Most likely that particular swarm has a heavy mite load.  Hopefully you
can give this hive drawn brood comb, with honey and "feed"  enough to
carry the hive throughout the winter; and, also treat this hive for both
Varroa and trachael mites.

I have had hives abscound, healthy hives full of quality honey, and I
always wonder: Why?

I treat all swarms with caution especially outside the swarming season.
When I do have the opportunity to catch a swarm I place it in an isolated
hospital yard containing other hived swarms, weak hives recovering from
requeening poor or sick queens, or hives on medication.  All hived swarms
get treatments for mites and are placed on watch for disease as well; I
also requeen these hives ASAP. After a three month quarantine hives, so
long as the hospital yard does not have a problem, are transferred to
normal production and/or pollination.

Swarms caught from locations adjacent to or known to contain SHB are
treated as such and require quarantine in a yard having the beetle. We do
not transport hives from areas having the SHB to beetle free areas even
though this practice is now being legally done by other beekeepers. Some
of my strongest honey producers have been from captured swarms; but now I
do not climb 70 foot pine trees nor do I actively solicit swarm catching
as a service, although the county sheriff has my number.

This is from an operation with a 200 mile span east to west.

Regards,

Chuck Norton
Reidsville, NC

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