Any advise for a newbie catching a swarm from the garden?

4 days? I can take you to one thread on this forum that will make your eyes bleed lol

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They have been here for 2 weeks is it posible for them to leave now

Please post still new to the website

What an amazing n beautiful setting for any hive n especially a Flow-Hive. Once you transfer your coming bees that’s where they must stay ! So be sure !

Advice: study basic beekeeping, review step in installing your Nuc or Package, get yourself in touch or membership of a local
Bee club n a good mentor is more than helpful.

Just some thots,
Gerald.

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Wow, that is unusual. I suppose they haven’t found a home that they like yet, but they must be starving as they can’t forage properly in a swarm cluster like that.

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What’s the best thing to do now i dont have my suit, tools nor a nuc box besides the brood box thats empty! All of my tools, wax foundation and suit will be here Monday! Help me make a decision don’t want the swarm to starve nor leave! @Dawn_SD

I suggested above contacting a local beekeeper to help capture the swarm now. If you are willing to pay them for the help, they may well be willing to keep the bees for you until you are ready to take them back. I would do that for a fellow beekeeper. :wink: Unfortunately, you don’t live anywhere close to me, but I am sure that there are plenty in the Houston area. This page of the Houston beekeepers association has an e-mail address on the How to Join page - that might be one place to start:
https://houstonbeekeepers.org/index.php/how-to-join/

I found this from a Google search using the words live bee removal Houston:

I am sure you can find others near you, and most will come out same day (or next day if it is night).

Good luck, and please let us know how it goes!

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hurry up and get them boxed or they will be gone,

sort out details later.

once their in a good box they will be happy to stay, even feed em a bit of sugar water to help them out.

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Hi Ed, I like that saying… We need to plant more trees today so that in 60 or more years time people wont want to cut them down because they are beautiful old trees & they will heritage list them.

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Time is running out. That looks like a difficult swarm to shake into a box. A beekeeper with a frame of brood might be able to catch them for you. Another alternative would be to find the queen & cage her. That will stop the swarm taking off.

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I’ve place my brood box outside laced it with lemons grass scent with a q tip. I placed the frames in with out wax foundation and covered it with the feeder top also put sugar water and honey down will this be fine since i dont have my tools or suit till tuesday. They have been here for 2 weeks and i think they found there home here, now how long will it take for the bees to move in without me putting them in the box.

Depends on the bees - totally unpredictable. I would still call a local beekeeper and ask them to come and shake the swarm into the box for you… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I know it is disappointing not to do the whole thing for yourself, but if you are nice to them, they may bring an extra suit and you could even help. :blush:

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They may have started an exposed hive by now. You may find wax comb attached to the branch under all the bees. Brood may be present. If that is the case, these bees will be defensive when it’s time to capture them.

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I agree with Chilli
Yes in two weeks I suspect there will be comb with brood and stores in it. I might get a beekeeper to show you what essentially will be a minor cut-out.
Lemongrass oil is good to attract scouts but don’t be too liberal with it, queens don’t actually like it

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Thanks for the advice I’ve noticed that there taking the honey and sugarwater i placed there the other ray and now there empty. I put lemongrass sent in the brood box as instructed but non have went inside, it seems like there waiting on another feeding from me. Ill have my gear monday and ill go ahead and put them in a box to transfer them to the hive and look for a queen. I left a qtip in the box with lemongrass should i take it out @Dawn_SD @Anon

Are you prepared for the need to rubber band any comb that they may have built on the branch?

If it is not in a plastic bag, yes - there is probably enough scent in the box now. If it is in a plastic bag, I might leave it until the swarm has started building comb in the box.

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Hi… how did you go?

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It went well i have plenty of bees and there i love with there flow hive!

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It has been told to me by a bee expert to place a jar upside down of sugar water (1 part sugar, 2 parts water) with the lid pricked with holes just for a bee to get at it, on your center board with the round hole. I’m in the process of doing this now, good luck!

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I’m a professional beekeeper in Houston TX. We rescue and relocate beehives for a living. I’m very surprised the swarm stayed put for that long. Usually you have a few hours to a few days to catch a swarm. If possible, brush or shake the bees off the branch into an empty hive body.Then put the frames in a few at a time being careful not to smash the bees. I like to put pollen patty on the top frame with a front feeder full of sugar water 1:1 mix. It gets hot in Houston but if you can lock them inside the hive for just one night then your chances of the hive staying put goes way up. If anyone needs our service or just a little advice. Our website is www.3beeguys.com. Thanks!

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