Combine with a queenright colony using the newspaper method

Merge the queenless colony into a strong, queenright hive by stacking the queenless boxes on top, separated by a single sheet of newspaper with a few small slits cut in it. The bees chew through the newspaper over 1-2 days, gradually mixing by scent and preventing fighting.

Why It Works

The newspaper barrier forces a slow, controlled introduction so bees from both colonies acclimate to each other's pheromones before making direct contact. The queenright colony's queen assumes dominance, and the combined population strengthens the surviving hive. This method has a very high success rate when the queenless colony is disease-free.

Tips

• Always place the queenright colony on the bottom and the queenless colony on top
• Inspect both colonies for disease before combining -- merging a diseased colony will infect the healthy one
• Perform the combine in late afternoon when foragers have returned and bees are calmer
• Check after 5-7 days to confirm the queen is laying normally and the newspaper has been removed by the bees