I posted an ad on Craigslist a few weeks ago and finally had a swarm call today. I actually got 2 calls, each only 10 minutes apart. I took just the first one though as it was easier to get to and looked like a good size. The 2nd caller ended up finding someone else though.
This was my first experience capturing a swarm. I overestimated the gentle nature of a swarm and ended up paying the painful price. I got stung once in each hand, at exactly the same moment. It seemed like a coordinated attack! Things went much better after I put my gloves on.
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I couldn't get all the bees down off the branches and trellis, so I gave them some time to see if they'd move down into the hive.
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A small cluster started forming on the ground, around on the opposite side of our hive. I got as much as I could, waited around for about another 30 minutes, then closed everything up to take it away. I would guess only about 100 bees got left behind. I probably could have waited around until nightfall, but I really didn't want to wait that long. We were able to confirm that we had the queen in the hive, which was very reassuring.
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I got the swarm relocated next to my other colony and let them sit for a couple hours. While letting them sit and calm down I fixed some holes and gaps in the hive bodies with wood filler. Then I opened the entrance for the swarm and gave them a top bucket feeder with 1:1 sugar syrup.
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