Moving a Swarm

[Swift Nick]

I have a question that I can't find answered in any books, so I am hoping for some advice.
I have had a bait hive out for a few weeks, without any real interest, maybe it is too early, but I think it may be because the site is out in the open.
So yesterday I moved the bait hive to a window of an old unused hay barn, near a holly tree where bees were foraging, bees were around & inside the bait hive all day yesterday, so it has potential.
The only thing is the bait hive is now not in a good place for final location.
So I presume if a swarm arrives and I am there, when the bees are all in I could move the hive to the final location, but if I am at work when the bees arrive & I get home say 6 hours later, will I have to move the bait hive 3 miles away for a week & then back to relocate the hive to final position or is it still OK to move it.
The bait hive is currently about 30 yards away from its final position, so moving it three feet per day isn't really an option.
Thanks Nick

 

[drex]

You can move it straight to its permanent site as long as it is within 24-48 hours of the bees moving in, but obviously the sooner the better

 

[Swift Nick]

Thanks, there are people at home all day, so they can tell me if they have moved in, so presuming any swarm arrived between 10am & 4pm, I should get them moved in 8hrs max.

 

[MartinL]

. . . so I am hoping for some advice.
I have had a bait hive out for a few weeks, without any real . . . . . . . . . yesterday I moved the bait hive to . . . . . . where bees were foraging, bees were around & inside the bait hive all day yesterday. . .
The only thing is the bait hive is now not in a good place for final location.
. . . . . . . . . is it still OK to move it.
. . . . . . . . .
Thanks Nick

Best position for a bait-box is hardly ever going to be a great place for a full hive.

Foragers & scouts will take an interest in almost anything and are no guarantee of a following swarm so don't assume one will follow the other.

It's very much a >50% luck thing.

However, once you have them a good idea is to get the bait hive back to the position it attracted the swarm as soon as possible.
2 reasons for this are;

• 
  
  if they abscond from the new hive they may go back to the bait box,

• the Box itself now has a better chance of attracting another swarm, proven-good position & pheromones left by your captured swarm.

There's a large colony in the pub chimney swarms couple of times a year and on three occasions (we know of) they ignored my bait boxes & settled on the same branch in my neighbours apple tree, (unfortunately too flimsy to put a box)!

 

[masterBK]

Prime swarms rarely go straight to the final destination ( hopefully a bait hive) but fly a short way to settle on a branch temporarily etc where the scouts can do their dance off to get an quorum as to where that final destination is to be (read al about it in Honeybee democracy by Thomas Seeley ) Casts are known occasionally to go straight to bait boxes without the need for temporary stop(s) on the way.

 

[Swift Nick]

I have just ordered The Honey Bee Democracy, so I will get a better understanding of behaviour from that.
There is a wild colony that for many years has been under a manhole cover in a nearby field, I am hoping maybe to get a swarm from those. But like you say it's all down to chance, all you can do is make the best preparations you can.
I have a couple of nuc's on order for 2017, but have made extra hives, so a swarm would be a useful start.
Thanks Nick