>If anyone has expereince with drumming- I'd love to hear about how it works!

Not particularly well in my one attempt.  I had a wild hive in an old oil
tin - sealed at top but rusted away beneath so the bees could get in and out
but I could not get clear access.  I attempted the drumming technique with
no success - perhaps it is all in the wrists!

One technique recommended by an experienced beekeeper to me where the wild
hive is in a container is to place this in a larger water proof container
such as a 44 gallon drum or a bath and fill slowly with water.  The bees
then have no choice but to abandon their comb (and brood) and because it
happens slowly, they walk in one mass upwards where the new hive should be
accessible for them to take up residence.

In one case where bees had taken over an old suitcase I placed the case on
top of the new hive with no lid and smoking as I removed the comb sent most
of the bees below while I was cutting out the old comb and attaching to the
frames with string. This is far preferable to having a mass of bees milling
around forlornly until after the removal is completed.

Always when collecting a feral hive, remember that you need to leave the
hive in place with the entrances where the bees expect to find them, so they
can settle and be moved during night-time after a day or so.

Betty McAdam
HOG BAY APIARY
Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island
J.H. & E. McAdam<[log in to unmask]
http://kigateway.kin.net.au/hogbay/hogbay1.htm

Why not visit the South Australian Superb Websites Ring?
http://kw.mtx.net/sawebring/sawebring.html