Hiving a swarm in late August

[mtman1849]

Hi All,

My name is David and I live in Central North Carolina last week
my boss who is also a beekeeper said he had a small swarm of bees
about the size of a basket ball that had been in the same place for
about a week.
My first thought was to let them fly but the part of me that is
against wasting anything said getum. Well after about 24 hrs of
should I get them or should I let them go I decided to by a 5 frame
nuc and give her a go. I put them in the nuc Thursday evening and
went back Friday evening and got them. Got 20 lbs of sugar Saturday
and made 5 gallons of feed between my main hive and the nuc they have
taken 2 and 1/2 gallons as of today. I know they have about a million
to one shot if that good of making it thru the winter. I will
continue feeding them until late October and if they don't appear that
they will be able to survive winter on their on I will put them in a
observation hive and and move them in the house and feed them all
winter.  I think they have a better than 50/50 shot of making it now
I took some brood and bees out of my main hive soaked them with sugar
surp and mint extract did the same to the nuc and put them together
and it really work they have been together for 3 days now and are working
just like they have been together all along.  I will continue to feed as long as
they will take it.  If anyone knows were I can get some real pollen to feed
please let me know.

[Kathyp]

i think that the bees must have thought they'd survive, or they would not have swarmed.

think of what they would have had to have done.

find a home, build comb, find food, etc.  seems to me that a late swarm that we take in and feed, especially when we have drawn comb to give, has a better chance of survival than the same swarm left to itself?

[mtman1849]

I agree than had no where to go they had been in same spot for a week the had all ready started building comb on the limb they where on.