Gentle Folks:

In my earlier March post, I described my own frustration of using a nuc-
box for swarm retrieval:  how a self-respecting swarm would despise,
ignore, and abandon the five-frame nuc-box swarm-catcher.  During
swarming, we all know this too well, bees generate unusual amount of heat,
having packed their provision in their lunch box, and coupled with the
small space of the nuc box, often painted in dark color, the bees can cook
themselves easily—-even if the beekeeper leaves the box in the shade.
Many of us, I should recall, also cooked a swarm of bees in the bucket,
while in transit, during our salad days.  This space and heat factor
persuaded me never to use the nuc-box as a swarm-retriever, regardless the
size of the swarm.  Even a five-gallon bucket, with many holes drilled, or
a large cardboard box, with a good vent, offers a bigger and better
temporary space for the bees than a nuc box.

In its place, I now use two out-of-commission, medium-doubled-up supers,
stapled, with a screened bottom board.  In it I place ten deep
foundations, which leave a good space even between the SBB and the bottom
of the dangling frames to further facilitate ventilation.  So far all of
my swarms, I have had only four so far this year, decided to stay put.

On a different note, this year I do not get as many as swarm calls in
Oklahoma.  How about you folks in the south?  I suspect that the cold
February had killed off a good number of feral bees.


Yoon

Shawnee, OK

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