How To Catch & Re-home A Swarm Of Bees With Cotswold Bees

In this video Chris finds a swarm that has moved onto the edge of the apiary, catches it and transfers it to a new hive. You will be amazed to see the bees marching into their new home like a massive army on the move. One of the many miracle sights from the world of beekeeping.
If you want to know more about beekeeping why not try our online courses at cotswold-bees-school-of-beeke...

[@DanyaRhea]

Thank you very much for this video! I am a brand new keeper. My own bees haven’t even been delivered yet and I have NO physical experience working with bees. I’ve only taken a beginner’s course. I was notified about a swarm last night and took the chance. Followed this video to the T and successfully caught my first swarm! Watching them walk up into the hive was awe inspiring. I am over the moon!

[@cotswoldbees]

Well done. That’s quite an achievement with no handling experience. Sounds like you have an affinity with bees. I really hope you enjoy your new hobby. Bees are awesome.

[@DanyaRhea]

@@cotswoldbees Thank you, I love them already! When would you suggest removing the queen excluder and doing their first inspection?

[@cotswoldbees]

That’s great. First inspection can be done anytime now as soon as it is warm enough. I already have some signs of potential swarming here.

[@DanyaRhea]

@@cotswoldbees Okay, great. I had read to leave them alone for a week and wanted to make sure I wasn’t going in too soon. I did give them sugar syrup with Honey B Healthy after 3 days. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

[@cotswoldbees]

Ah sorry. If it’s a new nuc you have just put in then leave them for a week to ten days. Just check on the feeder and top up if necessary. You might want to have a look at my videos on putting a nuc in and first inspections. All the best.

[@HoopstrongCoach]

I find it hilarious the bees just lay down and let everyone walk over the top of them.

[@watchnutteruk6901]

Thank you for sharing my wife was absolutely amazed watching this 🍻

[@josephvogel7234]

I caught a really large swarm last year and successfully got them into a hive. I was really surprised and disappointed three days later when they decided to abscond. Your trick with the queen excluder is great. I find many uses for the excluder beyond the original use. It has become the most versatile tool I have.

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m glad it will be of use.

[@zerotobeesixty7050]

If you give them a frame or two of open brood from another hive, they will usually stay put. They seldomly abandon open brood.

[@cotswoldbees]

That’s very true but I try to avoid robbing strong colonies which will be honey producers for a swarm. Also the bees will need to feed the brood at a time when the swarm is short of food. You are right though. They usually don’t abscond if you have open brood there.

[@RealMav1]

Super cool! One of my colonies swarmed today and clustered on one of our apple trees. I was able to shake the majority into a Bo’s on the hood of my truck and the rest just marched right in. It was really awesome! It’s the first swarm I ever rescued.

[@cotswoldbees]

Fantastic. It really works.

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

Catching swarms is such an adrenaline rush!

[@swatvalley0946]

love to watch each and every bee is collected.

[@cotswoldbees]

We do our best.

[@leakmasters270]

Appreciate your effort doing this video. Watched a few others and then found yours. You explained it so well that I gave it a go to get my first swarm.

[@cotswoldbees]

Very kind. Thank you. I hope all goes well when you find a swarm.

[@blairmornay6779]

Have always been fascinated by these wonderful insects

[@terryspence9326]

Great video I’m a new bee keeper 1 year and today one of my 9 hives swarmed….. I get them but did not k own about putting the Queen excluder on the bottom to keep I. Til she lays some eggs….. great info thank you for sharing ….. I’m learning every day. By mid April I will 15’hives strong….. love My bees!

[@cotswoldbees]

That’s the trouble with bees. Before you know it the number of hives are doubling every time you look!!

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

Best Box use ever ! .... Seen lots shaking bees down into a box, close it up, and go (!) And they miss out on all those foragers !!! 🥺 Using a Queen Excluder is a winner. That a winning Swarm Catch... 👍 Here's your Reward ! 🏆 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@cotswoldbees]

Thanks. Glad you like it. It always frustrates me when people take swarms during the day leaving bees behind. Catching swarms properly is a time consuming business.

[@nvanwensen]

Lovely video! Clear and concise. Great stuff!

[@cotswoldbees]

Thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@normanrhone2791]

Thanks very much for this wealth of teaching. You taught me a lot in these few minutes.

[@abdulrahimkhan5714]

Teaching in Diverted style with written ,.lecture and Blanked show of practical caring of Bee.viewers brain is single to listen or View Vedio to Understand but with the situations of Vedio presentation all is at a time penetrating in Brain and creating disturbances

[@drrota]

Nice use of the queen excluder! 'Never knew they have a tendency to march up hill.

[@dawnmorgan1262]

Thank you. Some nice extra tips from your experience. Much appreciated.

[@honeybeekeepers]

Dealing with swarms is such a rewarding experience!

[@cotswoldbees]

How True.

[@saultbrooksaultbrook1432]

Great lessons, excellent narration, Well done Chris.

[@cotswoldbees]

Thanks. I’m glad you are enjoying them.

[@lindagray5857]

Thank you. I've never seen a swarm catch like that!

[@cotswoldbees]

A pleasure. I suspect there will be more like it as the season kicks off.

[@jddr33]

Fascinating to watch. I had a swarm attach themselves to the front of my house a few months ago. It was mind bending to see how they were caught !

[@cotswoldbees]

They are amazing creatures.

[@michaelshadwick3487]

Took about a minute.. all the info was better than the good 'ol days pamphlets from Agricultural Extension Offices. Moving pictures Y'all!

[@bronstewart2987]

From Norfolk Island, thanks for this epic video, you enabled us to capture a swarm for our first beehive. We shook the bees straight into the beehive which we had positioned under the tree they had swarmed in. The next am we moved the hive before daylight. (When the swarm settled in the tree, hubby finished assembling the hive whilst I watched your video a few times)

[@cotswoldbees]

That’s fantastic. I’m so pleased. I hope you really enjoy your bees and beekeeping. We will be restarting making our videos very soon.

[@eastsussexbeesandwildlife5801]

Thanks for the video, always good to see the swarms, I think we are all looking forward to the spring. Peter

[@joer5627]

It’s aways a treat to see the girls March. This is a new way (for me) to catch a swarm. If it works - do it! Congrats

[@cotswoldbees]

Glad you like it.

[@MiguelMartinez-bf5nk]

Man, I hope I saw this yesterday! I caught my first swarm. Moved it to a deep box. When I check the next day, they were gone. I look around and found them but they are really hight, can't get to them. Place the swarm catcher bucket back down, expecting for them to get back in any moment but now I know to place the queen excluter at the bottom.😊 thank you for this information.

[@cotswoldbees]

Glad it helped. We’ve all had it happen. I lost several until I discovered the excluder trick.

[@waleedsayyed1284]

Thank you for the useful information advice 👍

[@patiencekates5975]

Excellent!

[@lucyfunnell9962]

Thank you so much for your amazing video it was a lovely documentary I watched it 5 times already and showed 5 of my friends it's so interesting thanks again. Lucy

[@cotswoldbees]

Thank you Lucy, that’s great. Please keep your eyes in the channel for more videos soon.

[@lucyfunnell9962]

@@cotswoldbees I certainly will 😊

[@catalickconverta6823]

There was a giant swarm round the corner from me about a week ago, it was a site to see the keepers got it abit wrong they attempted to shake them into a box exactly how you did they hit the floor and just erupted immeadiatly into a attack the queen was in a ball of them about the size of a cricket ball once she was in the box it was safe for me to come over to see them march into the box it was amazing to seen

[@thomasrape4616]

I'm a Texas bee keeper. Here we don't use a cardboard box unless we have nothing else. Here we take a 10 frame box or a 5 frame nuc box with a couple frames of old brood comb and shake them into that. I do like the way you use the queen excluder to cage the queen. We usually try to catch and cage the queen, leave her in the cage 2 or 3 days. I think I'll try your excluder method this spring, easier than fi ding the queen to cage her, my eyes aren't what they used to be.

[@cotswoldbees]

I sometimes use the nuc method depending on what kit I have available.

[@osmanmichaelmansaray4604]

I have learnt a lot from your video. Thank you very much. I am a new honey bee farmer in Sierra Leone and I want your mentoring

[@cotswoldbees]

That’s great. Please keep watching. There are lots more videos on the way.

[@Immagiraffe101]

It’s so cute how they fan to let everyone know where to go lol.

[@musondacecilia5476]

I am blessed with this video

[@lewiscowden9731]

I absolutely love Bees they are definitely my favourite insect it was great to see an expert at work. 👌👌👏👏🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@cotswoldbees]

Thank you. They are great.

[@crimper264]

Fantastic . Thank you . Just going to collect a similar swarm today so just what I needed to know 🙏

[@cotswoldbees]

Good luck. I hope it goes well.

[@crimper264]

Did exactly what you said and it was so easy . Thank you xx

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m so pleased. Well done.

[@dogblackprincehoney]

Thank you. Very nice video.

[@prnothall9302]

Bees are fascinating.

[@jun24juanhuerta14]

Bees are amazing, and they pollinate flowers and crops!

[@cotswoldbees]

Absolutely

[@abdillaholama1975]

Perfect very nice to re-home, thanks to show us.

[@silvestrecabrerapelcastre3772]

Saludos desde Puebla México buena estrategia el escluidor de reina así no se puede dar ala fuga

[@sorindumitru6101]

Fascinant , nu am văzut așa de când sunt , fascinant !!

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Very interesting method. I use a 5 frame nuc box for small swarms. I really like the box and excluder.

[@tomcoia8630]

Fantastic video - thank you very much!

[@boonedog1457]

Outstanding presentation. "Bee good!" 😐

[@kuyasam676]

Great methods and strategy of catching the braviest bees. These are cold "putyukan" in Philippines. Once you injected on their sting after three days you've got fever.

[@cotswoldbees]

Sounds nasty.

[@Cola64]

Great information I’m going to start Bee keeping in the near future here in Hawaii we can’t import any insects so I will have to find a swarm or get a colony from a local Bee keeper just curious how do you size the hive relative to the amount of Bee’s ?

[@cotswoldbees]

We use a standard sized hive known as a National and add more boxes called supers as the colony fills up each box.

[@jessicalarsen6618]

What a great video. Thanks for sharing🙏🐝🐝🐝

[@cotswoldbees]

Thanks. It was fun to make.

[@JOSIANGREENVLOGS]

How beautifully you have done the work.I too a beekeeper in India.

[@cotswoldbees]

Thank you for your kind words. Good luck with your bees

[@davidflanagan3396]

Change your box for a plastic bucket and put them direcyly into a bee box with 3 combs removed. As the bees thin out you can put the combs back in they cant hang on to plastic they pour like water

[@cotswoldbees]

Yes, that’s another possibility. Always more than one way of solving a problem. My thought is that if the swarm is knocked into the box / bucket in the morning or early afternoon it can be a number of hours before all the flying bees are back and you can take the swarm away. If they are in a bucket they can’t cluster. That’s why I always use a box of some description.

[@horizontalbees3480]

Nice catch!! Great video.Thanks for sharing!!

[@cotswoldbees]

Glad you enjoyed it. That colony is now tucked up for the winter and will hopefully be productive next year.

[@David_Talks.]

I’m looking at getting a hive this next spring. Have a peach orchard and vineyard for them. It’s so amazing to see how they can be manipulated by the natural instincts like walking into the hive. Very cool to see in real time the whole process. 👏

[@canye2544]

I found put a queen excluder under the bottom will cause a lot of drones dead. have you see a similar issue. if I put a small queen excluder in the front entry, all the bees are good.

[@cotswoldbees]

The queen excluder is only under the hive for a couple of days and as there are almost no drones in the swarm it is not a problem. The queen excluder has been removed long before any drones emerge.

[@Asalarichi_Ziyo]

Солом асалричилар Узбекистандан 🇺🇿👍👍🐝🐝

[@derekspence6994]

Nice to watch,you know what your doing,l ll keep watching other videos you have on site.

[@frealyric5674]

Hello sir, what a lovely videos.. now i get some idea how to handle them.. i have got bees in my roof where they got hive they built for sometimes now.. im thinking to keep them.. what do i do with the comb they made sir? should i take the comb and put it in the new hive or just leave it there? i want to be a bee keeper

[@cotswoldbees]

You need to keep the comb with them. You will need an experienced beekeeper to show you how to move them.

[@frealyric5674]

@@cotswoldbees thankyou sir, i will try to find one

[@waleedsayyed1284]

With love ❤️ from 🇴🇲 Oman👌

[@sweeabn6736]

I wish I was in a place where I could do this. Awesome videa.

[@cotswoldbees]

Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed the video.

[@michaelsmith7425]

Why don't you shake them directly into a deep or a nuc and cut out the use of the cardboard box? When you did the tip from the box to the towel you risked dumping the queen at your feet and losing her. You dumped a whole load at your feet and into the grass. Bees love old comb and had you dumped them into a deep with a couple of old empty brood frames you would have not have had to have risked the second transfer. I did however like the use of the uphill gradient to encourage them to walk up. I'll use that on my own swarm captures. The nuc on a block, with the towel draping out front as you shake them off is a great idea, thanks.

[@cotswoldbees]

Your points are good ones. It’s easier to carry a cardboard box around than a floor, brood box with comb, crown board and roof. I rarely have spare Nucs at that time of year. There was some old comb in the brood box but in my experience there is still a chance of them absconding until they actually have brood. Thanks for your comments.

[@Weissguys6]

What miraculous creatures! 😮

[@dp.2766]

Howdy from Texas!🤠🤠👍🐝🐝🐝

[@scotthoggan2115]

Brilliant video you learn something every day

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@pirateprospecting707]

Thanks for the education ✅😁🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

[@Tony.Bishop]

This is a very cool video! Thanks for helping the bees 😂🐝.

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@artinpoetsoulnature]

Great view ! Very beautiful upload ! 👍🏾 👍🏾 Thanks lots dear friend💐

[@donnaparcel1598]

Where did these come from - did they empty anther hive or does a hive get too many bees and part of them try to find a new home?

[@cotswoldbees]

I don’t know the exact source. It wasn’t one of my hives. It would be another hive in the area that had decided to split and swarm.

[@eduardoncastillo]

What caused the bees to go inside the hive when the queen was not yet there? In some videos, the beekeper finds the queen after shaking the bees, put her in a small plastic box, then placed her in the hive, only then that the rest of the bees follow. You seems to have a deeper understanding of bees behavior when you said they tend to go uphill. First time I saw this technique.

[@cotswoldbees]

Bees will always walk uphill and there is some drawn comb in the hive. They naturally settle. It is so much easier than having to find the queen.

[@lawwdogg1digr]

You make it look so hard.

[@6079Smith]

I never knew how people caught swarms until tonight! Amazing! What happens to the few bees who are still flying and don't go with the box though?

[@cotswoldbees]

Unfortunately you always get a few bees that don’t make it. By leaving the box there for several hours and then coming back to collect them you minimise the problem but I hate to lose any.

[@lynnlast9272]

I thought that bees walked into a new nuc because the queen was in there. So did they naturally walk up hill and found what looks like a nice new home and entered?

[@cotswoldbees]

They walk in naturally. No need to put the queen in first.

[@jawstrock2215]

I thought he was saying "Waking up ill" finally realized it's "walking uphill"

[@cotswoldbees]

My appalling diction!!!!

[@jawstrock2215]

@@cotswoldbees naw, they just sound very similar, and my brain wasn't wrapping around it :D

[@lifewiki83]

Very interesting method. Thank you.

[@gaborfarago9422]

Ilyen vólt az udvaromon 2ève!! Csodálatos èlmèny vólt! Szoltunk mèhèsznek ès befogták őket!!!

[@davidkrikorian2350]

What material did you use on the ramp? Is it necessary for the ramp to have some grit to it

[@cotswoldbees]

It’s nothing special - just an old towel to give them something to grip onto and make the walk in easier.

[@laughtersun]

Great video. Thank you. So I followed your instructions and I have the bees in a box, but my new hive doesn’t come for five days. I put the box in a shed. I poked lots of holes in the box and one the size of a coin on the top where i put the top feeder. There not eating. Do you think they will live through these five days?

[@cotswoldbees]

You need to put the box with them outside where they can fly to be able to collect food.

[@laughtersun]

@@cotswoldbees so I should cut a whole in the box, tape the Queen excluder over the hole, but won’t they leave the Queen after a few days and not come back?

[@cotswoldbees]

That’s the best bet. They must fly and collect food or they will starve. They won’t leave the queen behind.

[@everorlandoquevedoloyola3560]

Lo que me cautivo fue esa careta. hay muchas formas de transladar emjambres de abejas.

[@cotswoldbees]

si pero para mi esta es la mejor manera

[@jljjoubert3611]

Hallo sir. What kind of gloves is that you're using? In the beginning when you started getting you're equi- pment ogether,you mentioned a pair of (what?) you always had to have with you. The hive you're using is it a variation of the Longstroth hive? Thanks Cobus🐳

[@cotswoldbees]

Hello. The hive is a National and the gloves are standard powder free medical examination gloves. All the best. Chris

[@robyngrubb8413]

Terrific video :) Thank you.

[@ilricettario]

Personally, I would use a large sheet underneath the box in the first place, then just fold it over the box in the evening.

[@cotswoldbees]

A good idea

[@munireldeeb339]

Very useful video thanks .

[@VanMatoshi]

That's a nice swarm.

[@RamBabu-ub5wl]

Excellent work and good narration

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it. More to come.

[@ThalApiFarm]

V Nice method ...Queen Excluder use is very good.

[@waitegrooge1494]

From nagaland woo I need your jacket🧥 with a face mask nice video

[@blessedoneconnection9853]

Thank you for sharing

[@bluelab5019]

Surely a slimmed down for swarming queen could get through the QE if they still wanted to abscond?

[@cotswoldbees]

You would think so but I’ve never had it happen whereas before I used the queen excluder trick it was not uncommon for swarms to abscond.

[@davidhorsley4657]

This is similar how we do it in the states, except I prefer to shake them straight into a regular hive body with a frame or two of honey so they'll want to stay.

[@cotswoldbees]

Interesting. I give them a sugar feed after a couple of days. The thought is if they eat the honey they have brought with them it will get rid of anything nasty in it disease wise as they won’t be able to store it. Thanks for your ideas.

[@NKYHoneyBees]

*Awesome video!*

[@nahavandi89]

They are really cute 🥰😍🤗, I love them 🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@10minsolidworks16]

﴿وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ﴾ [ النحل: 68] And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construt

[@luciabustamante4252]

Thank u very much.Now I know how to rehome the bees .God bless you and your family always. OFW watching here in Jeddah,K.S.A.

[@cotswoldbees]

It’s a pleasure. Good luck with the bees.

[@paulosev6758]

Beautiful

[@view_irang]

What did you apply in the entrance that those bees just walk inside?

[@cotswoldbees]

Bees naturally walk up hill and so apart from the comb in the hive no attractant is necessary. They sort it out all by themselves.

[@patcummins6036]

Thank you for a very informative video.

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m glad you enjoyed it

[@petrkocandrle3779]

Oh, very nice idea to use the excluder to prevent the queen to leave the hive. How long do you leave it in there? Asking because 2 days ago I've picked up a swarm, put it in a hive and today they flew away from the hive leaving it empty :-(

[@cotswoldbees]

I leave it there until the queen has started laying.

[@ycul5070]

Where is excluder in the hive

[@cotswoldbees]

Put the excluder between the floor and the brood box and leave there until the brood is established.

[@Menendil135]

What can you do once they have started making honey comb inside a barrel for composting???

[@cotswoldbees]

It’s much more complicated but I cut out the brood and put it into frames using elastic bands to keep it in place. You can move the whole colony with the queen that way.

[@michaelshadwick3487]

Would placing a queen excluder in the entrance work for capture?

[@cotswoldbees]

Yes. You could put one over the entrance but I’ve always found it a bit of a faff to attach it. I find it easier under the brood box.

[@bambarayon777]

Excellent video my dearest friend Fully watched and stay blessed 👌😍💫💫🤝🤝🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

[@StaceyAlGhawas]

Very interesting! Thanks!

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m really glad you enjoyed it. More videos to follow.

[@GM-gv8kc]

Great teaching video! Thanks

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m glad you enjoyed it

[@adrianoxenham362]

Would you be able to put a swarm back into its original hive?

[@cotswoldbees]

It would not be a good idea as due to the fact that they are in swarm mode they would almost certainly swarm again. If you destroyed all the queen cells in the original colony they would probably just start making them again.

[@user-ig1ll8st7q]

Здравствуйте Дорогой ! Очень интересное видео ! Жаль в детстве не слушал родителей ! Не учил иностранные языки ! Хотя бы знал о чём говорят умные люди , вроде Вас ! Дай Бог Вам Здоровья и долгих радостных лет жизни ! Мира и добра в Ваш дом ! С уважением , Игорь г. Харьков Украина . ЛАЙК !

[@paulcampbell5562]

What did you use as a lure to have them enter the hive?

[@cotswoldbees]

Nothing in there to lure them. Bees will automatically walk in.