>Betty's statement is generally true, but there are rare exceptions.
>This year I've hived 42 swarms and 2 of them settled into the box nicely
the first
>day, only to abscond  hours later the same day, or the next day.  In one
case I
>put them back in the same box and then they stayed.  The other one took off
across the countryside and I lost track of it when it crossed a creek.  In
both cases, the queen was in the box.
>
Now that my memory cells have been jogged I do recall being summoned by my
across the road neighbour some years back to collect a swarm that had
settled on a low bush.  I wheeled a hive across the road on my trolley,
dumped the swarm in and watched them settle and explained I would pick them
up after dusk when all the bees would have gone inside.   No problem
apparently but my neighbour then decided to whipper snipper the road verge
and marched up and down within 20 yards of the hive trailing petrol fumes
and noisome clatter.  It takes a 30 minute conversation to get a point
across to him so I just watched from across the road wondering what my legal
liability was if the bees took offence.
 
There was no immediate problem but at 5 o'clock after all was quiet again
the swarm resumed their journey - across the road and into a cardboard box
holding broken frames under my back verandah.  They did not object to being
shaken into a hive box again and settled promptly so I am not sure whether
the cardboard box was their original destination and I interrupted their
journey or whether they took an understandable dislike to the first location.
 
I have had difficulty in getting swarms settled where I had to make three
trips climbing a ladder to brush bees into a bucket and down to shake them
into the box.  Obviously the queen was still above since the bees were
running out of the box faster than I could shake them in.
 
I also never take a frame of fresh brood to settle a swarm.  I keep nucleus
hives with old brood comb around my apiaries to provide for my own swarms
and generally only have to turn up to count the new tenants.  I also attract
feral swarms in this way, particularly around canola growing areas.
 
Betty McAdam
HOG BAY APIARY
Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island
j.h. & e. mcadam<[log in to unmask]
http://kigateway.eastend.com.au/hogbay/hogbay1.htm