Swarm Collecting

[Chris Luck]

Cardboard box and sheet works for me in most situations, keep in upside down box until early evening and walk them in.

 

[EDCHEF]

Swarm Collection

How do they know what to do? - What attracts them up the sheet and into the hive?

 

[drstitson]

bees want to be in a home (dark) and prefer to move uphill.

 

[tkwinston4]

Cardboard box and sheet works for me in most situations, keep in upside down box until early evening and walk them in.

I will never tire of seeing them do that. First time I saw it I was gob smacked!

 

[victor meldrew]

All the banging about and yet more than a few have managed to retain their pollen loads
VM

 

[Chris Luck]

All the banging about and yet more than a few have managed to retain their pollen loads

A fair old banging about that one was as well, it's the dark mass above the ladder.

 

[SixFooter]

Last season I had a call from a white van man in a village 8 miles away. Swarm on the van. He said don't worry I'll bring it over. Not thinking I agreed. He turned up with swarm still on the back of his van. It had shrunk during the journey apparently but still half decent size. I put it straight into a hive in the garden.

 

[Joseph]

I use a nuc box. If collecting from high up on a ladder I hold a building waste bag under and round the swarm where possible, shake/brush as many as I can into the bag, hold the bag closed and come down the ladder and tip the bag and shake into the nuc and quickly close the lid.
The nuc then stays on the floor, I then go back up a few times to speed things up if there is need with the bag, collecting bees in it which are then dropped into the box again via the lid or at the entrance if the queen seems to be in the box.

 

[YorkshireBees]

I have generally used a cardboard box (I find a wine bottle box the right size) as it's easier to carry up a ladder or squeeze into a hedge to knock the swarm into! This year I will carry a poly nuc box as if they are in a suitable position to get into the nuc (as has been said) they are housed already and just need taking to the apiary.

 

[Excession]

Love the pics Chris Luck.

Brill.

 

[Chris Luck]

Thank you, they are always handy to add another dimension.. should make some videos really.

Chris