TB novice needs advice- things moving too quickly!

[BeeKind]

Hello Everyone. This is my first post and first experience with beekeeping (I live in AZ). I'm terrified of posting a stupid question but I'm dumbfounded at what happened this morning (and I guess we all start at the beginning). Brief history: I took a course on Top Bar, got excited about the idea and got started. I placed a bait box (an 8 bar nuc box with lemongrass oil and beeswax on cleats) in a place I had seen a swarm once, and within 5 hours had a swarm move in! I waited 7 days and moved it to my house an hour away. I let the ladies reorient themselves for 3 days then transferred them to the permanent Kenyan TB home my husband made with 30 bars. When I made the transfer, I was expecting to find 2-5 hand sized combs based on readings from others' experiences. Instead, I had a fully loaded box, with 8 full, heavy combs and the bees had no where else to go/grow!! I was so surprised. These combs were not the little, transparent, white combs I had seen in my class. These were completely full in just 10 days. I've had them close to mesquite trees bursting with pollen. My concern is that in two more weeks they will have the Kenyan hive full and that's faster than I'm learning about them!! I thought it would take all summer to fill the hive (and I'd have those months to read and learn more). If they fill the new hive as quickly as they did the nuc box, should I build a bigger top bar hive for them? Start harvesting combs? Any suggestions are welcome. I'm in awe of the speed at which they worked. Also, I did the transfer this morning, and I left the original nuc box in the area because it had wax (I think?) around the entrance that I thought the bees might want but they seem to be hanging around it so much I wonder if this encourages them to hang out there instead of going into their new home. Should I remove it or leave it? The top is off, and the box is open to the sunlight. Thank you in advance.

[Maggiesdad]

  Congrats and welcome!

I guess the main question is how many hives do you want? lol
Definitely stay on them by starting comb manipulations. Drawn comb is like gold to a beek and while they are in wax mode, keep them busy. If you are game for working with several hives, put the nuc back out there - in the same spot. It's smelling like an awesome place right now.

Start knocking together your second and third hives. If you like honey, make them 4 or 5 footers. Two and three foot boxes will be swarm machines with rockin' bees like that.

[Kathyp]

swarms are comb building fools.  they will probably slow down a bit as the queen gets to laying and they start storing stuff.  their priorities are to give the queen room to lay and get food in.  to that end, they build a lot of comb right off the bad.  they swarm full of honey, so they can do that.

I would bang the bees out of the box and put it away.  it has the smell of the queen in it, and maybe even some comb with eggs.  put it away and use it for swarms again later.

[BeeKind]

Thank you Maggiesdad-- I had originally only planned to have 1 hive, but the beginning has been so exciting and I seem to live in a good location so I may just jump right in and start expanding already! I love honey, so 4-5 footers it will be!! It's nice to know there is a forum like this available for help too, so thanks to everyone who participates and lends a hand to novices and shares their knowledge, creativity, and experience.
Thank you Kathyp -- I ran out and brushed the remaining bees off the nuc box and put it away. The bees are no longer hanging out in that area so it was definitely the thing to do. I think they are adjusting to their new home nicely (I hope). 

[Maggiesdad]

I'm just three weeks into my beekeeping foray - I started three 2lb packages in TBHs Thur, March 26.

It's thrilling to say the least! I've got capped brood due out very soon. Keep us posted how yours are coming along.