I got my first "swarm" call of the season, a swarm had moved into a maple tree cavity. Of course I have no bee quick, not sure how long they had really been there (homeowner said just appeared yesterday) so I am up ten feet in the air doing a cutout. Trees are a pain, never a nice stable flat surface to put your ladder against so I have my standard ladder tied to another ladder thing going. Takes me a really long time to get into the cavity, because the wood around the knot hole is extra hard. Finally get in, and hey, really is a new swarm, only one small piece of comb with nothing in it. Bees nice as you please, even with all the sawing and pounding going on. Figure new swarm effect.
Forgot the lid to my bee vac (Duh!) so I am scooping handfuls of bees out and placing them in the foam box I have wedged up there. No dice, can't find the queen, and everybody keeps going back into the tree. Fine. I need lunch anyway, I will get more duck tape and rig something with the vacuum when I get back.
I come back to find the air full of bees, they have decided their new home sucks pond water and are in mid abscond. Luckily, they settle quickly on the trunk three feet up from the ground, and I think "Great! the queen will be in there, I will just brush them into the box and we will be golden!" A second and a half and twenty stings later I learn that a swarm that is in abscond mode is a totally different kettle of fish. Probably hungry and REALLY upset that their new house was ruined. Rigged up vacuum, and ended up vacuuming them up in the pouring rain (because, of course, the sky opened up just after I was stung). But, they are home now, and I will get feed on them (For tonight they have a frame of comb with syrup in it.) and put a frame of eggs and open brood in tomorrow morning.
JC