[Bird Dog One]

Hello,
I caught a huge swarm Saturday afternoon. I put them in two 8 frame mediums and put two frames of drawn comb with uncapped in honey in the bottom super. I have an empty super on top to have room to feed sugar water with honey bee healthy. I have put a queen excluder (includer) on the front opening. The majority of the bees are still wanting to ball in the top super. They are starting to draw comb on the other frames. What else can I do keep them from swarming again and how long can I leave the excluder/includer on the opening.
Thanks.

 

[odfrank]

They are balling in the empty upper super because that is how they have been doing it for hundreds of millions of years. Put frames in there and your feeder above a solid board like over an inner cover hole.

 

[mgburton]

I did a cutout and the bees did the same thing for a few days. I agree with the other post. That's what they do.

I gave it a few days and a frame of eggs and they moved back to the combs. No worries. They just gotta settle down.

 

[Bird Dog One]

I did a cutout and the bees did the same thing for a few days. I agree with the other post. That's what they do.

I gave it a few days and a frame of eggs and they moved back to the combs. No worries. They just gotta settle down.

Checked yesterday and the ball is getting smaller.
Thanks to all for the help.

 

[awebber96]

MGBurton's advice is spot-on: give a swarm a frame of brood (w/ no nurse bees attached) and they will be very unlikely to leave their new hive

 

[shannonswyatt]

I caught a huge swarm last year (probably 6 pounds of bees) and I didn't think I would need to put in brood to hold them in place. I was afraid that if I went back in they would abscond when adding the brood. Got to watch them all fly away a day later.