Swarm Catching

• Honey bees will always cluster before moving to a new hive
• It’s a good idea to set up an attractive cluster staging area
• Bees still need to be collected however this gives us some control over where they cluster

• The right size – between 1.5–2 cubic feet
• Entrance 2 square inches – near the bottom
• Weather-tight — should not let any rain in
• Placed 12-15 feet up
• In an area where bees frequent

Some kind of container to hold the bees

Ideally this would be a hive box but it can anything that can hold the bees

• Drawn comb
• Lemongrass and clove extracts
• Straps
• Ladder
• Bucket and a Pole
• Plastic Bags
• Bee Brush and or Scoop
• White Sheet
• Queen Excluder
• Buddy
• Bee Vac
• Bee Suit

• Verify that they are in fact honey bees!
• Make sure you have ALL of your swarm catching supplies
• Double check just before you leave to make sure the swarm cluster is still there and that no one else has been called to collect it
• Don’t assume the swarm will fit into a small box

• Wait for the bees to form a single cluster
• Put the box on top of the sheet
• Bait the box with drawn comb and/or lemongrass oil
• Formulate your collection plan

There are different methods depending on the situation

• Shake the branch and drop the bees into the container
• Cut the branch and place it in the container
• Scoop the bees
• Vacuum the bees
• Bait a container near the cluster and hope for the best, or
• Some combination of above

• Put clove oil on branch to deter bees from re-clustering there
• If you know (or think) you have the queen, put a queen excluder above the bottom board
• Leave the box until dusk when all the remaining bees should be in the box

Take your bees home and re-house them!