strange happening

[Russell in wisc]

I saw one of my hives start to swarm then watched as they clustered in a tree on a branch. I got the shotgun and shot the base of the branch off hoping to catch them into a hive body with old brood combs from a dead out this spring I had placed under the tree.As they fell they all scattered flying back to the hive they came from clustering on the outside of the hive as in the pic. After a while they went back inside the hive.I'm wondering maybe the queen got killed when the branch fell I did see some bees on the ground that were injured.I don't think the queen would go back into the hive it swarmed out of.

[preciousbeesfarm]

Most likely scared the hell outa them,, LOL

[ChickenChaser]

I've heard my dad say when he was a kid, if a swarm was spotted, he would chase after it - banging on metal dish pans and such. I think the idea was simulate a thunderstorm to get the swarm to settle.

Pre-swarm? I witnessed this earlier this year. Masses of bees in the air only to re-enter the hive. They swarmed the following day and I was able to hive them after they clustered nearby.

CC

[Keth Comollo]

Now that is a nuc tower that I am proud to see. As for your bees I imagine they will settle down and if the queen is truly gone they will get ready to swarm again with virgins from the cells they made earlier. Time for some splits!