On Tue, 20 May 1997 16:44:01 -0400, Paula Franke wrote:
 
>One of our hives decided to swarm this afternoon (about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday
>5/20). I heard it as it happened and got to the hives within a few minutes.
>Have to say that it is a very impressive sight when they first start to go!
>
>Needless to say, we got "caught with our pants down". Dan'l has been
>getting ready to thwart a possible swarming, but didn't get the honey
>supers on in time and didn't get the new hive body finished (which he is
>busily working on as I write this).
>
>The swarm has settled not too far from the hiveyard, which is convenient.
>The bad news is that the spot they picked to settle in is in the middle of
>a giant, overgrown and ancient blackberry thicket. And I mean in the
>MIDDLE!
>
>What to do? My idea is to set up the new hivebody in a cleared area
>adjacent to the thicket and hope that the scouts discover it. Should it be
>baited with sugar water or something? How can we make the empty hive more
>attractive than one of the dozens of hollow trees in the area? (We have 190
>acres of woods.)
>
>Advice and suggestions please! This is the first time we've had this
>happen.
>
>Paula Franke and Dan'l Sisson
>[log in to unmask]
>http://www.users.kih.net/~pfranke
>   "There are only two things to remember about life:
>      1. Don't sweat the small stuff
>      2. Everything is small stuff."
>
 My advice is to get the machitte out and go for the swarm , scouts seldom go for
a location close to the ORIGNAL hive the like to find a place .5 to 1.5 mile from the
orignal hive. I get several swarms at my honey house the closet yard is .7 mile from
my honey house all in old equipment never in new equipment.
 
Charles Harper
Harper's Honey farm
1000 + Colonies