As americasbeekeeper.com mentioned, wear a veil. I'm getting more and more convinced that I want a veil on my face when I'm working with bees...for my eyes. I also have curly hair which the bees tend to get tangled in.
inch:
I've found that the location of the swarm has (for me) something to do with the inclination of the bees to sting. I've worked swarms in open fields that were as tame and docile as could be...no veil or anything and sitting beside the box with a cloud of bees swirling around me. But, this year the swarms from my hives decided they liked a privet hedge thicket. There was an opening below the canopy of the thicket that I worked in but it still created a closed-in area with bushes all around. Those bees tended to sting when I was hiving them...not bad, but every now and then one would take issue with one of my hands. I can only think that the surrounding branches kind of corralled them into the small area and they became more defensive because of it.... :s
I also agree not to vacuum but rather to shake. If you have a queen clip and can catch the queen with it put her in the box while in the clip. I like to dump them straight into a hive body but I use Langs and that might not be possible with your TBH, so a copy paper box will have to do. Put something in the box for the bees to cluster on but won't fall and mash bees. Some old comb would be nice for "smell".
Carry a 5-gallon bucket and use it to "hit" the cluster with rather than the cardboard box....it looks like you've got a fair mass of limbs to deal with and the cardboard would probably collapse after a few firm impacts with the limbs. When you knock the cluster into the bucket quickly dump it over into cardboard box.
You could even use some cord/small rope and duck tape to attach the bucket to a long handle...pool skimmer handle, broken garden utensil handle, squeegee handle, etc.,...a few extra feet of reach can be nice! Naturally, trimming a few small limbs out of the way will help give you a better opening to bump the main limb.
The bees will recluster on the limb...over and over again. They've been there a couple of days and the queen/swarm scent is heavily deposited on that branch. Just let them recluster and bump them with the bucket again and pour them in the box.
Finally, if you have the time, set the box on the ground below where the swarm cluster was. Close the box up with a small hole in one end for them to enter/exit and leave until dark. Come back after dark, seal the box and carry them home. If you're in a hurry then get all of them that you can and at least give them 30 minutes or an hour so the fanning bees can attract some of their flying sisters to the box. Then close them up and carry them home...eventually the bees left behind will drift off "somewhere", hopefully finding another colony to join.
One more thing, keep an eye on that bush/tree...another swarm may very likely "magically" appear there!
(which is another good reason not to cut the limb their clustering on).
Anyhow, that's some "thoughts for the day"....worth the price you paid for them.<grin>
Best wishes and have fun!!!
Ed
