Just wanted to share a lil story from yesterday, July 20, 07.
Got a call from the manager of a Piggly Wiggly (grocery store), said he had a swarm of bees on a shopping court, been there for two days. Went over and placed swarm trap atop a 5gallon bucket with pheremone vial, right beneath swarm. Swarm, size of a cabbage ball. Looked for queen but couldn't find one. Put bees in swarm trap with brood comb from another removal I did day before, and bees went in just fine. There were still some bees on cart so I misted a little bee-quick on the cart and moved the cart outta the way. All bees in trap for the most part now. Went inside store to wash hands, cause if not bee-quick in the eyes, not a good thing, came outside and my little audience was eager to tell me that the bees were now circling and for the most part outta the trap, they sure were. Well, shortly, some began to land on another cart approx. 4' away from the trap, and then...I observed a very small, thin queen. I guess this was an after swarm with a virgin queen. This is my guess. I have caught numerous swarms, but all the queens have been much larger than this one. Well, after I got lucky spotting her, I place her in trap inside of queen catcher, and within 10 minutes all the bees were inside. The grocery gave me a $35.00 store credit, which I used all but $7.00 of and then I was off to the beeyard. Hadn't been to that Piggly Wiggly since I was buying baby cereal for some feral piglets I caught yrs ago, but that is another story...