Bait boxes / swarm traps advise please

[Wingy]

This year my first bees arrived in the form of a small swarm directly into a hive I'd set up just checking positioning as I'm clearing an allotment site. Couldn't have been easier.
For next season I have put together 2 x 5 frame nuc's which I will use as swarm traps / bait boxes. One will be placed in my garden about 2 miles from where I intend to keep any swarm which may arrive the other in the mother in laws garden about 10 miles away.
Questions are :
1) If swarms move in how long should I leave them before moving to the allotment site
2) once on site do I immediately transfer the frames to a proper hive or position the nuc and let them orientate for a while before swapping over
3) guessing a swarm arriving in the box only 2 miles away may come from somewhere in between my bait box an my intended site, should I move them away (more than 3 miles first)
Thanks Wingy

 

[Anduril]

1) Move the swarm in the evening of their arrival to the intended site.
2) Most likely you will attract cast swarms in the nucs because they are small. Let them orientate first when they are at the allotment, if they don't abscond move them to a hive dummied down. If you have a massive swarm, personally I would transfer them into a hive that same evening with a queen excluder between the floor and the brood box. None of the fancy stuff of a white sheet and let them walk into the hive. Just make an opening in the middle of the hive, make sure the entrance block is in the closed position, then empty the swarm into the space you have made. Then place the frames of foundation on top of the bees but do not press them down, the bees will move out of the way and you will see the frames slowly sink into position. Once they are all in change the entrance block to the open position.
3) The swarm consists mainly of young workers, they will not go back to their original hive. Their memory will be the new location after their orientation flights at the allotment.

 

[drex]

When bees swarm they re set their sat nav. It takes 24 hours to orientate to the new site, hence Anduril's answer to 1 above. If however the OP was asking with regard to a quarantine period, I would wait until there is sealed brood in the swarm colony, before moving to my apiary.

 

[Anduril]

As to the 3 mile rule. I moved an established colony from a Baptist Chapel to one of my apiaries which was under 2 miles without a problem. No sticks or fairy dust needed.

 

[Wingy]

When bees swarm they re set their sat nav. It takes 24 hours to orientate to the new site, hence Anduril's answer to 1 above. If however the OP was asking with regard to a quarantine period, I would want ait until there is sealed brood in the swarm colony, before moving to my apiary.

Thanks good point about the quarantine period, something I had not considered. I would have moved them and treated before brood appeared

 

[Erichalfbee]

Your bait boxes are too small. 40 litres is the oft quoted size so they should be the volume of a national. That's not to say you won't attract a swarm but it will be a cast likely

 

[Wingy]

Your bait boxes are too small. 40 litres is the oft quoted size so they should be the volume of a national. That's not to say you won't attract a swarm but it will be a cast likely

Thanks, the boxes I have are 5 frame langstroth so just a fraction over 20 litre volume. I was under the impression that a prime swarm was only 1/2 of the original colony at the most so should easily fit one of these boxes. Or have I missed the fact that they would be looking for room to expand as well? Just all the ones on YouTube (so must be correct) seem to use the nuc size boxes

 

[Anduril]

Thanks, the boxes I have are 5 frame langstroth so just a fraction over 20 litre volume. I was under the impression that a prime swarm was only 1/2 of the original colony at the most so should easily fit one of these boxes. Or have I missed the fact that they would be looking for room to expand as well? Just all the ones on YouTube (so must be correct) seem to use the nuc size boxes

Your bait boxes are too small. 40 litres is the oft quoted size so they should be the volume of a national. That's not to say you won't attract a swarm but it will be a cast likely

2) Most likely you will attract cast swarms in the nucs because they are small.

Fine for collecting swarms but not as a bait hive

 

[Wingy]

Thanks for the replies, I knew my first accidental swarm was too easy to be true lol. Still a lot of learning to do

 

[Webby]

I built a couple of boxes with five langstroth brood frames and left about a six inches of clear space underneath.

 

[Barbarian]

The Langstroth frames with a space below them sounds like a Bushkill Swarm Trap.
There is a video of it on U-tube.
One of the features of this trap is that the bees may draw extra comb leaves down from the bottom bars. You then have the problem of dealing with unwired soft new comb.

 

[Webby]

The Langstroth frames with a space below them sounds like a Bushkill Swarm Trap.
There is a video of it on U-tube.
One of the features of this trap is that the bees may draw extra comb leaves down from the bottom bars. You then have the problem of dealing with unwired soft new comb.

I'd check daily so wouldn't let them get that far.