Bait Hive

[twebs]

Morning All,

A question re bait hives.

I current have one colony of bees ticking along happily. I’ve got a spare polyhive knocking around.

I’m thinking of placing it as a bait hive.

Questions:

How far away from my current hive should it be?
Am I going to ‘encorage’ My existing colony to swarm by placing a lure in the new bait hive? Hence cause myself problems.

Cheers

Tom

 

[Erichalfbee]

A colony swarms irrespective
If you want to catch your own then it needs to be a little distance from your bees.

 

[Karsal]

Morning All,

A question re bait hives.

I current have one colony of bees ticking along happily. I’ve got a spare polyhive knocking around.

I’m thinking of placing it as a bait hive.

Questions:

How far away from my current hive should it be?
Am I going to ‘encorage’ My existing colony to swarm by placing a lure in the new bait hive? Hence cause myself problems.

Cheers

Tom

I've had them leave one hive and enter another spare hive in my apiary 10 foot away. I was going up to collect my spare hive at the time to go and catch a swarm locally.

 

[fatshark]

The evidence is that they choose to go a smaller distance ~20m than a larger one ~400m.

 

[wessexmario]

How far away from my current hive should it be?

Anything over 10 yards! over the years I've caught plenty of swarms within 10-20 yards of the originating hive.

What's more important its the size and orientation.
About 40 litres (ie a brood box), small entrance, facing southeast and 3m above the ground is the bee's preference (ack. Tom Seeley)
Don't fill it with frames, the scouts like to measure the volume, just one or two frames to one side of the box will give it that "lived in feel" - bees like previously used locations.

Am I going to ‘encorage’ My existing colony to swarm by placing a lure in the new bait hive? Hence cause myself problems.

Good thought but I've not heard of that being the case.
but then, if you do catch your own swarm that's got to be better than it flying away.