# Joined two hives and black bee battle...



## superdough (Jun 11, 2017)

So 5 days ago I used the newspaper method to combine a queen less hive with a queen-right hive. Both were new nucs this spring and both are pretty weak.
Today, I did an inspection and there still seems to be some disagreement going on. I’m 100% sure that there was no evidence of a queen in one of the hives.
Now, I’m seeing some dead bees at the hive entrance and they’re mostly black, as you can see in the photos. Are these bees an attacking force, from an entirely different colony? Or, do bees turn black when they’re stung or die from battle?

I’m not sure what you make of this.


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## MJC417 (Jul 26, 2008)

To me it looks like you have a high viral load. Weak hives with greasy black bees are signs of illness. Take a mite count and treat if necessary. You can keep feed on them and requeen the hive and it should clear up. This cool wet weather isn't helping any, hopefully the weather warms up soon.


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