first check on swarm capture

 

 

Two swarms are left undisturbed and this is the first check of their comb building.

First photo - A small swarm (captured March 13th) built comb on 4 out of 5 deep frames, but just along 1/4 of the frame length near the hive entrance.

A medium sized swarm (captured March 23rd) built comb on 5 of 8 deep frames and mostly away from the hive entrance.

Not surprising, comb building is proportional to swarm size.

Last photo - I added a cloake board (with its metal tray) beneath the medium swarm, all of which sits atop an over-wintered hive (without its inner cover and telescoping cover). Later, the metal tray will be removed and the bees can communicate through the cloake board's built-in queen excluder.  The maker of cloake board did not have this non-queen rearing purpose in mind, but it works for me.