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Andrea (above) in Valley Village had a swarm in her front yard, and her crafty organic gardener Travis called the Backwards Beekeepers Hotline.
I had a semi-free afternoon (and we're hungry for more bees), so I headed out for my first solo swarm capture.
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I found the swarm in what Travis had called a "wax-leaf shrub" (I am an ignoramus about plant names) about two feet off the ground. I sprayed the bees with sugar water, then wedged a nuc box (with five frames in it) under the swarm and gave the shrub a good shake.
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The sugar water is definitely a good move. It gives the bees something to do and makes them clump together nicely so you can scoop them up with a piece of cardboard and dump them in the box.
I spent a fair amount of time scraping as many bees as I could off the inside branches of the shrub, then noticed that the bees in the box seemed to be sticking around. I started to get a good feeling that I'd managed to get the queen in there.
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I put the lid on the box, moved it about a foot away, and opened the bottom entrance. Soon I noticed bees congregating around the hole and fanning like crazy. More and more bees began descending and heading right into the box. Virtually none were leaving. Score!
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About 90 minutes after starting work I wrapped up the box in a sheet and loaded it into my car. The bees are now exploring their new Silver Lake garden. Here's hoping they stick around.
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