Swarm collected

The cluster on the magnolia tree

The bees swarmed today.  Not the hive I had expected to do so- it was the hive I split 3 days ago.  I made the split to prevent swarming, and obviously was ineffectual.  When the swarm started, I told the family (Eric and Lynn and Samuel, Emory and Jessie Ingram) across the street because they had been interested in the bees.  They came over and Maidi, Cathy, the Ingrams and I watched as the cloud slowly moved across the yard and condensed on a low branch of the Magnolia tree.
I let them settle down for a couple of hours and then collected them in my remaining nuc.  The initial plan had been for me to hold up the nuc and for Maidi to shake the bees into the box.  Cathy suggested we'd have more control if we cut the branch, which we did.  I put the branch with cluster into the box and shook them off.  The video (click this link) unfortunately turned off just before the branch was completely cut off and doesn't start again until I'm putting the frames into the nuc.

Nasonov fanning on the nuc

The bees started fanning their Nasonov pheromone at the door to let everyone know where to go.  Over the next 20 minutes they had almost all gone into the nuc.  I will move the nuc onto the bench at the bottom of the yard at dusk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shortly after closing the nuc

six minutes later

20 minutes after closing the nuc

Now I have two Langstroth hives, one top bar hive and two nucs.  I could re-introduce the queen in nuc #1 into the new hive in a couple of weeks.  That would entail killing the queen that will be there, something I really don't want to do.  Or...to save postage.. I'm going to order a new hive (that will give me 4 hives) and put it to the left of the footbridge. I'll populate it with the nuc I made a few days ago and sell the nuc I collected today and when the other hive swarms, which I expect it to do soon, I'll call some beekeeper and let them collect it.