Being a PPB for many years I have a lot of experience with swarms 
voluntarily occupying vacant hives. They never pick normal hives with two 
brood chambers. Almost invariably they go for the piles of dead outs that 
are at least four boxes high and have an entrance that is lower down. This 
shows a preference for a home more like the hollow trees mentioned by John 
Macdougall.

If these swarms occur early enough in the year, they do embarassingly better 
than my carefully tended ones. It is almost like God is saying "I know how 
to do this and you do not".



Best regards,

Donald Aitken 

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