Plastic bucket, with vented top, or carboard box

[East Texas Pine Rooter]

I got a swarm on a limb, out of my hive. I have a plastic 5-gal. bucket, with a large hole, cut in the bottom, and lid. the holes are covered with #8 wire that is screwed into the plastic over the holes, 6-7 inches. The bucket has a handle. i also have a carboard box. which is easier to brush the bees from the limb into? I will be on a ladder, 15-feet up. does it make any difference? will the bees start flying out? they were on the limb all last night, and all today. it has rained all day, and maybe all tonight, and maybe tomorrow, and even saturday. will they fly in the rain? it now 9:30 pm, and still thundering, and lightning.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Put what ever container you use,under the swarm and give the limb a good jolt. Smack it pretty good so the jarring action will dislodge the cluster. When done right, and with a little luck, 90% of the swarm along with queen will fall into the container. I like to use a small plastic butter dish to scoop the small clusters off the limb and dump them into the box. It keeps less bees from flying. On occasions when you can not jar what they are sitting on, scooping and brushing is the best resort to move them into a box, it dosent kill bees like the vacuume does.

Use that nuc with the brood you cut out in it and leave an opening for the bees to scent the rest of the swarm back to. If this is not the speaker bees up in the tree, get a frame from one of your other hives to use for a magnet. They will be drawn to it and it will intice them to stay.

[Michael Bush]

>I got a swarm on a limb, out of my hive. I have a plastic 5-gal. bucket, with a large hole, cut in the bottom, and lid. the holes are covered with #8 wire that is screwed into the plastic over the holes, 6-7 inches. The bucket has a handle. i also have a carboard box. which is easier to brush the bees from the limb into?

It depends on how spread out the cluster is and the particular situation you find yourself in. The bucket has a handle and that will help. The lid is nice too.

>I will be on a ladder, 15-feet up. does it make any difference? will the bees start flying out?

Some of them will alwyas fly, but most will land in the bucket usually. I like the bucket on the end of a pole method. Brushy Mt. sells it as a Hipps Swarm retriever. I can usually just hit it hard straight up while standing on the ground and except for the scary feeling of bees landing on me, it's much safer than the ladder.

>they were on the limb all last night, and all today. it has rained all day, and maybe all tonight, and maybe tomorrow, and even saturday. will they fly in the rain?

Not usually.