Sutty

I have seen a "uniting board" for sale - bee proof mesh with a very small patch of queen excluder in one corner.

Maybe a single screen would be better? Stop fighting but let trophylaxis and colony scent mix.

So far I haven't tried a demaree. Have split (or collected the swarm!), or nuced the queen, and tried to unite after. Downside of spring...

I had a swarm go on queen "cups" charged with just an egg. However there were very extenuating circumstances!!

Not necessarily, you can shake eg 3 frames onto the rest of the waiting frames then put them under the qe

Not that reassuring as I haven't used this method before! 😁

The sieving works better if you can place a few frames of open brood (minus bees) under the excluder. I've found them nigh on impossible...

What you are doing is essentially the same as what I am doing - leave the queen with the brood but bleed off the flying bees who drive...

Interesting point she claimed, that giving all the extra brood to another colony may reduce its inclination to swarm too. I can see the...

I think it was last year I had a small fist sized clump of bees underneath where I had collected a swarm (queen wasn't with them) which...

Not worth trying some bee-quick (if you have it) through the ceiling holes? It might just force them outside where they can be collected...

Ah, but did they swarm out of your hive in the last few days & have been hanging out nearby? 😁

Some bee-quick or benzaldehyde through the gaps in the kitchen ceiling this early on might persuade them outside and into a suitable box...

The trouble is that even if you are sure it's not one of yours you may get the blame!

Chuck them both in together! Instant big colony 😁