Artificial Swarm

  1. Get equipment ready: Floor, Brood chamber with prepared frames, Crown board, Lifts (if you have a WBC), and Roof
  2. Remove roof (and lifts) from parent hive
  3. Keeping crown board in place lift all supers from parent hive and place on upturned roof (or lift).
  4. Remove queen excluder from parent hive and place to side of hive
  5. Place spare crown board on parent hive and move floor and brood box intact to new location 4-5 feet to right of old location.
  6. Place new floor and brood chamber on site of old location with entrance in same direction as the original.
  7. Remove centre frame from new brood chamber and place beside hive in new location.
  8. Remove crown board on parent hive and search for queen.
  9. Remove the frame with the old queen to the new brood box after having destroyed any queen cells that exist on this frame.
  10. Place crown board back on parent hive.
  11. Put queen excluder back on new brood chamber and replace supers on new brood chamber.
  12. Return to new location. Remove crown board and close up frames and insert the blank frame to one side and replace crown board.
  13. Replace old roof (and lifts) on old site and new roof (and lift) on new site.