to combine a swarm into an established colony at this time of year? Well, possibly not really a swarm.
I just got a call about a swarm that settled inside the wall of barn. According to this very nice woman, she witnessed the swarm settle on the wall of the barn and a few days later, they set up house, flying in and out. This all happened about ten days ago. She'd like them removed. I'm going to take a look today.
My thinking is this: If this is a newly established colony, there is not much chance of them building up in time and surviving the winter. My question is this: Would it be wise to extract them and just combine them with one of mine? Of course, the woman may be completely wrong and the bees may have been there for quite some time. But if the facts are accurate, this is the choice as I see it: If I leave them, they die. If I take them out, they have a chance.
What are your thoughts?