Attracting a swarm

[Dye29]

Hey guy im new to bee keeping so still learning day by day im wanting to attract a swarmto my brood box is this just a case of brood box and lid and frames in and few drops of lemongrass oil and wait also my brood is 2 short of frames is that ok or does it need to be full

 

[Hebeegeebee]

You might be lucky in catching a swarm. The bees won't mind whether the box is missing a couple of frames. If you don't have any more, then dummy boards at the sides will do the trick to avoid bees drawing comb where you don't want them to.

 

[Dye29]

Great is my method correct then to try attract some

 

[Anduril]

There is no guarantee, you could do it with an empty box or just one frame, personally I would not use dummy boards. However many frames you use hold them in place with push pins, especially if you are transporting it to an out apiary later

 

[MerryBee]

Well worth reading Tom Seeley's guide to swarms and bait hives here

 

[mike99]

This is my second year and for the first time ever there was a swarm of bees in my neighbours garden. I managed to extract them and they are now in their own hive. The only issue is that I didn't have a BB or a Nuc so they are in a super which I will sort out later. worst case scenario is I might end up with a brood and a half. I didn't want to down that route but I was time constrained this weekend and a complete super was all I had at the time.
I wonder if my own colony attracted them? They aren't mine as they came from down the street.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Well worth reading Tom Seeley's guide to swarms and bait hives here

Out of interest how do you put the link to HERE ??
Pls
Mark.

 

[Beefriendly]

Out of interest how do you put the link to HERE ??
Pls
Mark.

Highlight the text you want as the link and then click the link symbol (Globe with paper clip underneath) and paste the url of the link into the pop up box that appears when you click the globe symbol.

 

[bingevader]

Best of luck!
If you can be prepared enough to put out a box similar to what you want them to end up in, that's a help.
In school we use an old nuc box as a bait hive.
Our national hives are foundationless in the brood boxes, so the nuc just had empty national frames.
Went in to school this morning to find it occupied.
The frames will then be transferred straight from the nuc into the empty national we have waiting.
At home we use Warre hives.
I put a spare box with top bars (no comb) on the roof of the shed a couple of weeks ago and that got filled too.
I was then able to transfer the whole box of bees to a new stand with floor, quilt and roof.
Both bait hives had a swarm wipe in.
Elevating the box does seem to help.

 

[Horseradish]

Good luck - I caught a swarm just the other day. A brood box with a couple of frames of foundation and some LGO on a cotton bud is all you need. Are you getting scout activity?

 

[Karsal]

Hey guy im new to bee keeping so still learning day by day im wanting to attract a swarmto my brood box is this just a case of brood box and lid and frames in and few drops of lemongrass oil and wait also my brood is 2 short of frames is that ok or does it need to be full

One important thing to remember. Swarms do not like open mesh floors so close them up.
Never caught a swarm in a hive with an OMF and I've tried. They have chosen the closed one next to it every time. Total so far this season 5 swarms in Paynes poly nuc's cut out to 8 frames.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Hey guy im new to bee keeping so still learning day by day im wanting to attract a swarmto my brood box is this just a case of brood box and lid and frames in and few drops of lemongrass oil and wait also my brood is 2 short of frames is that ok or does it need to be full

Where in North Yorkshire? There's plenty of swarms about this year and beekeepers who've caught them and are running out of equipment.

 

[Teebeeaitch]

Patience is a good thing. The lemongrass oil works well for me with a little bit of brood comb thrown in. I set up two spare hives in my garden and scout bees were all over them in no time. I watched two swarms arrive and move in within 72 hours of each other. It’s good to known that despite all those swarm control measures and diligent seven day inspections by local beeks, you can guarantee there will still be plenty of swarms around. “ Can’t be mine” they will all swear but we all know they are. Long may it last.

 

[Adam Bee]

This is my second year and for the first time ever there was a swarm of bees in my neighbours garden. I managed to extract them and they are now in their own hive. The only issue is that I didn't have a BB or a Nuc so they are in a super which I will sort out later. worst case scenario is I might end up with a brood and a half. I didn't want to down that route but I was time constrained this weekend and a complete super was all I had at the time.
I wonder if my own colony attracted them? They aren't mine as they came from down the street.

If you don’t want to stay a brood and a half, you can work that shallow up and out. When they are ready, add the deep (or whatever you want) underneath. When the new lower box is properly occupied, lower the QE if you use one to below the shallow and work that shallow either up and off if you’re squeamish about brood in honey frames, or it will simply become a super. Need more brood space? Add another deep under the QE.

 

[mike99]

Thanks for the advice. I thought that would be the solution. If I had a spare Nuc I would have used that as the swarm wasn't that big. I am feeding them to help with drawing out the foundation as I had no drawn frames. I will get the BB ready so I can just add it when they are settled.

 

[Millet]

Thanks for the advice. I thought that would be the solution. If I had a spare Nuc I would have used that as the swarm wasn't that big. I am feeding them to help with drawing out the foundation as I had no drawn frames. I will get the BB ready so I can just add it when they are settled.

Howdy Mike..once the Queen gets going in the super put it on top of a brood box without a Queen excluder and leave them too it..the Queen will eventually start laying in the brood box when she has run out of space in the super..when she has enough frames drawn in the brood box to lay in stick the Queen excluder between the super and brood box BUT be 100% certain the Queen is in the brood box and not the super..the brood in the super will emerge and move down through the excluder but the drones will be trapped..you will loose a lot of drones trapped in the excluder but it can not be helped... some will be saved if you remove the crown board on a warm day as they will buzz out of the top of the super..after a few weeks the super will now be empty of brood and the bees can start storing nectar in there..

How are the other bees doing by the way PM if you want.. .
Steve.

 

[mike99]

Thanks Steve. I was worried about the drones but that makes sense about them escaping via an open roof and the CB removal during an inspection.

 

[Dye29]

Thanks for advise guys i shall give it ago , meanwhile think my hive has swarmed yesterday i was at my garden and all my bees were lifted goin bazzerk everywhere so whatched them for a hour expecting them to clump up but nothing so left and went back few hours later and had a look in top of super and i had alot less bees either they have gone or will they be in brood , if theyve gone am i best checking brood now for queens hatching to save me losing the lot

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

One important thing to remember. Swarms do not like open mesh floors .

I'll have to tell them that - had two swarms move into empty hives, both with OMF this year alone.

 

[Ian123]

Bait hives are a bit like fishing on a given day a simple bare hook will out fish the tastiest of offerings. But 9 times out of 10 you give them what they want or expect, or something that attracts interest or attention. Bait hives are no different!!!