Colony management

No eggs, no larvae, no way to make a new queen until spring. A winter queenless colony is a dead colony walking. Most beekeepers won't know until March.

A swarm in a tree is docile, temporary, and not dangerous. It's also 10,000 free bees that a local beekeeper will probably come collect within hours.

A package is $150 for 3 pounds of bees and a stranger queen. A nuc is $225 for an established mini-colony. The price gap buys you 4-6 weeks of head start.