i have a weak colony (with a new queen) and was thinking if i find a swarm i might add it to the weak colony to increase their numbers. what should i be aware of? i know the swarm will have a queen so should i eliminate her? advice plz.
When you get swarm, put its super very near of your weak colony. Put new wax plate frames inside and let them build cells. Give it 20% sugar liquid some litres. When swarm is normal, kill the queen and after 24 hours put colonies together. For sure that they not kill new queen, you can put in under a little wire netting box with 10 bees. If no one is hanging in the net after few hour, you can let queen free.
Or, you can put the swarm to the top of weak colony and net between them and slide of newspaper. When combs are built, just take swarm queen away, and after few hour put colonies together.
2 supers full of bees is good start to nest. It is 4 kg bee swarm. That collect honey.
When I put colonies together, I just put them. But if queen is valuable, it is worth protect it for accident. Wax building is important for swarm, I think.
Swarm loves it's queen. I you try to change it very first, swarm will be very confused. They loose they mind. They stop working.