[Louise]

Another swarm, but luckily onto a low branch of a tree. I shook them into 2 supers - baited with drawn comb and lots of honey (but no brood) and saw the queen go in. Then I placed a telescoping cover on top at an angle - so an inch of corner of frames was showing all around (I was planning to close it once they all went in).

Tonight there is a ball of bees hanging outside of the box, from the tiny bit of cover overhanging the side and more bees on top of the frames and lid on the other corner. Are they getting ready to leave again? Why is the queen up there instead of in the wonderful home I've made her? What should I do tomorrow - add a frame of brood and scoop them back inside? Anything else?

 

[Michael Bush]

Either they are thinking of leaving or there are too many bees for the box in the heat. Do you have some lemongrass oil? Some lemon pledge? If the bees are NOT in the box, you could spray it with Lemon pledge. If not you could spary a klennex with lemon pledge and put that in the hive.

The smell is the nasonov phermone and will help them get together. If you have another box, I'd spray the inside of it with lemon pledge (or put a few drops of lemongrass oil on the top bars) and dump and brush all of the bees into. They may decide they like it better. Sometimes you have to just keep putting them back until they settle in.

A frame of open brood also might entice them in.

 

[odfrank]

It is not unusual for clumps of bees to stay outside the first night when hiving large swarms.