<Snip>                                                                          
>Congratulations on your first swarm!  May it prosper.                          
>Exciting, ain't it?                                                            
>  Shawna Roberts                                                               
>  Gypsy Bees                                                                   
>  Hollister, CA                                                                
Thanks for your interesting comments Shawna,                                    
                                                                                
I would just like to add a little advice based on my experience lately. I       
hived a huge swarm yesterday about 11:00am, now normally I would put them in    
a cardboard box turned upside down on a large sheet and prop a stone under a    
corner to allow the remaining bees to enter. However, as I was doing a favor    
for a friend I did what she asked and put them straight into a hive with        
drawn out frames. The swarm covered 10 BS frames and the outside of the hive    
was still heaving! I was on my way to the office so I decided to call my        
friend and tell her to meet me later with a super or two to give them more      
room. By 5 pm they were gone, lessons:                                          
                                                                                
1. Trust your instinct, I should have given space there and then.               
2. Don't leave swarms in temperatures of 28C without some shade, they were      
in an orchard so I have no excuse.                                              
3. I will go back to using my empty box method, it works!                       
                                                                                
We are enjoying a real heat wave at the moment here in the UK after the         
coldest spring in over a hundred years, there are swarms everywhere!            
                                                                                
bee happy                                                                       
      -                 Ken Black                                               
       "  `             Bay Tree Cottage                                        
       "   `            76 East St, Fritwell                                    
   _- -_`-_|'\  /`      Bicester,                                               
 _/ / / -' `~()()       Oxfordshire, England. OX6 9QF                           
  \_\ _ /\-._/\/        00441869345725 Fax:00441869256678                       
       /   | |          email: [log in to unmask]                     
      '`   ^ ^