# How to add frame of brood with adhering bees?



## davemal (Mar 6, 2015)

When more bees are needed in an OH, what technique to you use to add a frame of brood WITH adhering bees taken from another hive? I want to avoid fighting. Should I spritz the new frame with 1:1? Or smoke the new frame as well as the frames in the hive?


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

What I do is simply take a frame out of another hive. For the most part all the bees on there are going to be nurse bees and not interested in defending. I put it in a nuc box. Transport it to the recipient hive (happens to be 1/8 mile away) and install it. I've done this a half dozen times and had to steal a frame or to from my OB Hive when it got too congested at least a dozen times. The biggest concern you have is transporting the queen with the frame. Look for her when you pull the frame and look for her when you place the frame assuming you didn't see her during the initial inspection to find the frame you were going to steal.


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## wvbeeguy (Feb 20, 2011)

agree with DCoates; brood frames should have mostly nurse bees on them. Just pull and install in the other colony. As suggested double check you dont have queen on frame you are removing.


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## davemal (Mar 6, 2015)

Thanks for the advice! I thought it would more difficult than that. I was afraid that the bees in the OH would act aggressively to the incoming nurse bees. Is it that they would act aggressively to incoming foragers, but will ignore the young nurse bees?


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## humm (Jul 23, 2015)

Would it matter if the frame was open brood or capped brood? Wouldn't nurse bees be more likely to be hanging out on open brood?


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