Attracting a swarm

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BEEBEGIN

New Bee
Joined
May 8, 2010
Messages
51
Reaction score
0
Location
Headbourne Worthy near Winchester,Hampshire.uk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
3 plus TOP BAR 1

Hi first time of posting since joined.
I know that you can put a attraction into a hive to attract a swarm,do you do this with the hive open or closed,probably a stupid question.
I have a nu and a hive in pace and no luck so far and yes I realise that it has only just got warm,so any help would be appropriated please.

beebegin
 
This is a rehash of what is already posted.

Bred in comb is best. See if you can acquire some.

Failing that get your hive up a bit, 10 ft or so helps.

Foundation in the hive, some lemon grass oil and a dollop of luck is all to the good.

Personally I have had very poor luck with attracting swarms so location is a serious factor, as are some bad beekeepers...LOL

PH
 
Sorry I did not know that it already been talked about,as I said I am new to the site and at the moment have not had the chance to get around it.
Any way thank you for the suggestions,will try anything if might work???
So I presume,with out sounding stupid the hive are kept closed?
Ray G
 
No sir keep the box open the bees need to get access.

PH
 
Beebegin, welcome to the site.
Some people on here are unforgiving and forget that new people haven't read every post over the years, take no notice! Others consider themselves to be experts. Others are really lovely people.

Keep the hive open and cross your fingers.........
 
and you need to be LUCKY

an old hive in a garden near me, keeps swarming, but he swarms never goes to my bait hive

old comb, lure, lemon oil...try them all....lots of scouts...100 on saturday but the prime swarm went elswhere
 
i have both lemon grass oil and a swarm lure and the only swarm nere me never went nere any off them. they well of ended up there but i never gave them chance to
 
I wonder how many of us have never had any luck with bait hives? I haven't either.. tried everything.
 
I thought it had worked once when a huge swarm came roaring over the snicket behind my garden. It shot straight past my bait hive and went into a crack in next door's chimney. So much for lures!
 
Beebegin, welcome to the forum. Ask away - thats what the forum is all about, help, debate and bees! ;)
 
I wonder how many of us have never had any luck with bait hives? I haven't either.. tried everything.

If this is any help to you then great. I'm a second year beek. My first swarm in a bait hive was an accident (honest) last year. I just put the thing together late May09 to make sure it was all ok (second hand hive and had some old comb in) went shopping and came home to squatters!
This year tried it again. 2 bait hives, set up 2 weeks ago and 2 swarms housed, both look reasonable sized 'prime' swarms (1 last weekend, 1 yesterday)

What I did
14x12 brood box (what I use as std now)
on a solid floor
2 or 3 old frames (drawn / bred in) of std national brood, closed at the ends with 2 frames undrawn 14x12
14x12 in the middle to hang a swarm lure off centrally
centred up in the hive
closed entrance down to about 6 cm width (Edit: large enough for access, small enough to defend)
Crown board
Roof
South facing, 0.5m off ground, tucked in to tall shrubs in flower borders.

1 in my garden, 1 in a friends garden in the same village (to spread them out)
My apiary is on a local farm 2 .5 miles away. Glad to say neither swarm is mine (but I still have plenty of time left to loose one!)

Bingo x 2!

Good luck, it can and for me has worked. Have now run out of hive parts! Nice problem to have. R
 
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BEEBEGIN asked whether the hive should 'be open' or not? we are assuming you are talking about the entrance hole here? yes you should keep that open, but the hive should be closed up otherwise (crownboard and roof on). I put a strap round my hives nowadays.

I am trying baut hives for the first time this year- 4 dotted around, who knows?

Chris
 
I have just put out the first couple of bait hives here in Sweden. The trick is to make your bait hive more attractive to the scout bees than anything else that is on offer to them. The more you tick all the boxes, the greater your chance of attracting a swarm. Probably Dr Seeley is the foremost authority on swarms and below is a a precis of his recommendations:-

5 meters above ground level
Well shaded but highly visible
Distance from parent colony not important
Entrance area 1.5 to 2 square inches(10-15cm2)
Entrance shape not important
Low entrance position
South facing entrance preferred. Others OK.
1.4 cu ft (40 litre) volume
Cavity shape unimportant
Dry & Snug
Avoid new wood
Advises against comb but use smell of beeswax.
Lemon Grass scent mimics scout bee pheromone



I personally do use old brood comb and am willing to take the risks Dr Seeley outlines.


Norm
 
Dont give up hope of you bait hives. Just got back from work to find swarm had arrived today.
Hive is on solid floor, with a couple of frames of old comb and rest new foundation. Reduced entrance and lemon grass oil as lure. Box is about 10ft off ground on bay window roof.

Bait hive has only been up there since the weekend!

I will relocate to my other site later this evening, adding some feed. A quick glance for varroa, might dust with icing sugar and add QX below box. But my view is if a colony is strong enough to swarm they are strong.

In a few days I will go through the hive checking for the queen and if marked, but thus far I have never caught a marked queen (which all mine are).

Happy fishing!

DSCN1516.jpg
 
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Hi Poly hive
Thank you for yesterday.I think that I got my wires crossed when I asked about hive open or closed.I persume that you just mean the openeing were the bee get in nit leaving the hole hive or nuc open??
Bit stud I know if this is the case.
Any chance that you might know someone who might have a swarm please,please.
Ray G
 
Thank you for that.
I have used my normal hive with three frame and a lure.Then on top of that is a nuc with two frames and a lure.In amongst the fruit trees that are in bloom faceing south.Lets see if that works?if not I will try puting then on the garage roof like you.
Ray G
 
I have just put out the first couple of bait hives here in Sweden. The trick is to make your bait hive more attractive to the scout bees than anything else that is on offer to them. The more you tick all the boxes, the greater your chance of attracting a swarm. Probably Dr Seeley is the foremost authority on swarms and below is a a precis of his recommendations:-

5 meters above ground level
Well shaded but highly visible
Distance from parent colony not important
Entrance area 1.5 to 2 square inches(10-15cm2)
Entrance shape not important
Low entrance position
South facing entrance preferred. Others OK.
1.4 cu ft (40 litre) volume
Cavity shape unimportant
Dry & Snug
Avoid new wood
Advises against comb but use smell of beeswax.
Lemon Grass scent mimics scout bee pheromone



I personally do use old brood comb and am willing to take the risks Dr Seeley outlines.


Norm
Thank you,Trying in amoungst the fruit trees at the moment then try some thing els??
Ray G
 
well done jim .

i am actually quite envious. Nay, very envious .
I have five home made five frame nuc boxes with new foundation.
i am using swarm lure i bought from a well known internet site.
i have stratigicly placed the nucs near some apieries,

i pit them in place about a month ago and i check them every week.
so far i have ............. no luck at all.

the swarm lure s i bought smell very strongly of citronal. lemon grass.

please excuse my ignorance but

lemon grass oil , citronal.
these sre used as insect repellants, how do they attract bees ?

i have also coated the inside of my hives with lemongrass oil in melted bees wax.

i have three nationals in my back garden.
i have had no luck with these either.

I just wanna bee a bee keeper !

shonto
 

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