Catching A Swarm

Catching A Swarm

Introduction

When bees swarm the queen and up to half the colony leave the hive and temporarily settle nearby. It is often in a hedge, on the branch of a tree or on a fence. The swarm will remain there for just a few minutes or a couple of days whilst scout bees search for a new home. This is the time to catch a swarm. Once the swarm becomes permanently established removal becomes much more difficult and is likely to require specialist services.

Swarm Of Bees On Fence Post
Swarm Of Bees On Fence Post

The first time you catch a swarm you’ll be surprised just how heavy it is as it drops into the box. There are about 8000 bees to a kilogram (3500 to a pound). A swarm can weigh as much as 5kg (10lb). You really need three arms: one to support the box, one to shake or brush the bees and one to hold on. If, like most of us, you only have two arms you’ll have to try your best! This can involve holding the box between your body and another branch or, perhaps use one of your knees.

When honeybees swarm they are at their least defensive as they have no honey to defend.  All the methods described below are for beekeepers wearing their kit, not for members of the public.

Once you have caught the swarm and hived it don’t forget to feed it (read: Feeding Bees).

Method 1: Shaking bees into a box

This is the method you are likely to use most of the time.  You might want to watch this video before reading the instructions below, he also goes on to hive the swarm:

You will definitely need the following kit:

  • Large, strong cardboard box about the same volume as a brood box
  • A bee brush
  • Beekeeper outfit
  • A sheet
  • 5 weights/stones to hold the sheet down

You might need:

  • Secateurs, knife, saw
  • Smoker, fuel, matches
  • Ladder

Steps:

  1. Assess the situation
    • If it’s dangerous, do not attempt to catch the swarm
  2. Ensure the swarm are settled: quiet, bees tunnelling in and out of the cluster, flying bees coming and going
  3. Place the sheet on the ground near to the swarm
  4. Put a weight/stone on each corner to prevent it blowing about in the wind and put the fifth stone in the middle to be used later to prop up the box
  5. Situations:
    • Swarm hanging from a shakeable branch: Hold the box underneath the swarm, as close as possible, and give the branch a sharp jerk followed by a few vigorous shakes. Most of the bees will fall in but you can also use the bee brush. You want the queen and most of the bees in the box. The rest will follow.
    • Swarm hanging from rigid branch, fence or building: Hold the box underneath the swarm and brush them in.  Or if it’s possible, a better method is to support the box, opening downwards, as close as possible above the swarm and the bees will walk upwards into the box. A little smoke could also be used to move them up
    • Swarm in dense vegetation: Cut branches to give yourself sufficient room to get the box in place. Shake bees into the box.
    • Swarm in other locations: use your initiative
  6. Once the bees are in the box, take it down, gently turn it over so that the opening is downwards and put it in the middle of the sheet with one side propped up on the brick to provide an entrance. Now stand back and watch for a while. What you should see is the worker bees near the entrance start fanning. That is, they’ll be standing, head down, wings working and with a small white spot called the Nasonov gland exposed on the last dorsal segment of the abdomen. The scent from this gland will attract the remaining bees that you didn’t collect. Within half an hour most of them should have joined the bees in the box. However, if you didn’t manage to secure the queen, it won’t happen. Instead, the bees will all go back to the original site of the swarm or wherever the queen has ended up. In this case you’ll have to wait until the cluster reforms and settles down again before making another attempt.
  7. If possible it’s best to leave the box until the evening before removing it because, by that time, all the bees will have stopped flying. In the mean time, if the weather is hot, you should try to arrange that the box is shaded from direct sun. When you’re ready gently remove the supporting brick and lower the edge of the box to the ground. Take away the other bricks and gather the four corners of the sheet up above the box. Finally, tie some string around the sheet to make a sort of sack preventing any bees from escaping. The box can then be moved just by lifting the “sack”. The last thing that needs to be discussed is hiving the swarm. You don’t have to do it immediately. The swarm can be left in the box overnight, for example, but if so, you should undo the sheet and prop up the edge of the box to provide ventilation. You’ll also find the bees quickly start to build comb in the box so I’d recommend you don’t leave them for more than a day.
  8. Swarms are normally fairly healthy but, once established, you should inspect and, if necessary, treat for the usual parasites and diseases.

There are some photos and videos of my Dad sweeping off a swarm from a fence into a cardboard box in one of my posts: My Dad The Swarm Catcher.

Here I am checking a queen is not in my swarm-catcher bag.

Is the Queen in the bag
Is the Queen in the bag?

Method 2: Keep it simple – place empty hive near swarm

This clip says it all.  Just put an empty hive filled with supers near a swarm.  Seal it up, move to the location you want to, feed and open in the morning.

This is pretty much what I did with the first swarm I caught: Attack Of The Swarm!

Catching Swarm - 18th May 2014
Catching Swarm – 18th May 2014

Method 3: Setting up a bait hive or swarm trap

You might want to set up a bait hive. I use swarm traps as in photo below with pheromone lure. I have read this is more successful and that bait hives with old comb can attract wax moth. Read: setting up swarm trap and pheromone.

Swarm Trap Successful
Swarm Trap Successful

If you want to catch a swarm of your bees then I have read to situate it at 200m or up to 800m away.  When my colony swarmed I saw scout bees testing nooks and cranies within 10m, so perhaps a bait hive could be pretty near your hives.

Other tips I have read:

  • Evidence points to Nasonov pheromone being more successful than using old comb.  Nasonov is released by scout bees and worker bees to orient new swarms and returning forager bees back to the colony
  • If using bait hive, place old comb inside
  • Whilst placing 3m off the ground might be ideal – it’s not safe. 1-2m is fine

Method 4: Vacumming bees

Apparently you can vacuum-up bees as well.  This is a must-watch video of a guy using a vacuum on a mega hive.  There are also videos of bee vacuums being used on small swarms in difficult locations.

Destroying The Colony

Bees already in residence perhaps in a chimney or old tree must be removed with their honeycomb containing the young grubs and the queen. If the bees cannot be reached then the beekeeper is helpless and the council or local pest control can destroy the colony.

If you have successfully caught a swarm, you might now want to hive a swarm.

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These how-to guides are provided for general interest and information only.  No liability is accepted for any injury or loss arising out of the contents of these pages

24 thoughts on “Catching A Swarm”

  1. caught my first swarm today.came across them by pure chance.
    bees were very passive and gentle. swarm was about 10 ft above the ground, needed ladders.i cut the branch placed over nuc box ,gave a couple of sharp knocks on branch and they all fell in. a few did re group on the tree again, repeated process and got them all. i had some used brood frames and some spare frames with honey supplies, these were place in the nuc. move them to my location. they seem very happy with their new home. ps don’t kill bees save them. its a very rewarding hobby and past time.

  2. Hello from Down Under – I am a brand new beekeeper! My bee-mentor and I went to a swarm he had caught and then split and brought home my baby girls in a nucleus box…it is late summer in Queensland, Australia, most of the honey flow is over, so I need to feed these girls. Fed them first thing this morning, the first time I’ve worked bees by myself…it was absolutely brilliant!!
    Your videos and instruction are fascinating.
    Anyway, just wanted to say Hi, my step-son lives in Dallas!

    1. Further to this – the girls raised several Queen cells the oldest of which I destroyed leaving four uncapped. they have raised the most beautiful Queen who had a successful mating flight and i was able to expnd the nuc to a full-size 10 frame brood box and fed them for the first month. As of yesterday, only the two outer frames are not fully drawn but she is laying well and in good pattern. 8 frames of bees are packed with good pollen and honey and they are busy and content, barely needed the smoker. Now the days are cooler, they do not have enough honey stores for winter but the temp here gets from 11c up to 25C during the day.
      I will be away for a month of june, should I feed them given there is always something blooming in the rainforest in which we live, or encourage them to keep foraging? Should I lay a hive mat on top as they were combing into the lid? i have a small hive beetle trap on top and under the base and only two beetles found in one month. All else is well and the hive is thriving! Thoughts please?

      1. Hi Sandi, I am no expert on rainforest bees! Best to speak with local beekeepers about the forage available whilst you are away.

  3. I have a question. I caught my first hive 3 days ago and put it in a bait
    box I’d set up. The bees were mostly on the outside of the hive within 3 hours.
    The next day there were many clustered on the outside. I went back to the original
    spot and collected more from the tree where they were gathered. I introduced them
    into the hive. Last night I moved the hive and most were on the bottom of the hive.
    I put them in the hive and I have them sealed up at present, with a screened bottom board for ventilation. What does this indicate? Do they not have a queen for some reason? What do you suggest I do to encourage them to stay. I’m feeding them.
    Thanks,
    Gail

    1. If you have the queen in the hive, put a queen excluder below the brood box (i.e. above the floor) so she cannot get out. You can remove the QE after 3 days as they are unlikely to leave at that point.

  4. Hi, I’m new to bee keeping (this is yr 2 for me) i caught a swarm a few weeks ago, they are laying down lots of comb and honey, but no brood, is this normal or do you think i may have lost the queen?

  5. Help we had a wild bee hive that was living in a plastic owl. Well we got it the the box and liq nailed it to the top of the box, with a hole for them to hopefully move in…problem is that about 50 of the bees are now slit off and grouped not to far from the hive box we have. Will they move in with the rest?

    1. 1.Not sure if these are honeybees?
      2. If they are, over a few days they should move into the box (I’ve had the same issues, they just need time)

      1. You are right they moved into it took 3 days but they did, they definitely are honey bees. As there was honey all over the stick that was holding the owl up. Im so glad they are taking to a new home noone would help us. So yeah now I will let them live for awhile then nove them out of the city to my 2ac..

  6. we have collected a swarm and placed it into a bee box then the next day it swarmed again we have put it into box again what can we do to stop it from swarming again we are in Western Australia

  7. Put a Queen Excluder below the brood box to stop queen escaping but allowing bees to enter/exit. Wait 3 days, remove QE and place thin syrup on top.

  8. Question: I have a swarm that has attached itself to the outside bottom of my swarm trap for the last two days. Any suggestion on how to get them to move into the trap or any way to get them collected since I can not shake the box where they are attached? If there are still there later today I plan to “scrape” them off the box and into a bucket. Fingers crossed I don’t crush the queen!

    1. So on day three I couldn’t wait any longer. Using my bee brush and a cardboard box, I swept the bees off the tree and into the box. Well mostly into the box. Then poured from box into hive. After getting most of them into the hive I waited and saw that they started fanning. After about an hour and a half they were all in the hive. I placed it on the stand and now two days later they are settled in and collecting pollen.

  9. Over the weekend I succeeded in catching three swarms. They are not in their permanent spot yet. When should I move them to a permanent location?

    1. If you are moving them over 3 miles … it doesn’t matter when you move them.

      If you are moving them somewhere close … I do it in the evening of the day I caught the swarm, when they are all in the hive and before they have orientated, and that seems to work just fine.

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