How to Do a Newspaper Combine
A newspaper combine is a technique for merging two weak colonies into one strong hive without a fight. It works because the bees chew through the newspaper slowly, gradually mixing their scents so they accept each other as nestmates rather than invaders. Honestly, you only need this if you have two struggling colonies in late summer or fall—most beginners won’t face this situation, but it’s a useful skill to have if you do.
Step 1: Prepare Both Colonies
Before you combine, make sure both colonies are genuinely weak. A weak colony has fewer than three frames of brood, sparse adult bees, and little stored food. If one colony is simply smaller but healthy, it may recover on its own with a feeding schedule.
Choose which colony will be the “bottom” colony (the keeper) and which will go on top. The bottom colony should be the one with a laying queen you want to keep, or the one that’s slightly stronger. Remove the top box from the hive you’re combining into, and set it aside—you’ll use this space for the newspaper layer.
About 24 hours before combining, give the weaker colony a light misting with sugar water or a 1:1 sugar-to-water solution. Do the same to the keeper colony. This calms them and gives them something to focus on besides fighting. If the weaker colony has a queen you don’t want to keep, find and remove her now. You only need one queen in the combined hive.
Step 2: Layer Newspaper Between Boxes
Place the keeper colony’s bottom box on its stand. Take a single sheet of newspaper (unprinted newsprint is best, but regular newspaper works) and lay it flat across the top of the keeper colony’s top box. You want full coverage—don’t worry about a few small tears, but try to keep it intact.
Using a drawing pin or small nail, poke 3–4 small holes (about pencil-sized) through the newspaper. These holes let the bees start chewing and mixing scents immediately. Don’t make them too big, or the bees will move too fast and may fight.
Now place the weaker colony’s box directly on top of the newspaper. Make sure it’s centered and stable. The newspaper acts as a temporary barrier that lets bees gradually acclimate to each other’s scent. Within a few days, they’ll chew through and merge naturally.
Step 3: Let the Bees Chew Through Naturally
Leave the combined hive completely alone for at least 5–7 days. The bees will chew through the newspaper at their own pace. Resist the urge to peek or help them along—opening the hive disrupts the process and can trigger fighting.
During this time, the two groups are living separately but breathing each other’s air and beginning to recognize the same scent. By the time they break through, they’ve already started accepting each other. This is much gentler than a direct combine, which often causes a brief battle.
If you hear aggressive buzzing or see fighting bees at the entrance during the first few days, don’t panic—some tension is normal. However, if you see a genuine fight with bees piling up outside, you may have combined a queenless colony with a queenright one (meaning a colony that has a healthy, laying queen already present), or the bees are extremely defensive. In that case, separate them immediately and try again in a few days with a thicker newspaper barrier.
Step 4: Checking the Combined Colony
After 7–10 days, open the hive and remove any remaining newspaper scraps. The bees should be moving freely between boxes now, and you should see a unified cluster rather than two separate groups. Look for the queen—she should be laying in the lower box within a few days of the combine.
If you see two queens, you made an error and didn’t remove the weaker colony’s queen beforehand. Remove one immediately. If the colony seems calm and the bees are working together, you’re done. Feed them if stores are low—a combined colony needs extra food to rebuild strength.
Monitor the hive over the next two weeks. The population should stabilize and begin growing. If you see signs of queenlessness (scattered brood pattern, no eggs), the queen may have been injured during the combine. You’ll need to requeen or combine again with a different colony.