Yesterday and today I had other swarms. Luckily, in both cases I saw which hives they were issueing from. Yesterdays swarm was at 3pm from a Layens and todays was from the Layens to Kenyan top bar hive transfer that is in progress. Yesterdays was treated exactly the same as the previous post and deposited in a Kenyan TBH with queen includer on the entrance at twilight. Todays swarm was at 11am and as of this moment(2pm) they are still in the cardboard box under the olive tree. It is a long and nailbiting time until twilight, will they stay or will they go!!!!!
I am thinking that if I try to deposit them now in full hot sunlight, the queen may just fly off and I can wave them goodbye! So I am nervously waiting until this evening again before I attempt to transfer them. If they stay, I will put them in my 'Papercrete' Kenyan top bar hive. I made this a couple of years ago out of moulded papercrete (see biobees forum for details), it is the shape of a Kenyan on the outside and has a catenary curve on the inside. This hive has stood outside for over a year so I know it can withstand the weather. What I don't know is if it can withstand the humidity of the bees or even if the bees will chew it up! .....................................................
Update at 2-30pm. I just went down to the apiary to see if they were still there. I never got as far as the cardboard box which is at the far end of the apiary because there in a different olive tree sat a small soccer ball size cast patiently waiting for me to drop it into a box. I didn't have my bee suit on so I tucked my pants in my socks found another cardboard box and old curtain and deposited them as before. So far not one sting from all these 4 swarms then as I was putting something under one corner of the box to prop it open a little, one got me on the ankle through my sock. I have no more full size Top Bar Hives so this one is destined for my small TBH nuc box........................................................
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