[Monie]

So, I go out and look at the girls. "Hmm.. lots of activity. Are those bees robbing??" I reduce the entrance and go in the house to get a drink. I come outside and sit to watch. "Hmm...maybe instead those are new workers taking their orientation flight...the are going around in circles. Ahh, isn't that nice?" I go back inside for a few then come back out. The air is filled with bees and the drone is quite noticeable. "What the...?" I watch. The bees are now moving across the alley. I'm still watching. I see some light on the neighbor's fence. I continue watching. The rest follow. "THEY'RE SWARMING!!!!" Yeah, it took a while for the lightbulb to switch on. So, I run around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to find something to put them in before they get away. This is the part where I got caught with my pants down, as I have no nucs to hive swarms. Although I have a couple of supers ready to go for the spring flow, I have no extra BBs, inner covers or telescoping covers. :doh:

Finally, after running around in circles trying to figure out what to do for 10 minutes, I decided to grab the minnow bucket to put the bees in. It's got a lid and holes for ventilation! And it's got a handle too! Perfect! I put on my jacket, grab my brush and head to the neighbor's fence. WOW! There are more bees than I had thought. It was every bit the size of a small football. So I brush, they buzz, I brush some more, they buzz some more. Finally, I think I have the queen, even though there are a few stragglers. I put the lid on and put the bucket in the shade and see some bees lite on the lid. I smile. Now, I'm certain I have the queen. So, I proceed to piece together a temporary franken-bottom-board, add a Boardman feeder with 2:1 syrup, then dump the bees in the box. Because I have no extra tops, I swiped an inner cover from another hive and added a bee escape, to close up the top. I plugged up the entrance with grass, then decided I should slide the cover back a smidge for ventilation.

Phew!!

 

[markmaster]

At least you got them! Mine swarmed while I was in school and couldn't get home to get them..... :doh:

 

[throrope]

Me too same thing. I hived a swarm in a spare super with a masonite top and short bottom until UPS delivered.

I now keep a Langstroth nuc ready and also have a top bar nuc with some drawn comb outside in the odd event a swarm finds it.

 

[dickm]

You can use a cardboard box.


dickm

 

[StevenG]

:lpf: I finished working my hives in the country, and then here in the back yard. Came in for some ice water, and checked the forum. Read your post here, and chuckled.... logged off, walked out the back door into the back yard, and there 40' away was my honey locust with a swarm 10' up in it!!! I grabbed an 8' step ladder, some equipment from the truck I had not yet unloaded, and promptly hived it. It came from my number 2 hive... I might have seen the tail end of the swarm while I was working it, thinking they were taking their usual afternoon orientation flight! I'll give them another 10 min, and go move them to their permanent location.

I'm arguing with myself - reunite them with their parent colony, or, since I'm expanding, simply count it as a new colony. I think I'll count it as a new colony, and see if I can get the parent organized and built back up for some surplus. Life sure does get interesting! :lpf:
Regards,
Steven

 

[Monie]

Now, that's funny, Steven! LOL!!

I'll definitely be making some nucs, as the hive this one came from has more swarm cells. I suspect they may throw one or two more after swarms.

I discovered, after cracking open the parent hive, that the food supply was minimal at best, even though I had been feeding. Apparently, my other hive was robbing. I believe this for two reasons: 1. This hive was really fussy, when I started banging metal (blacksmithing). I was buzzed and head butted. 2. The Main parent hive had clear "nectar" in the newly drawn cells in the super. The dirty rats.

So, I have a day off wednesday and I will be moving hives out to the new beeyard.

Now, that I have my first swarm capture under my belt, even though it was my own bees, I feel more confident about subsequent swarms...I think.