[Acebird]

Well the hive I gave to a friend may have swarmed but I don't think so. I got a call from the person I gave bees to and she said there were two swarms in her neighbors tree. Oh darn, so I grabbed the only box I had as a swarm trap and headed over. When I got there there was a beautiful swarm about a basket ball size just hanging about 10 ft on a branch of a big tree. Then she showed me a dead tree with about a 2 1/2 in hole in it about 4 ft from the ground with bees coming and going. It looked to me that they had been there awhile and my guess is the swarm came from this tree not the hive I gave her two weeks ago but I could be wrong.
I asked the neighbor if he wanted these bees and he said he didn't care. He had no problem having me set up a trap with frames and LGO. He also said he had a friend that keeps bees (lots of them) and he could call them to come and get them. So I told him I would set up the trap and if they go in his friend can have the bees and return my equipment. If they don't go in and they are still there his friend can come and get them.

I do not want more bees that is why I gave the first ones away. I decided not to shake them in the box because I felt it would be better if the bees chose to go in rather than me trying to force them in and have them take off anyway. What do the beesource members think is better or more likely to get the bees to stay in a box?

 

[Brad Bee]

Shake em in and give them a frame of open brood, minus the bees. You can't run them out of the hive if you put the open brood in there.

 

[ForrestB]

I do not want more bees...

Box them up and send them to me over here in Spain.

 

[Acebird]

Shake em in and give them a frame of open brood, minus the bees.

I used brood comb and a LGO lure from Betterbee. The swarm trap is deep frames and the other hive is medium frames so I did not want to spend the time ripping the hive apart and mixing up frames when I was only going to give the bees away anyway.

Forrest B, I am not sure an individual can ship bees to Spain. I am sure there are a lot of things I could have done if I wanted to invest time and money. What is the likelihood that the bees will go in the box I provided?

 

[ForrestB]

Forrest B, I am not sure an individual can ship bees to Spain.

I guess my sense of humor doesn't translate well over the internet. :lpf:

 

[sterling]

I guess my sense of humor doesn't translate well over the internet. :lpf:

I understand the humor. It may just be Ace who didn't.
BTW I liked the picture you posted of your bees on another thread. They are different then the bees I'm used to seeing.

 

[jfb58]

8,600 posts, and this is your first swarm. You need to get out more.

 

[Acebird]

Udate:

Looks like the swarm came and went. I picked up the box today. My friend said they went in but left a couple of days later. Missed out on a very good swarm for someone. I am sure there will be more because the bees in the dead tree right next to where I put the box are really humming. No telling how long they have been there.

Jfb58, I always thought it was a beekeepers job to try and prevent swarms. If you are successful you wouldn't see many.

I bet I am going to see more now that I know Where there is an un-managed natural hive.