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Drones do go with swarms, but mostly they stay behind. 3 swarms would go some way to explaining the disproportionate number of drones in the hive

Absolutely. This is what I do.

Out of interest, whereabouts were the queen cells? Were they all drawn out from existing worker cells i.e. like emergency cells? Or were they hanging vertically downwards from the comb i.e. deliberately built queen cells.

I said she didn't have to leave as soon as the cell was capped. There are still 8 days further until the new virgin emerges, and even then the nurse bees can delay emergence if the swarm hasn't had a chance to leave because of bad weather for example.

The cells may only just have been capped. There's nothing to say that the queen has to lead her swarm away the moment the cells are capped. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

If you want the easiest option, make sure the whole hive is full of frames. If not, you will have to get in there quickly to stop them building wild comb in the space where there are no frames.

Sorry to hear that - horrible to find. How many sheets of newspaper were there? As others have said, I am always a bit paranoid about this, and poke a couple of tiny holes with my hive tool, just to give them no choice but to recognise that there's something down there. I also don't use a...

Paradise - agreed Abelo old-style (non-lip) - they are excellent, but I don't like the ease in which the components slide out of position, due to the smooth plastic surfaces, and water ingress does happen. But despite that, if I wanted to use national hives, I would still plump for the Abelo.

Video please Will

Nope, it's solid as a rock. Ho hum, they will make a good observational experiment

Right, but you won't be shaking out any colonies away from your own apiary in future? Fine.

Also done it more than once, found the opposite, but might just be random I guess

I don't think it is good practice, either from a humane point of view, or from a disease-spread point of view, to get in your car, drive away from your apiary, and dump a colony of bees in some random hedge. You have no idea where they will go, and who might have an apiary nearby. Consider...

Brood In All Stages with a redundant R

I think perhaps it's badly worded. The advantage would be that you only have to go into that one hive, rather than checking every hive in your apiary to see which one spewed out the swarm that you have just found in your tree.

I'll update at the end of the 7 day poll period. I assume we'd all agree that if they are still there then (15 days after swarming) then they are definitely staying EDIT - just looked again - I think I see two combs of wax extending from under the swarm ....

There's a full description on the Abelo page linked to

If there's a queen then they will cluster around her somewhere, then attempt to find a new home. Where did you shake them out?

Yes. Just a bit of fun I imagine for those who like such things - only £1 after all Absolutely no need for them, as you say EDIT: Have you seen their swarm indicator? Made me chuckle. Innovative, if nothing else. Intrigued to know if it works, though can imagine it probably causes more issues...