Newspaper combine questions — weak queenless colony onto a strong one, want to get it right
Ontario, second year, 4 hives. One colony has been queenless for a while — my fault, a requeen attempt failed and by the time I admitted it they were down to maybe 3 frames of bees with no brood left. No laying workers yet as far as I can tell (no multiple eggs, no drone brood in worker cells). I want to combine them with my strongest hive rather than watch them dwindle.
I've read about the newspaper method but have practical questions before I do it Saturday:
1. Which colony goes on top — the weak queenless one, right?
2. One sheet of newspaper or two? Do I cut slits or leave it whole?
3. Do I need to find and do anything with... nothing? There's no queen in the weak one to remove, so is it literally just stack and wait?
4. How long before I open them up and tidy the boxes?
#newspaper-combine#queenless#colony-management
▲ 12 votes💬 4 replies✅ Solved
4 replies
CorkBeeRon · Jul 15, 2026 · ✅ Accepted answer
In order: 1. Yes — weak queenless box on TOP; the strong queenright colony keeps its floor and position so its foragers come home normally. 2. One sheet is plenty; I make two or three small slits with the hive tool corner as starter holes. 3. Correct, nothing to remove — but double-check the weak box one last time for a rubbish unnoticed queen before stacking. 4. Leave them a week. Newspaper confetti at the entrance in 2-3 days means they've merged; after a week, consolidate the best frames down and take the spare box away.
ImkerinLena · Jul 15, 2026
CorkBeeRon covered it. One addition: do the stacking in the evening when the weak colony's foragers are home, and reduce the entrance of the combined hive for a few days — a combine can trigger some confusion at the front door and you don't want robbers testing it during dearth.
SkaneBees · Jul 16, 2026
Also give the strong hive's box a very light puff of smoke at the top before you lay the paper — settles them so they chew through calmly rather than meeting the newcomers in a rush. Probably superstition on my part after 8 years, but it's never gone wrong doing it that way.
BethsBees · Jul 17, 2026
Combined Saturday evening exactly as described — confetti on the landing board by Monday! Will tidy the boxes next weekend. Weirdly emotional watching the little colony's foragers just... join the flow at the new entrance like they'd always lived there.