A friend of a friend called yesterday about removing a swarm of bees from their house. I referred them to a pro, after hearing there was comb.
They called back this morning, pleading their case: $250 was too much for a small swarm half the size of a basketball.
I agreed to look. The bees were behind some rotting facia boards. There were only five small white combs, so I agreed to try.
The homeowner enlarged the entrance. I pulled out the comb. 3Reds rubber banded the comb and placed it in a nuc.
There was a dab of honey, and some brood in the comb. I pulled out a handful of bees and then peeked into the darkness.
There were not a large number of bees, but they were beyond my reach. 3Reds and I went home to fetch my homemade bee vacuum.
It took several attempts, but we eventually had all of the visible bees sucked up. We dumped them into the nuc.
Three times.
That's how I know I never caught the queen.
I was thinking a better vacuum or more powerful motor might help. But I hate to keep beating up those poor bees.
When we left, we left the nuc on top of the ladder with the comb, a very few number of bees, a squirt of swarm commander, and a hope that the bees might find their own way into the nuc, after all the harassment they suffered today.
This evening I remembered about trap outs.
If the bees are still there tomorrow, and not in the nuc, do you think a trap out might work. With no comb or brood, would the queen leave and go into the nuc?