Help required please!

[acepestdetective]

Hello all.

I am short on time this evening so will keep this brief!

I collected part of a swarm this evening and the few thousand I picked up are queenless.

I have two existing colonies (a smaller one with a queen and a larger one who swarmed recently and have a queen about to hatch if not already).

Question is, which do I add the bees to and how??? Seems to me I have two choices-

1) Throw the bees onto a board and let them walk in hoping they are accepted after dusting them with some flour or icing sugar or,

2) Throw them into a spare brood box and unite via the paper method.

New to the game so really not sure so hoping you may be able to help me out. Up in little over 5 hours for work and to sort my girls out so if you've any suggestions then feel free to enlighten me.

Regards, Rob.

[lotsobees]

Rob -- what was your process to conclude you don't have a queen?

[acepestdetective]

I had to remove a swarm from an attic and could only get around 40% of the bees into my box. The remainder went and re formed in an inaccessible void but as i left them for around 30 mins after getting the first batch in the box only a few of the remaining bees joined them in the box. Therefore I assume that I didn't get her as have collected swarms before so know how they react when you get the queen.