Busy Bait Hive

[BeeFarmer]

Woke up this morning and my bait hive must have 30+ bees coming and going is this a sign of things to come or are they just being curious foragers?

 

[oliver90owner]

If there is any honey stores in there, they will be more than curious if foragers.

 

[BeeFarmer]

If there is any honey stores in there, they will be more than curious if foragers.

There are just 4 or 5 dusty old frames in there, if they've come to take something away then they'll be leaving with their head down low.

 

[BeeFarmer]

Aha, there be a swarm in my bait box!

 

[sharonh]

Aha, there be a swarm in my bait box!

Hi BeeFarmer,
Congrats on your swarm catch, that's great news.
What bait did you use?
Saw a couple of bees checking out my bait hive, but then thought maybe they were some of my own bees being curious.
Time will tell I guess.
Sharon


Love Beekeeping <3

 

[oliver90owner]

That sorted it, then. Scout bees, not curious foragers.

As it happened it was a sign of what was to come. But the beekeeper from where they may have come could have A/Sed his/her colony and nothing would have come of it; they may have decided on another home and nothing would have come of it.

Remember foragers forage and scout bees scout. Lots of different tasks for bees with 'specialised' tasks in the colony. They are quite a clever bunch, really!

 

[BeeFarmer]

To be honest I had a bait hive setup in the garden on the shed roof but ran low on equipment and had to use it. However, on Friday evening I borrowed some equipment from a retired beekeeper. As it turned out I didn't need it and therefore knowing it was going to be a nice weekend I placed it on a slab in the garden pending cleaning. I propped up one side with an 1" x 1" piece of wood and reduced the enterance just on the off chance of something happening. The box was really well used with some nasty looking frames inside which at their previous location had been attracting bees so I placed a little lemongrass oil on top of the frames and then went out.

When I found that I had bees in there I then had to go borrow a floor since I'd only picked up a brood body and roof, there isn't even a crown board inside. I've lifted the box and put it on an old milk crate and added QE a couple of frames but at the weekend I'll put them into a clean brood body with completely new frames (currently out of nails) and add a crownboard too (awaiting delivery). I'll then move them away from my garden to an out apairy somewhere. I'd played with the idea of giving them away but since it's my first year and I'd like some winter insurance I think I'm going to raise them as my own.

Whether I will try the bait hive a second time I don't know, the other half might kill me if I caught some more but who knows. My spin on the situation was, "better in the box than our chimney!".