Ian,
 
I sometimes use a small swarm to make a bait hive for bee removal from
stuctures.   You want to use the least number of frames because there will
be a large number of new incoming members.
 
Recently I took a hive out of an oak tree.  I used a nuc with 2 brood
frames and a queen in a 9 5/8 hive body with plastic foundation.  In 2
weeks, there was wall to wall bees.  It is interesting but these field bees
become a little lost and tend to hang out in the hive.  Obviously there is
some unbalance in the social hierarchy of the hive during this transition.
So to get these bees working to draw out the plastic foundation, I put in a
feeder frame with 1 part sugar and 2 parts water.
 
GOod Luck.
 
Paul Cronshaw DC
Santa Barbara CA USA
 
******
 
 
 
Date:    Sat, 24 May 1997 09:56:22 -0400
From:    Ian Watson <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Bees in a house again...
 
----------
> From: Paul Cronshaw, D.C. <[log in to unmask]>
 
> Welcome to the world of BEE-REMOVAL.
>
> Of your 3 choices I would opt for the first one - the cone/bait hive
> technique. I have done a number of this form of bee removals over the
> years.  They are surprisingly effective and a means to increase a nuc
hive
> quicky due to 2 laying queens.  Problem is that it leaves a dead colony
 
Ok, Thanks Paul and others.  One more question: when using the bait/cone
method, do you include a queen with the frame or frames of brood, and how
many frames also?
Thanks,
 
Ian Watson      [log in to unmask]
St. Catharines, Canada   (near Niagara Falls)
real estate agent    gardener    homebrewer    baritone
beekeeper--> 5 colonies, 5 nucs on order