Every beekeeper is going to face the loss of a beehive at some point. For many, we lose a hive, identify why it failed, learn from our mistakes, and split any surviving hives the following spring to rebuild.
For several years, I was in this same routine. I'd lose one or two hives, be left with one or two hives after winter, and would split back to my ideal colony level without issue. In a way, it was good balance, if only because I can't keep expanding my apiary per local zoning.
After one particularly bad season, I lost three of my four hives, and, while I could have considered doing a multi-hive split from a very strong colony, I decided to try my hand at catching a swarm in the existing hives in my apiary- and I did!
So in this one, I thought it'd be fun to break down how to catch a swarm of bees, including why bees swarm to begin with plus many other important points to consider.