So, you want to catch a swarm, eh? Here are some hot tips.
Listen and follow along:
You need a nuc box and five frames, a spray bottle with sugar water inside it, some cotton rope, and a bee brush.
Put your ladder under the swarm. Go up next to the swarm and spray it with sugar water, and wait awhile. This swarm had been there for 5 days; it's been hot with no nectar flow, so I sprayed them 4 times. Two benefits of this method: they can't fly when their wings are wet, and when they eat the sugar they become more docile.
Now they need to put that food somewhere! Put the nuc box under the swarm cluster. Gather your courage and shake the branch.
If you've shaken the queen into the box, the rest of the bees will go in there with her.
Give them some more sugar-water spray. Tape the lid on. Note the screen opening I added so the bees don't get overheated.
Here are the bees in my living room, eating honey I poured through the screen.
Need more? Check out the swarm capture video.
