Bait hives

[SixFooter]

My 2 bait hives both have lots of interest from bees at the moment as does my stack of unused boxes. Does this mean there is a swarm in the area or could it be that my own bees are thinking about swarming?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Possibly and possibly
Do bees scout out a new home before they swarm or after?

 

[SixFooter]

A swarm moved into one of the bait boxes today. Even if they are my bees ( dont think so, but will find out tomorrow) it's still a success!
I just love Beekeeping!

 

[Inkywillow]

Brilliant! Over what period (and in what numbers) where they scouting the hive before the swarm turned up?

 

[iombeeman]

could be the lure hives are being cleaned out by nearby bees.how long have the hives been there?have they drawn comb or foundation?

 

[peteinwilts]

scouts don't always mean swarms are on their way... older workers are natural scouts, rather than foragers.

I have a number of swarm boxes and they always have interest, almost all of the time but do not always mean I am about to catch.

scouts are just doing their job... scouting!

good luck though!

 

[Poly Hive]

My bait hive has been studiously ignored by both the swarms that have arrived. Both preferred poly nuc boxes to a timber brood box.

PH

 

[SixFooter]

I guess there were an average of 20 bees milling around the boxes for a couple of days. This has happened before, but just stopped after a couple of days. Presumably, my bait hives lost out to someone else's!
At the moment, One bait hive seems to be occupied. I'll go take a pic.

 

[SixFooter]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/picture.php?albumid=255&pictureid=1467

Doesnt look like very many, but there were lots more earlier!

 

[SixFooter]

They appear to be foraging today from the bait hive

 

[REDWOOD]

Hi, Have a look at my post yesterday http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=10448

 

[dpearce4]

when u put the bait box out do you put the right number of frames with foundation in or just 1 or 2 until u catch?

 

[SixFooter]

The successful bait box was a 15" cube made of plywood with an old blackened, twisted frame of comb inside.
It was 10ft off the ground but in my apiary. 2 hives are close by.

My colonies havent swarmed, so definitely came from outside. There are not very many bees, so it's probably a cast, but I cant get over how pleased I am that it worked!

 

[VEG]

I have had a bait hive on my garage roof for about 2 weeks now and it ha s had an increasing amount of interest over the past week. Fingers crossed here.

 

[Tom Bick]

Good look Veg its great fun this bait hive thing in my honest.

I got one a few weeks back at my workshop but the in my opinion the best position bait hive on my friends office in lovely Kingston has had no interest to date but plenty of time to go and I await the excited phone call.

 

[SixFooter]

I acquired a fairly decent colony from this. They are doing well in an out apiary.

Meanwhile, I noticed more interest from scouts today. There hasnt been any activity over the last week, but there is today.

Here's hoping!

Trouble is with these bait hives and swarm collecting, you inevitably acquire swarmy bees!

 

[cjtsmith]

Rather than starting a new thread, I thought I might post here. What is the process for setting up a bait hive? I admit I am not keen to pay for my first lot of bees. Are the swarm lures I see advertised on ebay any good?

 

[Rosti]

when u put the bait box out do you put the right number of frames with foundation in or just 1 or 2 until u catch?

I use a 14x12 brood box on an old manky solid floor.
1 old frame central plus one at each side pushed hard up to the edges - so large open voids. Seems to work every time. Fill in the gaps and replace the old frames once a swarm has settled. R

 

[Worldsend]

Try and get hold of some very old comb, have got two swarms this year so far this way,scout bees for a few days before

 

[Foxylad]

This is an american beekeeper talking about building and using bait hives.

I particularly like the board on the back for nailing to trees.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na3owKhF9m4&hd=1[/ame]