Requeened a hive 5 weeks ago because it was hotter than I would like. Introduced the new queen and checked to see they had released her a few days later. All looked good and I have left them alone waiting for the new genetics to take over.
Noticed over the last week it appeared less active with fewer bees coming and going than my other hives.
Inspected today and no brood, no larvae, bees that are left have been bringing in pollen and nectar and backfilling the brood comb so stores are good.
It is certainly to late to give them a frame of eggs and let them raise a queen, doubt I could find a queen this late in the season and probably to late in the season to requeen successfully anyway.
The question really is how to best utilise the hive, it is a deep with 1 ideal box on it.
I currently have 2x 5 frame deep nucs I put second boxes on today, another nuc that is 3x five deeps that has 10 solid frames of bees and are slowly drawing the 3rd box. 1 hive that is a deep and ideal with the ideal 75% full and another that is 2 full deeps that I put a set of flow frame on a couple of weeks ago that the bees haven't yet taken to.
Thinking the best use may be to replace the foundation frames I gave the 2 nucs today with the deep frames, it should mean they will have more than enough stores for winter. Pull the flow frames and put the ideal box on the double deep and maybe get a harvest of it.
Any other suggestions?
What will be the best way of combining them with the nucs? Newspaper between the boxes and just put them on?