Darryl,
 
>I recently caught a swarm to start a new hive.  The swarm was rather
>small.  Since I am just starting, I am wondering about any dangers of
>getting another swarm, and putting then into a hive, and then with news-
>paper between, merge the two hives....
 
>Is there any risk in this thought?
 
The problem of merging swarms is that they have different smells. Each swarm
thinks that the other swarms is an intruder an they fight for there lives, so
thats the reason that you have to put a newspaper between them. They eat a way
to eachother and get used to that other smell.
I know an old beekeeper who said that only a newspaper is not enough.
 
"They wont smell eachother when the paper is complet, but when there is
one simple hole its 'Hell in Hive'. No, you need jenever!! Sprinkle
some jenever over the paper so the whole hive has a pleasant other smell. Now
the bees wont fight but have a party."
 
And the beekeeper drunk always the rest of the bottle because he hoped at a
good end.
 
Succes.