Last week while picking beans I came across a very small swarm (about the size of a cantalope) hanging on one of the poles. Long story short (it was difficult to get then unravelled from the bean vines), I finally hived them and have given them a frame of honey, pollen and brood plus some 1:1 with Honey Bee Healthy in a hivetop feeder. They're staying and seem to be happy but it's obvious they'll never build up enough to overwinter and that I have to add some bees if they're to make it.
Now the question: If I steal a box from another hive and put it on there, the foragers will just go back to their original home. What if I do a paper combine? Will at least some of the foragers stay if I do it that way? Does anybody have any other ideas as to how I can increase their numbers?
Now the question: If I steal a box from another hive and put it on there, the foragers will just go back to their original home. What if I do a paper combine? Will at least some of the foragers stay if I do it that way? Does anybody have any other ideas as to how I can increase their numbers?