Then I got a call about a bee hive swarming. I know what to do about swarms, but I've never actually done. So I went with another guy who had two hives on the farm which, unfortunately, didn't make it through the winter.
So we found the swarm by a pine tree, a 2'x2' in the grass of bees. First we sprayed them with sugar water. Then we propped two frames against each other right on top of them. They immediately started crawling up the frames, and five minutes later we put the frames and half the bees inside our cardboard box.
The next part was neat. With half the swarm in the box, and half in the grass, we weren't quite sure where the queen was. Within ten seconds of putting the lid on the box, a line of bees three thick and a foot long, began moving towards the box entrance. So we had the queen in the box afterall!
The box is still out there, with bees walking into it. We'll transfer the box to a hive at dusk. Should bee alright.
free bees! very cool. im excited to see it.
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