>I wonder if you have any advice as to whether a single or double is better?
>
>My experience has been mostly with brood chambers left in a yard because
>of lack of room on a truck, or stacks of supers stored outside under cover.
>
>I also wonder where you are located and what percentage of swarms you
>think you catch -- and how many pass by?
>
>What you mention about seeing the scouts there weeks ahead is probably
>one of the key points.  I wonder if you have ever put a box in place,
>only to find it occupied the next day?  Has anyone?
 
>Allen
 
>W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                        VE6CFK
>Rural Route One   Swalwell   Alberta   Canada  T0M 1Y0
>Email:   [log in to unmask]    or   [log in to unmask]
>Virtual Art Gallery: http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka
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Our home is in the north-east corner of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay
Area; Pinole.
 
Each year we get at least one - sometimes several - what we call: bird
house bees. These are swarms that occupy 5 to 7 inch bird houses. They're
probably after swarms, with mutiple queens, that split into tennis
ball/grapefruit size balls of bees. With an urge to survive and an
appropriate "house", they move in; making the best of it for most of
the year. I take them all home, and hang them out behind the shed.
Most starve out be October.
 
I have a theory, that, if small swarms are "smart" enough to occupy
small boxes, that, since I've never used more than a single 9 5/8"
super, I've lost all those that have laughed at my little box, and
moved into someones attic.
 
Many colonies don't swarm every year; I believe that even so they do
scout out many potentiol locations. Those that don't swarm will probably
supercede by Sept/Oct - some having both mother and daughter laying
all winter. Those with two queens,brood up, way too strong, too early
and swarm. The earliest swarm I've seen was on Jan 11. They came with
no advanced scouting ( that I noticed - you'd think  scouting in Jan.
would be noticed). Did they retain the "memory" from that previous
year?
 
Our office phone starts with the scout calls, ~mid March. I go out and
calm people down - caulk or screen up a hole (that the scouts think
they're going to direct a swarm to) and then place the bait box as
close to the hole as possible.
Since most home owners are't inclined to want to pay until the scouts
are in such numbers that they're in a panic, I find myself in uniquely
in the right place at the right time. There are few events more fun
than being up a 24' ladder, under an eve, stapling a piece of 1/8"
mesh hardware cloth over an attic vent and have the sky darken behind
you - run down the ladder- grab another piece of screen and quickly
fashion a queen cage as you run up the ladder  to pluck the queen offthe
wall - into the cage, back down the ladder, bringing the entire swarm
with you - street cloths - owner, with family watching from the windows
-great theater.
 
David L. Crawford - beekeeper