I got a swarm call about 10 this morning -- they were
on a street sign post about 10 feet off the ground,
and had been there since late yesterday. It was a
simple job to ascend a stepladder and brush them into
a cardboard box. I then dumped them from the box into
a nuc box and put the lid on.

There were now a few hundred bees still swirling
around, but the hived bees exhibited all the signs of
a successful swarm collection; several were positioned
at the entrance with their abdomens pointing out, and
some additional bees were entering. However, about
5-10 minutes after dumping them in, as I stood talking
to the locals and waiting for the rest of the bees to
enter, I suddenly noticed that bees were coming out!
Before long there were thousands swirling around, and
after a couple of minutes the cloud began to dissipate
and I lifted the lid of the nuc box to find it empty
save for about a dozen stragglers.
So what happened? Did scout bees return with news of a
new home site AFTER I had hived the swarm? Or were
they already preparing to leave, and if so, why did
they stay in the box as long as they did?

Eugene

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