Hiving a swarm: 6-4-2013
This video shows how I captured and saved a honey bee swarm. The swarm was in the soffit of a very nice home just northwest of town. The owners were very kind and did not wish to harm the swarm but they wanted it to find another home.
I use a temporary 'swarm box' that is a simple 8 frame box with a floor secured to the box. It has just one entrance with a hinged lid and closes easily after you dump the bees in. I also put in 3 frames for the bees to climb on. One was fully drawn, the other two were just some foundation. Most of the box is empty and this allows for room for the 'ball of bees' to fall into the box.
I gently remove the ball of bees from the house and dump them in. The queen is usually in the middle of the ball. I then close the lid and move away, coming back later (usually near nightfall) and plugging the entrance and taking them home.
The next day, I setup their new hive with additional frames and move them into the the box with the proper amount of frames. I then put on a top feeder with 1:1 syrup and some essential oils (peppermint, lemongrass and thyme) about 10 drops for each in a quart jar.
Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgW65_FQDuI&feature=youtu.be
Thanks !
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