beekeepers

Good idea Sbrinz - thanks for that

Try and find a copy of "The Gentle Craft" by Adams. It is a bit outdated by now, but a really good read even if you don't end up with your own colonies. A real old fashioned Almanac style book.

Although there's nothing wrong with catching swarms, be aware that it may be a wild swarm that is contaminated with disease (more likely than a swarm from a beekeeper's hive).

Also, swarming is not considered a desirable trait genetically- you don't want the hive to swarm very often.

And, bees swarm for a reason, usually because the queen has aged to the point where she is no longer laying such a high % of fertilized eggs. She leaves with few thousand workers and leaves the original hive location and most of the colony to an emerging new queen. A queen in a swarm will likely not be as prolific of an egg layer, which effects colony population and productivity.

That said, there's nothing wrong with it and it's pretty cool to do. A beginner might be better off ordering a young queen from a queen breeding facility, but if you have someone around with a bit of experience to help out (like your beekeeper neighbor), go for it.

One last thing, it is not natural to force a swarm into one's hive/location. They will have been already scouting out new sites, and communicating over which site is best before coming to a concensus and moving the swarm to the new home. Forcing them into an unknown location may be a bit of a shock. To ease the shock, try asking yor neighbor if you can trade him your new hive body/super (the wooden boxes) for a few of his used, disease-free boxes to use at the start. The bees will recognize the natural smell of a hive and will have less shock. If that's not an option, rub some lemon oil around the inside of the hive body - they like lemon oil for whatever reason.

p1

Interesting article about having a bee home with mason bees here .

For anyone interested in keeping bees I started a Facebook page three or four years ago for English Speaking Beekeepers in Switzerland, it is beginning now to get some momentum. As a foreigner here it is often daunting to get started, what do I need, what laws are there etc. Now in my second year of actually having bees in my garden, I am willing to help and share information. If anyone in interested here is the link:- https://www.facebook.com/groups/265835787100857/