Trap out questions

[Stooge King]

I'm doing my first tree trap out after a call from a fellow about 25 miles away.
I placed the wire cone over the small hole in the oak tree and did my best to duct tape up and openings. Not many bees came out while I was working even after I banged on the trunk with a stick. i was a little disappointed I hung a swarm trap box above the funnel. I added some lemongrass oil and some drawn frames. I did not have any capped brood to spare plus it was a 25 min ride and I was afraid I'd chill the brood.

I checked on the trap this morning and found plenty of bees outside the cone, more than I expected but the oak sure had some deep groves in the bark and the little darlings have found a nice hole to get back in at the bottom.

Taped it up better now that I had some bees to work with.
I happened to have a frame of capped drone brood and nectar from a 'laying worker' hive I had dismantled this morning so I cracked the the top of the trap and replaced the un-drawn wax frame.
I moved the 5-frame trap box to a position below l the cone where they associated the new entrance and left the top cracked a bit. That did the trick, they started to move in with abandon

So I'll have several thousand bees on five frames by Wednesday AM but I seriously doubt I'll have the queen as she will not abandon her brood.

Questions:
What is the best use I can make of this 'swarm'?
Should I just do a newspapers combine? A shake out?
Try to buy a new queen? Will they accept her?
I'm am still unable to 'see' eggs so I have doubts about my ability to choose a viable frame of brood. By the time it's capped or I can see larvae that's too late for them to rear a queen, right?

Thanks in advance

[Bsweet]

Trap outs take 4-8 weeks give or take and the queen is one of the last to leave and seldom will she move into the trap out box.If you can't supply a frame with eggs so they can raise a queen, then you can do a newspaper combine or buy a queen. Jim

[rkr]

I'm am still unable to 'see' eggs so I have doubts about my ability to choose a viable frame of brood. By the time it's capped or I can see larvae that's too late for them to rear a queen, right?

Take a digital camera out and take sevral pictures of the "empty" cells at the edge of some larva you can see on a frame. Then look at the photo and zoom in. It will help you see the eggs. then take that frame with some bee to the trapout.

Like Bsweet said it takes a long time and you don't get the queen. You do get the virgin queen bred in that area so you do pick up some of the genetics to take home. I usually go 6-8 weeks.

RKR

[Stooge King]

They guy wants the bees gone as his kids play nearby. Either they go with me in the next few days or the man from Monsanto will (to paraphrase James Bond) terminate them with extreme prejudice.

6-8 weeks is a non-starter, I think I'll just grab what I can trap in the next few days.

Am I correct in thinking that once outside with no way back in, those trapped out will need to find shelter for the night and my box looks like home sweet home. We may get rain on Tuesday so that should also motivated them to 'check' in to the new digs

I think I've been told that the drones as well as the foragers are leaving hive and thus trapped outside. Would I not get the local stock genetics (which I would like to draw from) carried by the drones?

[Stooge King]

Can I haul a frame of capped brood 25 miles without harming the brood?

I assume I'd need to take the nurse bees with the brood so I'd need a NUK box, which I have. right?

One concern - I don't want to grab the queen with the nurse bees by mistake, I usually only 'see' a queen on frames during inspections about 1 out of 4 times as I'm still new at this racket.

[tommyt]

You want eggs more than Brood with eggs the bees will determine what they need to make the Queen cells from
You can shake all the bees off your frame and put it in your Nuc, "bee less"
leave it in the Truck with you go ASAP to the trap out.
You can put a warm wet towel on the comb while traveling
I don't, but read of someone who does to keep moisture
Put the frame in the box,the bees will do the rest.
Be sure even use silicone to block all areas so the bees cannot return to main hive,
with the egg/Brood frame in your hive box all the bees returning and not finding a way in
will go to your box on the next trip out they will consider your box home not the tree
The longer you can hold the guy off the better for all

Tommy

[Michael Bush]

First, to seal it against the tree use chaulk.

Second, the problem I find is that trapouts leave a lot of confused bees circling in the air which freaks out the human residents nearby and they spray them.

Third, if you are resigned to not getting the queen (which I think is wise) then just brush the bees in a box (screened bottom and screened top would be nice) and take them home and dump them in front of your weak hives. You can do this once a day for the first couple of days and once a week after that and then you have quickly depopulated the colony.