Bait Hives

[Nige.Coll]

i have 2 old hives that i am going to use as bait hives but i can't find much information about them in the books i have.

should i put one in my apiary or would it be better a short distance away ?

do they work well or is it pure luck ?

is it worth a £5 for the swarm attractant ?

where is a good place to site them is it critical ?

i have some old drawn comb but not much some are brood frames and some are out of supers. i have put some into each bait hive and they are sealed atm to stop unwanted pests getting in.
all i can find out is that ideally the old comb should be removed and frozen before being replaced about every 2 weeks .
Beebase says i have 45 other apiaries within 10 km so i think it could stand a good chance of working.
i'de be happy to catch my own swarms as i am probably going to make a mistake in my first year dealing with them.
sry if this has been covered before i couldn't find anything using search tab.

 

[Tom Bick]

It's luck at the end of the day. I have been lucky in the past so a fan.

Better away from your bees but then it may not be your bees that move in.
A single bb solid floor small entrance facing south and 2m off the ground one old piece of comb with no stores the rest empty frames and a few drops of lemon grass oil in the hive.

 

[pargyle]

i have 2 old hives that i am going to use as bait hives but i can't find much information about them in the books i have.

should i put one in my apiary or would it be better a short distance away ?

do they work well or is it pure luck ?

is it worth a £5 for the swarm attractant ?

where is a good place to site them is it critical ?

QUOTE]

If you Google Tom Seeley and Bait Hives you will find his freely downloadable pamphlet on bait hives which is very informative ... there is a link to it on here somewhere as well if you have a search.

 

[oliver90owner]

Lots of info on previous threads if youbseach for them.

Having no idea what type your old hives are, I would not like to comment on them.

Short, long? 200 or more metres is good. Most colonies will rehome less than a mile distant (plenty? of references on the net regarding percentages and distances of new colonies).

Not pure luck at all. The wrong type in the wrong place will considerably reduce the likelihood of success. The bees will choose what they consider as their best new home from all the available sites.

Swarm attractant? Single or a bottle of? Most use lemon grass aromatic oil. Mine might have cost me a fiver (doubt it, mind), but will last for years.

Placement is not critical unless there is a better alternative for the bees. There are average guidelines as to the optimum position, etc. Following those guidelines will avoid placement being so critical to the point of being bypassed for better sites.

Fill your bait hive with frames, at least, or you risk comb being built from the crownboard.

45 apiaries within 10km? Yo sure you are reading that information correctly? I doubt it.

Probably. Most will rehome thhemselves within a kilometre of the parent colony. Moving 10km is very unlikely. Read it again. 10km or 10 square kilometres? More than a subtle difference.

Having said all the above, bees often seem to rehome quite close to the parent colony. They do like to re-use abandoned sites.

RAB

 

[alldigging]

45 colonies within 10km? Yo sure you are reading that information correctly? I doubt it.

No. of other apiaries within a 10KM radius: 176

10km radius is about 314km2 though

 

[Nige.Coll]

No. of other apiaries within a 10KM radius: 45


hives are national.

swarm attractant is £5 for 3 vials.


thanks pargyle i'll google that now

 

[oliver90owner]

No. of other apiaries within a 10KM radius: 176

Sorry misread or mistyped in previous reply.

Not knowing the actual location, I would not have a clue, but 176 apiaries would indicate rather more than the 45 quoted. Someone clearly has it wrong.

 

[beeno]

No. of apiaries within 10km radius 230. Had scouts, but they preferred a cavity wall instead!

 

[Nige.Coll]

No. of other apiaries within a 10KM radius: 176

10km radius is about 314km2 though

wasn't me that said the 176

 

[MartinL]

Have been trying bait hives for five years now!

Success rate >1! Always get plenty of interest, but no luck.

However, (to our knowledge) at least three times now, 2 swarms and a small cast have settled in my neighbours Apple tree. The first time was a good sized swarm from my own bees. Afterwards we think they were from the Pub Chimney.

If I only knew what was attracting them to the apple tree I'd use it for my bait hives.

 

[davnig]

I got lucky with a frame of old brood comb in a national box, old solid floor and small entrance - again see Tom Seeley for recommended size

 

[pargyle]

If I only knew what was attracting them to the apple tree I'd use it for my bait hives.

Ahh ... that will be a bee tree then ... obviously sat on the right laylines ... why not ask your neighbour if you can put a bait box in his apple tree ? The bees clearly like it ... and not because it is a potential home ...

Lots of stuff on the internet about bees swarming in the same place evey year ... Get your copper dowsing rods out and see if they cross where the tree is ...

I'll get me tin hat and coat now ....

 

[beeno]

If I only knew what was attracting them to the apple tree I'd use it for my bait hives.

I have collected three swarms in apple trees and my nuc swarmed into my small sapling apple tree, but returned to nuc as Q could not get out. I would say definitely something with apple trees as a first swarm stop!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Spoke to a beekeeper this morning - he's currently awaiting the autumn swarming period - he put forty bait hives out in the summer - caught 37 swarms!

 

[fatshark]

One of the commercial guys round here uses brood and a half for his bait hives. A brood box on top with a couple of tatty old frames at the side together with 9 frames with foundation. Underneath is an empty super on a solid floor. The rationale appears to be that the scouts look for a good sized space (see Seeley as many have already commented), but that inclusion of a full brood box of frames means a swarm can become established without much risk of building loads of wild brace comb. Also means you don't have to check them too frequently …

 

[testka]

Do you do need to anything about potential wax moth problems with the wax pieces and no bees to defend ?

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[Nige.Coll]

Ahh ... that will be a bee tree then ... obviously sat on the right laylines ... why not ask your neighbour if you can put a bait box in his apple tree ? The bees clearly like it ... and not because it is a potential home ...


just tell him it's a large bird box lol

 

[davnig]

Do you do need to anything about potential wax moth problems with the wax pieces and no bees to defend ?

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you generally use old frames that you've cycled out and you will take them away once swarm is in so nothing to worry about really.

They're just there to entice them in

 

[testka]

Thanks davnig
May have to give it a try this year.


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[Nige.Coll]

potential wax moth is why they are removed and frozen then replaced.