# Should I just let my swarm go? **URL:** https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/should-i-just-let-my-swarm-go/13010 **Category:** Swarms & Bee Catching **Created:** [October 14, 2017, 6:58am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/should-i-just-let-my-swarm-go/13010 "2017-10-14T06:58:15Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 22
### Author: ![Semaphore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/semaphore/32/14994_2.png) [@Semaphore](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Semaphore) #### Post date: [October 15, 2017, 1:36am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/should-i-just-let-my-swarm-go/13010/22 "2017-10-15T01:36:02Z")
One plan could be to buy an 8 frame box, base and lid. You can use it to catch and build up swarms- then sell the bees to someone who is happy for you to transfer them into their new hive. You keep the box for next year. I say 8 frame and not a 5 frame Nuc because quite a few swarms are too big to get into a 5 frame box. That way you should be able to transfer the bees to anyone with an 8 or a 10 frame box. At other times the box will come in handy for storing and carrying around frames, and as a spring swarm lure. If a buyer wanted the lot you could just charge them for the box and get another one. As to swarming- even the very best beekeepers have hives swarm. At our bee society several of the very experienced beekeepers had hives swarm this year- despite swarm prevention attempts . These are guys that have been doing it for decades and manage colonies in our Botanic gardens, at the Museum, etc. A local grumpy old beekeeper gave me a tip about keeping bees in urban environments: give the neighbors honey to keep them onside. I’ve been a practitioner of it- and it’s a good thing too- when my best hive swarmed a month ago it landed on the lemon tree right on the fence line with my neighbors. They watched me catch them and were not _overly_ worried. I was able to explain a little to them about how passive swarm bees are if you don’t antagonise them. Given that neighbors often end up in disputes- people who don’t really even care about your beehives are likely to use them as ammunition if you already have a feud going… Last year another member of the bee society had to relocate 5 hives very rapidly when one swarmed and landed in his neighbors yard just as they were having a BBQ… I have now told all my neighbors that I have bees- gave them a little honey- and explained if they ever have an issue to come over and let me know. So far they are all cool… However given that I have gone from 4 to 7 hives on the property in just 6 weeks- I now need to move some away and start two apiaries in the hills. It’s gotten a little bee crazy around these parts of late… From now on my plan is to make splits from most hives every year and to sell them as a matter of routine. --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/should-i-just-let-my-swarm-go/13010)._