Caught another swarm today !!!!!

...but it was mine!

Papa Bear called and said he was picking me up, something was happening in the apiary.  When we arrived at the bee yard there were thousands of bees in the air.  I told him our hive was swarming but to just watch and we'd see where they were going as I had read they do not go far to begin with.  I had seen 3 queen cells in the main hive Saturday and thought I had a few more days until they emerged to give me time to set up another nuc...WRONG!

Sure enough they landed on a limb of a fallen tree from the last storm about 50 feet from their hive .  I went back to the house for a bee suit and sent Papa Bear after a bucket with a lid.

Every time I shook the limb I would get a bunch of bees but hundreds would fly back into the air.  By the time I would get that bucket load shook out into the new hive  and go back to the limb they would be settled again. 

 Now that is a bucket of bees!  Not to mention they were all over me! 

I think I made four trips to shake another bucket into the hive.

 I am trying to get the last of the bunch here.  I tried to cut the branch off with some loppers but it was so dry it snapped and fell before I could catch it and a pile of bees hit the ground and the remainder took to flight again.  I am praying the entire time that I had already gotten the queen.

 They buzzed angrily for some time after I got them tucked in and fed so I was a little worried I had lost the queen but after a couple of hours they seem to be settled in.

What a day!...I am so thankful Papa Bear saw this going on so we could capture the swarm, even if it was ours!  We had no guarantee they would have went into one of our traps.

Mama Bears stings for the day 0
Papa Bear 6...that man has got to learn to suit up!