Hive capture suggestions?

[TAH]

I looked at a hive today that I am going to try to catch. They are living in a wal of an old house. They are entering a hole just above the outside basement door so the access is somewhat limited on the outside.
The picture isn't too good since I took it with my phone and I was right in the only flight path with no equipment on. The bees are almost all black and seem fairly large but seem to pretty calm. There was a lot of activity and a constant stream of bees in and out, probably 2-3 per second.

My plan was to cut away the wall inside and move as much comb and bees as possible into a box and then slide the opening of the box as close to the hole in the wall as possible and leave it for a week or so to let them get settled.

Does this sound like it might work? Any suggestions.

[Jerrymac]

You could find comb anywhere from a couple of feet long to eight feet or more in length (top to bottom) and covering from one wall stud to the other, usually 16" wide. You really need to get all the comb out. You need to tie the brood comb into frames, and hopefully get the queen into the hive body. Then leave the hive close to the area where the nest was, not neccessarily near the entrance they were using. They should find the hive and be in by sundown. Sometimes they don't go in, or all of them don't stay in. I think this is when I didn't get the queen in. Then I beevac them after night fall. Most times they will all end up in the hive body.

Also, the bees will start huddling in corners. Up in the top or down at the bottom. If you open the wall up past the wall studs, or if there is an opening to the other side of the wall stud, the bees will go huddle over on the other side. They don't fly off and huddle many yards away, it will be close to the old nest. So don't tear into the wall past the wall studs, unless you think the colony goes to the other side. You might do like I did on the last one I did and use plastic and duct tape to limit their number of hiding places.

[Jerrymac]

Failed to mention. When they huddle up close to the top corners, you can use the brush to knock them down to the floor, if that is where your hive is sitting. Then they will work their way in.

Once I had to keep herding them towards the hive entrace. but ended up with most of them. That is my strongest colony now come to think about it.