swarm kit

[bill]

this year I got and lost a lot of swarms. If I had been more skillful I would have about eight hives going into the winter, how ever most of the ones I got absconded within the next few days after getting them. I ended up only getting two new hives for my efforts which is much better than nothing. but I was sitting here reading posts and I was thinking about being prepared next spring to keep every dang one I get. the main problem in getting them this year was if they were on a steel post or a just planted landscape tree that i couldn.t cut a branch off of and was not way to shake it hard enough to dislodge them into a hive or bucket. I don't climb for them, I usually was never sure if I got the queen or not . I would like to put together a foolproof kit for gettingand  keeping them so if you have some ideas about what to put in the kit and some advice on handling them I would appreciate your input. I think I lost most of them by not putting brood in with them but I will have three hives next year to rob a broodframe out of so I will do that

[Michael Bush]

Try an excluder as an "includer" to hold the queen in for the first few weeks.