Bait hive - success or are they teasing me?

[Headnavigator]

Casually put up a spare National and a poly Nuc as bait hives last week. They each had some drawn frames from a colony I combined last Autumn and a bit of the old lemon-grass oil. There are no other bee-keepers within a mile or so of me, so I did it to tempt fate and as a long back-stop just in case mine should throw a swarm and confound me.
Well confounded I am. There have been a lot of bees coming and going around both since I put them up, and today the poly Nuc has bees - it's chock full of bees, a dozen or so dead ones underneath it, and lots of action.
Big sigh, imagining my nice queen in there, but going straight into my resident colony there are still eggs, crammed with brood and bees, the odd play cup but no sign of QCs of any sort, and a new super all neatly drawn in the last few days.
Can only think I have picked up a genuine errant swarm, a gift, a bonus! anyone else had one yet?

 

[enrico]

Check them again after dusk. When flying they are drawn to the oil but they will go home at night. If you still have bees after dusk you certainly have caught a swarm from somewhere..... Well done
E

 

[For want of a better word]

Are you sure they are bees?

Prodigal .. a pest exterminator.. had a call over Easter to remove a "swarm of bees from a beehive!" in a ladies back garden... turned out to be a small wasp colony in a beehive shaped compost bin....


Are you sure they are bees?... only joking

 

[Luminos]

 

[Headnavigator]

Check them again after dusk. When flying they are drawn to the oil but they will go home at night.
E

Thanks Enrico - it was pouring at dusk but saw a few making a beeline for the main hive so think they were my own bees winding me up, not an alien swarm. However they all seem to be back in the Nuc this morning so not conclusive, will watch again tonight. I was so careful with the inspection yesterday, I'm sure there are no swarm cells tucked in there out of sight - just what are they playing at?

Wicked bees!

(PS shouldn't say that as otherwise they are the best-behaved bees ever!)

 

[thorn]

They've clearly got a sense of humour. Maybe they're just what the fellow who is hoping to wear a "bee suit" needs.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Could just be robing out the old comb in your bait hive

Perhaps some old capped honey...in cold weather an old bit of comb with honey in it near a hive can cause a feeding frenzy

two years ago i was sure i had caught a swarm, and my bees were trying to rob it, clouds of bees at the entrance, fighting on the landing board.....just two colonies ( one feral) fighting over a little honey left on the bait comb

 

[Headnavigator]

Thanks, MM, think you're probably right, though I didn't think there was more than a smidgin of honey there, if that! Something must have told my gut instinct that it wasn't a simple swarm, hence thread title! They're still jamming the entrance to the Nuc now. Let's see what happens at dusk tonight?
Doh, and I so desperately wanted to catch a colony for my bee buddy who is just setting up.

 

[Poly Hive]

Look on the bright side if they are not a swarm they are freshening up the nuc and that may well increase the chances for you


PH

 

[snowdoniatours]

Could be they're getting it ready for a moon-light flitt from the main haive. I take it you haven't got any queen cells in the existing hive.

Grant

 

[enrico]

I have had bait hives like this, really busy all day and then nothing at night. Finally the swarm came, circled the bait hive and then settled in the chimney......*******tards