sswarms

[beesonhay465]

well they did it again. bees all over the front of the hive and in the air . all i have to put them is 2 supers and no bottom or top.went to the shop to rip some plywood for a bottom and top. came out , they are gone. started looking around they are on the neighbors 10 ft apple tree. covering the middle of the trunk and way too many branches. 
spent the next 40 min. scraping and brushing bees on to a piece of cardboard and dumping them into the double super . wore out, sweated. and the wife says if i climb the fence with 2 ladders again she will call someone and have me hauled away. looked over the fence a little later . all the bees that were left on the tree were in the hive.

[Bob Wilson]

Good for you, Beeson... the swarm catching part. Not the two ladders and fence decision. I never try to cross my wife.
Swarms. I also apparently caught one two days ago, and didn't know it. Thw swarm workers are not many more than the scouts who were checking out the box.

Just how small can a swarm be?

[cao]

Congrats on getting the bees.  One tip on getting a swarm from a trunk or other tight space.  If you have a frame with empty drawn comb on it they will usually cover it if you place it where the bees can get to it.  I have used the frame as a ladder for the bees to get to the box when I couldn't get the box close.

[Bob Wilson]

If a hive swarms on March 8, 2020  (mine did), then how much earlier was the swarm decision made? In other words, how much earlier should I have opened the hive and checked for broodnest congestion and swarm conditions?

[beesonhay465]

went back this morn and picked up the [hive] after contacting the owner and letting them know i was there.seems the gate was not locked,just looked that way. the lady called about an hour later. a swarm was on a yard ornament and had been there a couple of days. i hadn't spotted them . went back picked up the ornament and dumped them into a cardboard box. waited a few min , the fliers were pretty much all in.took them home and was going to call someone to come for them. then the wife said why not put them in with the small bunch you got the other day, you didn't think they had a queen anyway. so i did. if the first residents didn't kill her  im sure they have a queen now.am building 3 new supers. bee store is open at 4 for curbside service. going for frames and foundation.

[beesonhay465]

after 3 days of hive box building and frame and foundation nailing, got my son to help me put super on the first hive and a bottom and brood chamber on the second and a top.
going to leave them alone for a couple of weeks. they all seem to have calmed down and the first swarm seems to have accepted the addition of the small swarm i was sure had a queen.