Re queened a hive 5 weeks ago because it was hotter than I would like. Introduced the new queen and checked to see they had released her a few days later. All looked good and I have left them alone waiting for the new genetics to take over.
Noticed over the last week it appeared less active with fewer bees coming and going than my other hives.
Inspected yesterday and no brood, no larvae, bees that are left have been bringing in pollen and nectar and backfilling the brood comb so stores are good.
We are already seeing night time temps down to 4c and from experience our first frost could be a week away or still more than a month. A few drones in some hives but not many and didn’t see any drone brood. Think its to late to give them a frame of eggs and let them raise a queen, If I can find a queen will probably be close to the end of the month before I can get her here and into the hive…
Thinking the best thing to do would be utilise it to strengthen my other hive…
I currently have 2x 5 frame deep nucs I put second boxes on yesterday, another nuc that is 3x 5 deeps that has 10 solid frames of bees and are slowly drawing the 3rd box. 1 hive that is a deep and ideal with the ideal 75% full and another that is 2 full deeps bursting at the seems that I put a set of flow frame on a couple of weeks ago that the bees haven’t yet taken to.
Thinking the best use may be to replace the foundation frames I gave the 2 nucs yesterday with the deep frames and bees, it should mean they will have more than enough stores for winter. Pull the flow frames and put the ideal box on the double deep and maybe get a harvest of it.
Any other suggestions?
What will be the best way of combining them with the nucs? Newspaper between the boxes and just put them on?