At 02:57  6/21/96 -0700, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>Sender:       Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
>Poster:       Marcia Sinclair <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject:      Breaking up is hard to do
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>I'm getting so much terrific advice from all of you, I'm sure you can help
>me on this one. My sweet little queen, newly acquired this spring as part of
>a nuc, packed her little bags, rounded up a bunch of her best gal friends
>and swarmed away. I watched them in a big fir tree in front of my house over
>the course of two days, but they were up too high for me to retrieve them
>and apparently didn't like the hive box I set out for them. I tried tapping
>on it. Maybe I picked the wrong tempo or have a lousy sense of rhythm.
>Fortunately she left behind 5 or 6 queen cells. Since there were still
>plenty of bees remaining in the hive and they have an ample store of nectar,
>I thought it might be interesting to split the colony that remains into two.
>I've placed brood and queen cells in each box surrounded by frames full of
>nectar and honey. I have partially drawn comb, foundation and filled comb in
>boxes on top of each.  The original colony is going strong with field bees
>commuting in and out when weather permits (this is western Oregon after
>all). But the new colony has only a few slightly disoriented field bees
>coming and going. I know the older field bees will return to the original
>colony, so this new upstart colony isn't getting much field action. Should I
>attempt to intervene in some way? Will they get rolling when some of the
>bees mature to the field? What else should I be watching for? Any and all
>advice is welcomed. Thanks for your help!
>
>Marcia in Portland
>
 
I suggest that you watch the "weak" colony very closely.  If it looks like
they're going to dwindle down to nothing, then I suggest introducing them
back into the strong colony using the "newspaper" method.
 
Take the lid off of the strong colony.  Lay a sheet of newspaper over the
top of the hive, so that it covers it completely.  Using your hive tool,
make some slits in the paper (not big enough to allow a bee through, just
odor).  By the time they eat all the paper away (about 5 to 7 days) they
will accept each other.
 
 
Regards,
 
 
Mike Wallace
Sar Shalom Apiary
McKinney, Texas   USA
"Out of the heart, the mouth speaks."