Trapping swarms.

Latest Articles

Trapping swarms.
Page 1, 2 Next

Downsizer Forum Index -> The Apiary

Author

Message

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Jan 18, 10 7:40 pm Post subject: Trapping swarms.
With Spring around the corner thought these two links might be useful. For those of you with no bees but a desire to keep them more so. Here & here

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35139
Location: Devon

Posted: Mon Jan 18, 10 7:40 pm Post subject:
Very useful. Thanks.

mochasidamo

Joined: 22 Sep 2005
Posts: 615
Location: Montgomery

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 10 7:59 pm Post subject:
Thank you. Just need a bit of really old brood comb. Easy. Erm...

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 3:49 am Post subject:

Actually, if you just make it known at your pub, post office etc, that you are willing to collect swarms...(and you must be able to, at the drop of a hat, usually) you should get a phone call.

We had 2 last year....one lot died as they had been on the chaps chimney for 5 days before he let us know....but the other lot (in a wall in a stable) have turned out to be a lovely lot of bees (and very quiet and tame).

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 5:00 am Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

Your local pub must be a bit different from mine.
Mines more like a witherspoons/wine bar & our local shop/post office closed last year.
Also for every swarm that gets noticed probably two or three don't.
If you know of areas where swarms have been found/seen as you now do by putting traps in that area you will have a better chance of catching them.
Also it doesn't hurt to put up a couple near (but not on, your apiary to hopefully catch any of your own swarms. Bees rarely swarm from one hive into a nearby empty hive but prefer to go off some distance.
Even the most experienced & diligant beeks get unexpected swarms & having traps nearby is good insurance as they don't always settle near the hive they left first or more often swarm when your not home & you miss them.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 8:04 am Post subject:
I didnt think you had any pubs near you! I will take your advice re setting up bait hives...I was concerned before to do this incase I inadvertantly encouraged wasps or hornets.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 8:23 am Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

I didnt think you had any pubs near you!

I will take your advice re setting up bait hives...I was concerned before to do this incase I inadvertantly encouraged wasps or hornets.

Nearest pub is two miles away & it's a trendy dive.
Full of teenagers in designer clothes & definately not what I'd call a local.
As long as there is no honey in the old comb you use wasps don't seem to be attracted.
Wax moths will but as its old comb that won't matter, It's the scent of old wax & propolis that attracts.
If you put one at each of the two sites you mentioned earlier & ask the locals to let you know if they see any activity you wont have to check so often.
The ideal size from what I can gather is about 30 litres volume.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 1:57 pm Post subject:

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 5:31 pm Post subject:
Remember to check bait hives ----my husband lifted one out of the way last year when he was cutting grass to discover it was full of angry bees.

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 8:58 pm Post subject:

lottie wrote:

Remember to check bait hives

----my husband lifted one out of the way last year when he was cutting grass to discover it was full of angry bees.

bait hives... i'm assuming they are to attract bees, but is there a design/self made option?

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 9:53 pm Post subject:
Sorry---just meant what Tavascrow was talking about---We put a couple of brood boxes with old frames some distance from the active hives as a safety measure because we couldn't give the bees their normal attention last summer---we'd got a swarm of someone elses bees though---much darker than ours.

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 9:56 pm Post subject:
aha right i understand now - thanks for the clarification

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35139
Location: Devon

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 11:11 pm Post subject:
I remembered reading about bait hive lures, so googled and found this. If I had a virgin queen surely I wouldn't be needing to bait a hive - but, does anyone have any views on the Swarmit stuff?

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 10 11:35 pm Post subject:

The.Grange wrote:

lottie wrote:

Remember to check bait hives

----my husband lifted one out of the way last year when he was cutting grass to discover it was full of angry bees.

bait hives... i'm assuming they are to attract bees, but is there a design/self made option?

Apart from the links at the top of the page.
An empty hive with an old frame of comb will do but they are more effective if they are 8ft plus up a tree as bees are naturally tree dwellers & not ground dwellers.
We only keep them on the ground for our convenience.
Because of the weight of an empty hive it's not really suitable for putting up a tree but an adapted sturdy carboard box with some polythene weather protection (but not around the entrance) would be fine for two or three months through the season.
The bees aren't fussy apart from not liking unnatural materials like plastics & metals.

oliver90owner

Joined: 11 Jul 2009
Posts: 85

Posted: Sat Jan 23, 10 8:58 am Post subject:

A National brood with bottom space crownboard and deep solid floor is about 40l. I always try to use a solid floor, and the hive could have a divider fitted if too big (14X12 for example). I have never really tried a nuc hive seriously and no bees have taken residence in one of my nucs, yet.

The optimal size may well depend on the swarm size and what else might be in competition with your offering. A 15 inch cube has been touted as ideal. At 55l I think that is perhaps more than I would ever use. It may have been a US size. Several old books (English authors) have quoted 1 1/2 cubic feet which is about a standard National brood. You can take your choice as long as it is not too small.

I never leave a wide opening (usually about 50mm x 22mm) and always use a solid floor. Last year I was successful with hives containing a swarm lure - can't be certain if they helped as there were a lot of swarms available last year, compared to the previous two or three seasons.

With regards to the 'up a tree' comment. Some bait hives are made with plant pots fixed to a board (board vertical and pot horizontal) and then hoisted up trees. Probably a bit of a mess when it comes to transferring the bees, but cheap and effective in some situations (for instance in the US where any resident colony is first destroyed and then tested for 'africanised' bees).

Regards, RAB

	Downsizer Forum Index -> The Apiary	All times are GMT Page 1, 2 Next
Page 1 of 2

View Latest Posts