I put out a dozen swarm traps over several days 2-3 weeks ago. There are almost no beeks in my remote rural area and I wasn't sure what would be out there for wild/feral bees. Returning from a vacation yesterday I checked my traps. The last one I checked had this result. It seems my trap attracted a swarm, but they took up residence immediately under the trap and have built an open, exposed nest. It's about the size of a basketball and there are several rows of white comb visible. This is northern MN, they certainly aren't going to make the winter where they are.
I'm looking for suggestions on how to handle this. It's 12' up under a deer stand. My thought is to put a section of construction scaffold under the nest so I have a platform to work from. If I put a box under the nest any bees that fall out when I'm working on a cutout should end up in the hive box. Today I made some folding frames ( https://beesource.com/build-it-yourself/removeable-swarm-catching-frames/ ) to hold the cut comb and enable it to fit in a hive box.
Cut outs are new to me... Do I simply smoke the comb to move the bees out of the way while I'm cutting it from it's perch, then scoop bees and drop them into the box? Will applying 1:1 sugar syrup with a spray bottle make them any easier to handle? This is a half mile from the closest road, so a bee vac isn't an option. What are the odds the queen will fly during this operation?
Other ideas gratefully accepted!
Deepwoods
I'm looking for suggestions on how to handle this. It's 12' up under a deer stand. My thought is to put a section of construction scaffold under the nest so I have a platform to work from. If I put a box under the nest any bees that fall out when I'm working on a cutout should end up in the hive box. Today I made some folding frames ( https://beesource.com/build-it-yourself/removeable-swarm-catching-frames/ ) to hold the cut comb and enable it to fit in a hive box.
Cut outs are new to me... Do I simply smoke the comb to move the bees out of the way while I'm cutting it from it's perch, then scoop bees and drop them into the box? Will applying 1:1 sugar syrup with a spray bottle make them any easier to handle? This is a half mile from the closest road, so a bee vac isn't an option. What are the odds the queen will fly during this operation?
Other ideas gratefully accepted!
Deepwoods


