Regarding shook swarming for comb honey production I'd advise against it at this time of the season. Although hives will swarm in July, and in the past few years I have seen late swarms, even in August(!), it's best to remember the rhyme: A swarm in May is worth a load of hay. A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon. A swarm in July ain't worth a fly! Taylor's comb honey book is a good one and you should have good results following the techniques he describes, but it's best to start earlier in the season. Late May is ideal. From the new annals of stupidity: I shook swarmed a hive about two weeks ago for the second time. I originally SSed them in early June, but the bees never moved into the comb honey super they jammed the brood box with honey and pollen to the point that there were only two frames left for the queen, who was laying. Swarm cells a plenty told me the SS was getting ready to swarm again. So I quickly grabbed a medium super and shook swarmed them again, only this time I tried to get ALL the bees into the SS and gave the now beeless brood chamber to another hive. Two days later, very few bees (less than a pound) were in the SS. Very curious!? Upon examination I discovered that the medium super into which I had shaken the bees had NO FOUNDATION! Needless to say the shook swarm absconded. Aaron Morris - thinking that's how stupid I can be!