> I left an empty NUC box so the older =
> bees that were out foraging had a place to come home to. Is there any =
> way to save these foraging bees without starting another hive? Is there =
> a way to combine them with one of my other hives so that they would not =
> fly back to there old hive location?
This is a perennial question which has several answers.
The first is that it might be a simple as taking the nuc box away and letting
the workers drift into nearby (within 15 or twenty feet) hives. This usually
works, but sometimes the bees just cluster there.
Maybe the nuc is farther away, like in another yard, then try Plan B.
Plan B: Consider taking them in at night and keeping them confined in the dark
for three days, then dumping them into the hive you want them in. Some will fly
around and snoop where the nuc was for a while, but then they should go back to
the new home.
allen