Saturday was our bee meeting. I had an opportunity to speak w/ our areas biggest commecial beek. It was really a pleasure. he was telling me he missed the days of hanging swarms to get bees and simple bee stuff, as oppossed to 8K hives from Florida to california and back and then north up the coast beekeeping. He told me the following technique, and your comments would be appreciated.
He said if a swarm was high and you could reach them w/ a ladder etc, just throw a string over higher branch, attach a drawn brood frame and raise the frame after attaching it to string near swarm. Leave it there for a time. They will cluster onto board before nitefall and then lower frame and hive the swarm, if they haven't otherwise flown off.
I have heard of a similar thing by taking a telescopic pool vaccum pole and attaching a drwan frame on it.
The string sounds easier on your arms, assuming you can throw it over the branch close enough to the swarm. I know I'm not that good :(