[kbenz]

caught my first swarm yesterday from Bret Bodines front yard. laid them and the branch in the tbh. went this morning and took the branch out and they already had comb built(on the top bars). don't know how much, I just opened enough to get the branch out. when would be safe to check them to make sure they are building straight comb? don't want them to get mad and leave, but I don't want a mess either.

 

[Brent Bean]

If they don’t like the living arrangements this usually happens in the first 24 hours, they will abscond. Once the queen lays eggs the new abode is now home sweet home.
Swarms make excellent hives, they only come from strong parent colonies. I was called for a low hanging swarm on Tuesday, we were having a cold and rainy period. And the swarm had been hanging in the open for the entire night and had to survive a cold 3 inch rainy night. They were about three feet off the ground and at first sight appeared to be a small cluster. Until I clipped the branch and realized they were about five pounds. Checked them this afternoon the queen has already laid a one side of a frame with eggs and they have drawn out two frames of foundation.

Free bees love em!

 

[kbenz]

I am glad this was an easy one being my first. was only inches from the ground on a bush. she said I could take the whole bush if that's what it took to get rid of them..lol. had a lot of spectators and gave out all the buss. cards I had with me once they heard that they swarmed from a main hive and it could happen again free bees are great

 

[Brent Bean]

I have caught four swarms this season so far the highest was eight feet off the ground hanging on the end of a branch and one on the ground, that one was easy laid a frame of brood comb next to the cluster, a bunch climbed on including the queen set the nuc next to the rest and they all marched in. I didn’t even need to screen them in, just picked up the box and put it in the back of the truck and transported it to the yard. This happened on a golf course we had a bunch of spectators watching including the golf course maintenance guy filming the whole thing. When asked how I got them to walk into the box like that? I said didn’t you ever hear the story of the pied piper?

Seems they are giving this old beekeeper a break they are usually twenty feet off the ground in the middle of a pine tree.

 

[honeybeekeeper]

My first swarm call was last saturday, they was in a willow tree at eye level. I brought home 6 lbs of bees and placed them in my Observation Top Bar Hive that i built on the right side. (picture of TBH on my profile) Sunday night the same guy calls me and says that there is another swarm in the same tree but not as big. So i go monday morning and sure enough i bring home 3 lbs of bees and place them on the left side of my TBH. Monday night i checked the hive and they was clustered on the underside of the bars but the leftside wasnt drawing no comb and the right side was drawing but not much but it was some comb there atleast...Tuesday morning i observed them trying to get around the follower board and wondered if they maybe came from the same colony. Tuesday night i checked the hive before going to bed and the left side was empty...i was like ooooh NO!...I looked over to the right and the window was covered with bees. Here they finally reunited and now they are drawing comb like crazy..There is 4 bars completely drawn of comb...I couldnt believe it cause everyone said...oooh dont let them get together...That just tells me that bees will do what "they" wish, either for the better or perhaps the worst...hahahaha