Ahhh! Chasing swarms, what a hoot.
The last one I did was when after carefully removing siding from the house of a terror-stricken householder I was informed that I would have to pay him for the bees. I carefully replaced the mangled combs and nailed back the siding and left him with his bees. It took me four or five years to get the Agricultural Commissioner's office to take my name off the bee rescue squad list.
One time Fred Huntington asked me to remove bees from high up on his second story home. It involved trapping them out, a several day job that needed to be completed after dark to leave as few bees as possible. He was anxious to be rid of the beasts, but did not wish the rotting bees in the wall. He finally opted for the Cyanogas and the wax moth mess.
It may have been in _Beekeeping: the Gentle Craft_ that a way of extracting a few hives without an extractor was described.
Hobbyists are well advised to gather for joint extraction parties and sharing queens when a queen fails if you have only one hive.
May Father Langstroth smile on your venture.
Cheers from Darkest California,
Ross
