We were clearing a patch of weeds along the top of a hill. The plan was to plant Summer gourds. As we cleared the area, someone pointed out a tree about thirty yards away. It was difficult to see at first, but once spotted it was unmistakable. A dense cloud of bees swarming madly around a medium sized tree! Most likely the colony of bees had left its hive because its queen had died. Misplaced and lacking a matriarch, the colony took refuge on the branch of this tree. Our goal was simple. To transfer the hive to a safe enclosure, shielded from the elements and safe from predators. We began by getting a ladder and making a high-tech bee transfer capsule (cardboard taped together to make a cylinder). Slowly we clipped away the smaller branches around the bee swarm, taking special care not to make erratic movements. Bees are actually somewhat polite. As long as you maintain composure, they don't really want to sting you. The branch and swarm was now exposed. One person held the capsule underneath the swarm while the other prepared to clip the main branch. And there they went! Into the capsule and ready for their new home. Holding the bee capsule felt amazing. Imagine holding a pitcher of water, except every droplet of water is moving independently, creating a soothing syncronized vibration. It was alive! We had a box hive setup not far away and safely transferred the bees to their new home. We ended up adding an extra queen cell from another hive we had setup. Amazingly we were able to witness the queen emerging from the cell before sealing the top of the box hive. Bees are truly amazing creatures!
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