Ruth Rotulo wrote:

> We're looking for any and all suggestions ASAP please!  We had three
> hives burn yesterday.  We're amateurs and are not sure what to do with
> the bees that didn't die.  They're angry and flying around the yard.
> We're afraid they'll attack someone.  We have one group swarming in a
> tree.  We  tried to put them in a box, but they don't seem to want to
> stay there.  Does a swarm necessarily mean the presence of a queen?  We
> don't know if we should kill the bees or try to save them.  Help!

More information is needed here.  Do mean that you burned the hives, or
that they caught fire for some other reason?  If you burned them, the bees
should have been killed before burning - you shouldn't set fire to a hive
with living bees in it.

What has happened now it that you have lots of "lost" bees flying around.
They will try to congregate and restart a colony, but probably are
queenless, since a currently laying queen is usually too heavy to fly.
(In normal swarming, the queen is prevented from laying for several days
before swarming to trim her down for the flight.)  Try putting a bait hive
with brood comb as well as a comb with honey and pollen in the vicinity of
the bees, then shake the largest mass into it.

Ted Fischer
Dexter, Michigan USA