Shook swarm to donate bees

[Sutty]

I know someone who wants to start beekeeping, they have built a top bar hive for them.
I have a double-decker national nuc which is very full of bees.
I'm proposing to shake them out into the top bar hive (around 10 miles away) & then unite the frames with an existing hive. I'll only charge the going rate for a queen as I'm happy to encourage a new starter.
They should have enough time to build up before winter, especially if fed.
I'll also offer to vape them as they will obviously be broodless, and try to insert a couple of empty combs to speed them up
Anyone see any problems with this?

 

[drex]

I would "chop and crop" at least one frame of brood to tie them to their new home. Without it they might not like it and abscond, after all it is a big change.
What sort of TBH is it? If a long one, it will need some dummying down, as they will not fill that out before winter

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Shook swarming at any time of year is nothing but bad news for the bees, but at this time of year is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. I can understand that you are very restricted in choices trying to populate an African top bar hive in this country, but if it has to be done, the time to do it is late spring/early summer.

 

[pargyle]

Shook swarming at any time of year is nothing but bad news for the bees, but at this time of year is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. I can understand that you are very restricted in choices trying to populate an African top bar hive in this country, but if it has to be done, the time to do it is late spring/early summer.

yes... effectively the OP is giving the new beekeeper a package of bees - but it's a bit late in the season to be starting with a package of bees ... either keep them as they are on frames in a conventional box and transfer them to a TBH in Spring or if you really MUST populate his TBH now then chop the existing side and bottom bars off the frames and cut the top bars to the width of the top bar hive (you will have to trim the sides of the comb to the shape of the TBH) to give them something to work with and put the cut down frames into theTBH, They can intersperse some of the frames with top bars which they will draw if you feed them. It's messy and the bees are not going to like it - but you are doing them a favour as they will rapidly repair the damage, have comb for the queen to lay in and space for stores. It's not doing them a favour shaking them into a empty box at this time of the year.

 

[Ian123]

I take it you’ve got other hives to spread the excess frames about in?…..As above if there’s some older comb ie that’s had brood in then it’s relatively easy to attach at least a few frames worth to the top bars.
I’d avoid a straight shook swarm your beginner would have to put some effort into building them for winter. I’d also find and cage queen before any manipulation allowing the bees to release.
As Jenks said best done earlier though and probably best avoided.

 

[drex]

I always used chop and crop to populate a new KTBH from Nationals. I used a tree branch lopper to cut through top bars, cut comb to shape, then cable ties or screws to attach it to a top bar of the top bar hive. Quick and easy. Bees do not like it, but this way minimised the upset