[Andrey Limonchenko]

The bad news is that one of my hives swarmed and I won't have honey this year. The good news is that I caught them. Here's what I did.
I found this method on THIS video. It's not in English, but the principle is simple. I haven't followed exactly because I didn't have the contraption built. I just used what I had.
This method is typically used when you can't reach to shake them, but I wanted to test it out. He're what you do.
1. Set a piece of cloth (used hive cloth) right above the cluster, barely touching the bees.
2. Once they migrate to the cloth, place them on top of hive body with open brood bellow.






What I learned is that your cloth can't be much longer than your contraption or hive body, otherwise it's difficult to get them into the hive body without making some uncomfortable. Also, the cloth must be located in the center of the contraption, otherwise you will get some on the side of the hive body like in the 4th picture. I just had to go later and sweep them inside.
Anyone else used this method before?

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Wouldn't have been a lot easier to just cut the branch?


Rusty

 

[Andrey Limonchenko]

Wouldn't have been a lot easier to just cut the branch?
Rusty

No way. I've been nursing that cherry tree for 5 years! But yes.

 

[imthedude]

what's worked for me is to put either a cardboard box or hive body under the main cluster of the swarm. give the branch a good sharp pop to get as many bees into the box as possible. leave the box in place and see what the bees do - if they start moving into the hive, then the queen is most likely in there. if not, then you didn't get her and need to try again. leave the box until dark so that as many as possible can move into their new home, then collect it and put it in its new home.

not saying that i'm an expert at this, but this is what works for me.

 

[Andrey Limonchenko]

Well, the point that I wanted to make is that when you can't reach the bees to shake them or when you can't cut the branch (i.e. like in case of a tree trunk) - there is another approach.

 

[crofter]

Well, the point that I wanted to make is that when you can't reach the bees to shake them or when you can't cut the branch (i.e. like in case of a tree trunk) - there is another approach.

Wish I had thought of this when I had a cluster on the trunk of a maple tree at about 10" diameter.