Attracting swarms - what are the odds?

[Ian123]

I gave up beekeeping about 20 years ago; then about 15 years ago I thought I would set up my old national hive in the garden with some 5 year old drawn rat-eared brood frames.....Nothing, Zilch for 12 years. Last year I thought I would give Lemongrass a try. Doused a tissue in Lemongass put it on top of the frames and lo and behold, come the end of May, what should turn up but a lovely swarm of bees. I don't know what the thoughts are of the intelligentsia re Lemon grass, maybe it works or maybe I was just lucky.....Just saying

Yes it works!

 

[Widget]

It was a crappy winter, made redundant just before Christmas, one of my queens died unexpectedly in January and both of my remaining colonies were obliterated by a tree which came down during the big storm in February.

So it's now mid March and I find myself with two rebuilt hives, no bees and the wife is keeping the purse strings soldered shut. The only options available are to put the hobby on hold for a year or try to attract a swarm.

I've spent a couple of days reading and watching videos about swarm capture, I think I'm now able to maximise the chances of capturing a swarm, but I'd be interested to hear what you consider the chances are. I live in a suburban area, the closest apiary is about 3 miles away. IF I put a bait hive in a tree, with various lures are we talking single digit % chance of success?

Are you a member of your local BBKA group? In my group we can sign up for swarms and people without any bees get priority. We have volunteer swarm collectors who contact people on the swarm list when a swarm is available.

 

[Poly Hive]

All my swarms have arrived into bait hives firmly on the ground. Lemongrass oil is the dogs danglies. It's that simple. And I'll just mention this, a goodly number chose 5 frame nuc boxes over full hives. 40 litres? LOL

PH

 

[masterBK]

Most of the swarms that take over 5 and 6 frame nuc boxes in my out apiary and in my garden are secondary swarms complete with virgin queens. I get two or three of these most years and they often arrive about a week after a prime swarm presumably from the same colony has taken over one of several bait hives I set up each year. All are requeened using queens I have reared as rarely do these incoming swarms have traits I would like to keep or propagate. Not seen a marked queen in an incoming prime swarm for years which is not unexpected as beekeepers who know how to properly control swarming tend to mark their queens .

 

[pargyle]

Bees love it. Always have some to hand

Maybe to hand but don't get the stuff ON your hands .... particularly if you are intending cutting the lawn or doing any gardening afterwards !

 

[JamezF]

Maybe to hand but don't get the stuff ON your hands .... particularly if you are intending cutting the lawn or doing any gardening afterwards !

Strange that it is also used as an insect repellent. I wonder if that's because (some) other insects recognise the aromatic components as being part of the Nasonov pheromone and therefore best avoided?

James

 

[pargyle]

Strange that it is also used as an insect repellent. I wonder if that's because (some) other insects recognise the aromatic components as being part of the Nasonov pheromone and therefore best avoided?

James

Yes ... it's only honey bees that really seem to be attracted to it .... I tried some of the 'queen pheremone attractant' you can buy a few years ago but it didn't seem to work any better than the lemongrass oil.

 

[drdrday]

As good as lemongrass and other lures are, there's also a huge benefit of having a well-used bait hive and old comb - which of course you've got Beagle.
Before I had bees I tried to get some free-bees with bait hives for two years. Of course at that point, having never kept bees I only had lemongrass and swarm lures and didn't manage to attract any swarms. I admitted defeat and bought some bees. The following year, with a couple of nuc boxes that had previously housed bees and been well propolised, and some frames of old comb I had three swarms over just one weekend.

 

[JamezF]

By "old comb", do you mean brood comb? When I've used brood comb in the past it's just been completely trashed by wax moth, with all the other associated damage

James

 

[SixFooter]

In the past, I have made plywood 15 " cubes ( with a entrance hole ) as bait hives. I tend not to get them very high, mostly on shed roofs, flat roof extensions etc. Each just has a piece of old brood comb inside and no other lures. I reckon about 1 in 3 get a swarm.

 

[rolande]

When I moved to Shropshire I put all my hives onto the lawn in a big pile as they came out of the removal lorry. They weren't stacked or in any order. No bees in any as I had sold them all on before I moved. The following day the first swarm arrived! It happens!

When John Rawson sold off the last of his colonies he was left with various empty hives across a selection of apiaries, by the end of the following summer he'd aquired 20+ colonies without any intention of doing so.

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's the small of bees, isn't it? My bait hives are liberally coated with propolis inside as well as having an old brood comb

 

[Poly Hive]

I knew I should have said this...........the swarms that arrived in my nucs were so far ALL mated and laying queens. All my bait hives have black brood combs and yet to see them attacked by anything. One of the few benefits of living in the North I suppose.

PH

 

[Ian123]

I find old comb is the winner and a nice sunny spot that will get the box warm and hot. You basically want it to release that wax smell, even just a frame or 2 of foundation. Lemongrass and lures work but are far more effective when used with wax. Obviously those purchased lures can be reused multiple times, ensure there pinned down though as scout bees often chuck them out

 

[robert gallacher]

It was a crappy winter, made redundant just before Christmas, one of my queens died unexpectedly in January and both of my remaining colonies were obliterated by a tree which came down during the big storm in February.

So it's now mid March and I find myself with two rebuilt hives, no bees and the wife is keeping the purse strings soldered shut. The only options available are to put the hobby on hold for a year or try to attract a swarm.

I've spent a couple of days reading and watching videos about swarm capture, I think I'm now able to maximise the chances of capturing a swarm, but I'd be interested to hear what you consider the chances are. I live in a suburban area, the closest apiary is about 3 miles away. IF I put a bait hive in a tree, with various lures are we talking single digit % chance of success?

I moved to a house 4 years ago and had a stack of boxes in the back garden. Watched some bees robbing for a few days. Then went quiet. Few days later a prime swarm arrived. In the 4 years I was there, I was given 9 swarms! 4 prime swarms and rest seemed like casts. All I did was drizzle some honey over the frames.I’m convinced the robbers take the message back to their hive.

 

[enrico]

Strange that it is also used as an insect repellent. I wonder if that's because (some) other insects recognise the aromatic components as being part of the Nasonov pheromone and therefore best avoided?

James

One is lemon grass oil and the other is citronella. Different things I think!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Strange that it is also used as an insect repellent.

citronella and lemongrass oil - big difference

 

[Ian123]

. All I did was drizzle some honey over the frames.I’m convinced the robbers take the message back to their hive.

In all likelihood a waste of good honey and without wishing to be over zealous not to be recommended!!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All I did was drizzle some honey over the frames.I’m convinced the robbers take the message back to their hive.

As well as any nasties in the honey if you weren't 100% confident of its provenance

 

[Boston Bees]

All I did was drizzle some honey over the frames.I’m convinced the robbers take the message back to their hive.

I wouldn't do this within my apiary, but as long as it's a certain distance from the apiary, and it's my own bees' honey, I agree that it might help.