bag thin enough so went for a more direct approach by putting the bees in the feeder and blocking the fondant hole with tissue paper. The bees chewed through this quite quickly so there was some casualties but when I checked them at the weekend there were many more bees happily wandering the comb and a laying queen still present. Early days but happy with the result so far.

SB