I think I just saw my bees swarm.....

[Apis63]

What are the chances of me being RIGHT THERE when my hive swarmed? What a sight! Now there is a cluster in a pine tree about 20 yards away from the hive. How do I proceed from here? I'm assuming these bees are gone and not coming back, right? Do I wait this out and see what happens? I have a weak hive that I just re-queened. Can I combine that hive with the one that just swarmed?

[Jen]

Hi Apis63  Is this your first swarm? I love swarms  I have been right in the midst of many of my swarms... so magical

You are right about the bees not coming back to the hive it swarmed from. What you have now is a bunch of bees that need a new house.

Don't wait on catching that swarm! Gotta catch it asap. Unless of course it's too high in the tree and you can't get it safely. I'm not able to see the swarm in this pic so I don't know how high up it is.

So, first ~ Catch that swarm. I'll let the others help you with catching it, I haven't had to catch one way up in a tree.

How many hives to you have now?

[gibb]

The swarm represents most of your adult work force and your queen from the hive they left. You should try and capture the swarm asap, lots of good information on you tube if you are not sure how to do.
Hopefully you have a spare hive and some comb to start the swarm on.

[Jen]

Also, it really helps anchor the swarm and queen in the new box if you have a frame with some brood on it from another hive, just the frame of brood not the bees. And a frame with some honey. Or, a queen excluder between the bottom board and new hive box.

[Apis63]

Thanks for the quick replies, Jen and Gibb. The swarm is really high up in the tree--I would say 30 feet. I don't even have a ladder that tall.

[Perry]

Do you have a bucket and a long pole?

[Lburou]

If you can tie a brood frame to a long pole, hold the brood frame against the swarm cluster and the queen might crawl onto the brood frame.  If she does, the bees will follow.  Then put the brood frame and bees in a NUC or hive at the base of the tree.  The bees will go in the hive...probably.  Maybe. 

Here is a thread where I put a brood frame on a pole and got the bees to come onto the fame.   HTH

[Jen]

 "The bees will go in the hive...probably.  Maybe."

Hopefully

[Lburou]

"The bees will go in the hive...probably.  Maybe."

Hopefully

The right word Jen...Hopefully!

[Jen]

Lee ~ I liked 'Probably, Maybe, Hopefully' 

[apisbees]

30 ft is a high one to go after. if there is no safe way to get them into a hive the next thing you can do if you have the extra equipment is place hives with a frame of drawn comb a few hundred yards away from your other hives and hope that they choose this as their new home. If tuo can place the bate hives 6 Ft of the ground and a little lemon grass oil as a lure will make them more attractive. but the sooner you get the bate hives out the faster the scout bees will find them before deciding on a different location.

[Bakersdozen]

If you can tie a brood frame to a long pole, hold the brood frame against the swarm cluster and the queen might crawl onto the brood frame.  If she does, the bees will follow.  Then put the brood frame and bees in a NUC or hive at the base of the tree.  The bees will go in the hive...probably.  Maybe. 

Here is a thread where I put a brood frame on a pole and got the bees to come onto the fame.   HTH

Lee, I just read an article in the American Bee Journal using this technique.  The writer has great success using a drawn brood frame.  I am going to consider putting something together.  I am afraid of ladders and the bees are usually waaaaay up in a tree.

[Lburou]

If you can tie a brood frame to a long pole, hold the brood frame against the swarm cluster and the queen might crawl onto the brood frame.  If she does, the bees will follow.  Then put the brood frame and bees in a NUC or hive at the base of the tree.  The bees will go in the hive...probably.  Maybe. 

Here is a thread where I put a brood frame on a pole and got the bees to come onto the fame.   HTH

Lee, I just read an article in the American Bee Journal using this technique.  The writer has great success using a drawn brood frame.  I am going to consider putting something together.  I am afraid of ladders and the bees are usually waaaaay up in a tree.

PPPPP  (Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance), it pays to have your bee stuff ready at the drop of a hat...Those things can't be scheduled.