How to catch a swarm of bees in a tree?

A hive is not a beehive when bees are absent so, the most intriguing task you’ll have when setting a beehive is to avail bees inside the hive. You can be lucky to spot the honey-making insects in the neighborhood, but if you lack the right costumes, it’ll be challenging to catch bees.

When bees perch on a hedge, they can take hours or a few days to relocate to their new home. It means that you’ll have to be swift in capturing them before the scouting bees find a hive. A swarm of bees is always massive and can weigh up to 5 Kg with approximately 9000 bees.

The process needs more than a person because bees can become wild and cause fatal harm to you. One of your arms will be holding the box while the other arm will be brushing the bees. Your helper will help you to support the box in the entire process. The following are the steps that will ensure you have bees in your hive.

The ideal container should be large enough to carry the entire swarm to their new home. If need be, the hive needs to have space to accommodate the small branch of the tree where they perch. The container of choice can be; a beehive, a nuc box, or just a large box.

Remember, the container will be the temporary home for the bees while transferring them to a permanent hive. If you place a container under the swarm, the honey-making insect will fall in the container when you start brushing them.

This process will require the utmost precision for all the bees to get in the swarm container. It can only be easy if the branch carrying the swarm is away from the rest of the foliage. In case the branch is within the foliage, you need to place the container very close to ensure you capture all the bees.

A smoker is essential equipment that you can use to calm bees if they get wild. The process of removing bees from the branch requires one sudden and powerful shaking to dislodge the bees. With the use of a bush bee brush, you can sweep the stubborn bees that are remaining on the branch into the container.

The process may need a thorough study of the bees because any miscalculation can fail. Remember, you need to seize the opportunity because you might use the money to get a swarm of bees if you fail here. At the end of the activity, your container should be full of honey.

After successfully transferring the bees in the swarm container, close it and tap it up. It won’t be difficult to carry a swarm of a bee on a branch as most bees will choose not to flee away. However, you should walk stealthily with the branch to prevent the bees from detecting the possible transfer.

After closing the container, you need to walk hurriedly to the apiary before the heat in the container rises. The heat rises faster in the container and can make the bees restless hence making it difficult to transfer them to a permanent hive.