# Late Season Swarm.. Help?



## JaySki74 (May 9, 2016)

First year keeper. 2 hives. Both doing pretty well. 8 inch boxes, 2 nicely filled out brood boxes, 1 full super, started into 2nd in each.
Inspected Thursday and didn't see anything out of the norm other than a couple of mites. We were working to decide which route to treat. 

This AM one hive decided to swarm. They are currently sitting about 40 feet up in a tree that I just can't get to. Not gonna lie.. Seeing all of the girls up in a tree and knowing it's pretty much a death sentence is heartbreaking.

Looking in the hive, there appears to be a few queen cells. They are vertical facing the bottom of the hive, only a little bit larger than a horizontal drone cell.

Any suggestions on how to salvage the hive? There are a fair amount of bees left, lots of brood, capped and un-capped, and young larvae.

If I could just reach the girls in the tree...


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

I'd, at least, put a swarm trap near that tree. They have scouts out looking for a suitable cavity, perhaps they'll find yours suitable.
Bill


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## JaySki74 (May 9, 2016)

I don't even know how to set a trap... That's another problem.


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## bearkarting (Mar 13, 2013)

Swarm trap can be an 8 or 10 frame hive (bottom board, deep hive body, cover with a frame of drawn brood comb). If you have it swarm lure or lemon grass essential oil (2 -3 drops no more). If you watch this video maybe you can "knock them out of the tree. I would place a large bed sheet or two under the tree where you think the swarm will hit the ground with the hive close by.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpXTK0E7Gco

Good Luck
Rodney


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## JaySki74 (May 9, 2016)

They are too high to even try and knock out. 
Being a new keeper, all I have is new, living brood comb...


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

As a bare minimum- the recommendation is a 40 liter chamber, approximately 10 gallons or about the size of a deep. I read of people having success with smaller boxes down to 5 frame nuc boxes, and over on the swarm/trapout section I read of bees being found in even smaller places than that. So a cardboard box, an upside down trash can (think skep), even an upside down 5 gal bucket could work. Michael Bush used to mention lemon Pledge as an attractant if you don't have lemon grass oil. If you manage to catch them then you can worry about moving them to better housing.
Bill


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