So I went down to check my bees today, and immediately spotted a swarm hanging from a tree not far from my (one) hive.
I managed to collect them in a box, leave them to all gather together, and have now successfully managed to transfer them to a nuc box with a some drawn comb and some new foundation. Just been down for a final check and there's still a few bees out the front fanning their Nasonov glands, calling in any stragglers.
But, as this was a genuine swarm of flying bees, I'm assuming I should close the bees in for a day or two, or they'll just return to the original colony nearby when they fly tomorrow? Is this right, or would the instinct to stay with the queen take priority?
I managed to collect them in a box, leave them to all gather together, and have now successfully managed to transfer them to a nuc box with a some drawn comb and some new foundation. Just been down for a final check and there's still a few bees out the front fanning their Nasonov glands, calling in any stragglers.
But, as this was a genuine swarm of flying bees, I'm assuming I should close the bees in for a day or two, or they'll just return to the original colony nearby when they fly tomorrow? Is this right, or would the instinct to stay with the queen take priority?