Re: Catching wild swarm [should be "Why bees don't love my homes"]

Ok, here's how to do it.

Lightly spray the swarm with sugar water - be careful not to overdo it.

Shake the swarm into your cardboard box and close the lid with just a little
crack for the straggler bees to come in.

Wait about 15 minutes and close the lid.

Prepare a hive with frames of foundation in it.  It helps to have a queen
excluder over the entrance, but not absolutely necessary.  You'll loose a
few without it, but most swarms will stay.

Wait until almost dark with just enough light for you to see.  Try to time
it so that when you are done, it will bee too dark for them to leave.

Take out two or three frames from the middle of your new hive to make room
for the bees.

Open up the cardboard box and give another light misting of sugar water,
then dump the contents of the box into the new hive.

Gently distribute the bees so you can put the frames of foundation back in
and position them correctly.  Careful here!

Put the inner cover on.

Put a gallon of 1:1 sugar water with feeder holes down over the inner cover
hole.

Put a hive body around the jar to protect it.

Put the top on.

Leave it alone for about 4 days or until the jug is empty, then fill it up
again.

You can peek inside briefly after about 2 weeks to see if they need another
box of foundation.

Don't let the sugar water run out for even one day.  Continue this until
they have their brood chamber finished.  Brood chambers should be at least
two deeps or three mediums depending where you live.  Up north you might
need 3 deeps and 5 mediums.

That's it.

(West Texas) Mark

"Daniel Fiske" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hi All,

So I've been posting and reading for a while and I've been a hobbiest for
about 3 years. And every years I get called to come and collect some bees
that are hanging from a tree or bush.

Today I got called out to hive another wild swarm and this is the third time
I have done this and apparently the 3rd time I've failed. Accompanying
photos can be found at www.mfaconsulting.com/bees  (400K).

Ok I head out with my empty box....unfortunately I didn't have much in the
way of WAX sheets so all in all I just put a couple of empty frames (with
wax) and some old frames that had not wax on them. I then sprayed the swarm
with a bit of sugar water and then knocked them into the hive....and placed
a lit on it....I then knocked a small bunch into a small cardboard box and
dumped those on the landing board. A few were still on the branch and a few
in the box so I put the box on top of the hive....and sat back and
watched....for a while they seemed like they were happy (about 10 minutes)
and then there was more and more activity outside the hive until by the time
I left the cardboard box was half full with bees.....so WTF....I'm starting
to take this personally.

Ok so what should I do now.....It is mid afternoon and it doesn't look like
they are moving in. I was thinking of taking the cardboard box and putting
the whole thing into the hive.....I just want to let them settle down more.

Regards

Daniel.