# it was a swarm on Sunday



## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

And this is what it looked like yesterday afternoon. There is at least 5 rows of comb under these bees at the entrance of a lady's home. I'm doing the removal if the homeowner can't find someone else before next week Tuesday. I can't do it until then. Hoping someone else can, only because I have alot going on and I don't have extra equipment. It will have to go into a nuk. 

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/j2rz5xu8yg5pu11/AABD_0oEzjB4LEtwbB-TG5aBa

My question is, with that comb being brand new, I doubt I can save it. How do I deal with the soft new comb? 
I thought about bringinging a hive with a frame of open brood and then somehow get the bees in (brush or butter knife down) into the new hive, remove comb piece by piece and put in bucket with lid as I work through. I have a bee vac which I"m not crazy about using because too often they abscond afterwards. I will use it if I have to, mostly just to get the bees out of her entryway.
Thanks.


----------



## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

That's a huge swarm! Just take your time and be as careful as you can. Use rubber bands or soft string to put the comb in frames. The bees will repair any damage in no time and you won't be able to tell it was damaged. The frame of brood should help getting them into your hive as well as staying there. You could brush the bees off each section of comb, into the hive before cutting the comb and putting it into a frame. Take a couple of queen catchers in case there is more than one queen in the swarm. Good luck and let us know how it went if you do it.


----------



## humm (Jul 23, 2015)

Is that a well known common problem with using bee vacs for catching swarms or cutouts, that it disturbs the bees so much that they abscond?


----------



## SouthTexasJohn (Mar 16, 2015)

humm said:


> Is that a well known common problem with using bee vacs for catching swarms or cutouts, that it disturbs the bees so much that they abscond?


In my limited time ( 5 swarms ) none have absconded. I just give them a frame of honey or brood. The one I caught a week ago is still here and drawing.


----------



## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

I have talked to 5 companies that do bee removals from bees on the net, only 1 didn't have a problem with bees departing. The difference was he sealed in the bee hive for 48 hours. Previous to him figuring this out the chances were greater of the bees departing off into the wild again keeping them in for 24 hours.


----------



## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

If you are careful, you can rubberband the new comb in frames. As for the bee vac and bees absconding, I've never had a problem with the bees leaving. I do hive all swarms and cutouts on drawn comb after vacuuming. The new hive is opened within an hour of final vac.


----------

