Swarm catcher

[moor141]

Has anyone used or has any opinion on the swarm catcher device that fit over the hive entrance.

 

[Hombre]

Yes, very expensive.

Make a hinged/pivoted frame to hold a piece of queen excluder to do the same job at very little cos; probably less than £2..

Better still, automate it so that for between 7 - 10 days it closes from 10am to 5pm and is otherwise open. Swarms stopped, drones get out to fly early and late; probably less than £8 - £10.

PICAXE and micro servo.

The theory is good, but the implementation is too costly. Most of us will put a Qx under the brood box if necessary, but that's not very convenient, thus the alternatives.

PS posted in wrong section

 

[oliver90owner]

Buy an apidictor instead?

 

[Hombre]

Buy an Apidictor? Get the program Spectran Version 2 on your laptop and an electret microphone and use your eyes if you must.

 

[moor141]

Thanks for that, dont think I'll go to all the trouble of fitting an abductor, just seems to tecky for me. No problem making a swarm catcher for lose change but I'm think is it worth it.

 

[Hombre]

1. Spend a little time to effectively hang a frame with queen excluder on the front of your hive then open and close it every day.

2. Spend a amount of money with a big supplier to effectively do the same as #1.

3. Spend a little time and money to use some skill to get it to open and close automatically, neglectomatic fashion, as much as an exercise in Heath Robinson as serious project.

4. Spend little time putting a queen excluder under the box then sweep out the dead drones when you eventually take it out.

5. Clip your queens and mark them so that you don't have to look harder when you need to find her.

6. Talk about the problem at great length while doing nothing.

Take your pick, it's a free choice.

 

[Vergilius]

1. Spend a little time to effectively hang a frame with queen excluder on the front of your hive then open and close it every day.

2. Spend a amount of money with a big supplier to effectively do the same as #1.

3. Spend a little time and money to use some skill to get it to open and close automatically, neglectomatic fashion, as much as an exercise in Heath Robinson as serious project.

4. Spend little time putting a queen excluder under the box then sweep out the dead drones when you eventually take it out.

5. Clip your queens and mark them so that you don't have to look harder when you need to find her.

6. Talk about the problem at great length while doing nothing.

Take your pick, it's a free choice.

Or take Virgil's rather simplistic advise on swarm catch/control:

palmaque vestibulum aut ingens oleaster inumbret, / ut, cum prima novi ducent examina reges / vere suo, ludetque favis emissa iuventus, / vicina invitet decedere ripa calori, / obviaque hospitiis teneat frondentibus arbos.

and let a palm tree or a large wild-olive shade the entrance, so that, when the new kings command the early swarms in their springtime, and the young enjoy freedom from the combs, a neighbouring bank may tempt them to leave the heat, and a tree in the way hold them in its sheltering leaves.

Great stuff isn't it... Discovered Virgil yesterday when mum, resenting Fifa on the PS3, said that I'd find it interesting - can bear Latin when it's got beekeeping in it!!!

PS Love the way Virgil just assumed that their leaders were reges and not reginae!!!

 

[Hombre]

Virgil just assumed that their leaders were reges and not reginae!!!

A belief that was held until just over a hundred years ago, or so, I think.

Now if Virgil had been a real smart lad, he would have taken a leaf out of your book and got on with his English studies, saving us and you a lot of time, instead of flying around in Thunderbird 2 and chatting with Brains. . .

Well found all the same and nice to see you not neglecting your studies. Language, like sand can be lost into the environment if left unattended.

PS I'll have to look for a servo big enough to waggle that palm tree. Just a bigger challenge.

 

[yeogi75]

will the bees leave without the queen,if not put queen rearing cage over the entrance,remove queen and bees to new place and hive keep in for a while,then release and hope

 

[Beehive]

If the queen's gonna go she's gonna go. We put queen x's under the brood box when things were going a bit crazy last year. That's fine as long as she doesn't slim down enough to get through. Not everyone's choice I know but we always clip and mark the queens so at least your bees will come back and you've got something to work with. The other thing we do is out in front of the hives on a large post we have a small box that we put queen lure into during the optimum time. Our bees are on site and we had eight swarms last year despite demareeing and taking off nuks. Not sure if we lost any.

 

[drstitson]

"That's fine as long as she doesn't slim down enough to get through."

I thought QEs were based on the thorax size of HM rather than abdomen.

So presumably it's just runty queens that can get through and would do at any time of year.

 

[Hombre]

That's about right DrS. Either a lot of runty queens about or a lot of misconceptions among new beeks.

 

[Rosti]

Great stuff isn't it... Discovered Virgil yesterday when mum, resenting Fifa on the PS3, said that I'd find it interesting - can bear Latin when it's got beekeeping in it!!!

I have always regarded him as the deepest thinker amongst the Thunderbird pilots. Given his interest it's a pity we didn't see animatronic bees in at least one of the episodes though.

 

[Skyhook]

I have always regarded him as the deepest thinker amongst the Thunderbird pilots. Given his interest it's a pity we didn't see animatronic bees in at least one of the episodes though.

 

[For want of a better word]

View attachment 5664

a flock of these may do it !​

 

[drstitson]

"I have always regarded him as the deepest thinker amongst the Thunderbird pilots. Given his interest it's a pity we didn't see animatronic bees in at least one of the episodes though."

No - but i'm sure that there was an episode of Joe 90 where the 9 year old boy genius is flummoxed during his Basic when the old duffer from the BBKA (smoking a pipe, in 3 piece tweed suit and with no veil) asks him the latin name for AFB!!!!!

 

[JamezF]

That's about right DrS. Either a lot of runty queens about or a lot of misconceptions among new beeks.

I'll put my hand up to having that particular misconception.

Is it far then to say that a decent healthy queen should never be able to pass through a QX?

James

 

[susbees]

I'll put my hand up to having that particular misconception.

Is it far then to say that a decent healthy queen should never be able to pass through a QX?

James

Seems fair. Well assuming the QX is within spec of course. I fancy bamboo myself

 

[susbees]

View attachment 5664

a flock of these may do it !​

I know someone who used to farm bees in the Philippines. They used to shoot the poor beecatchers and hang them in a row in the apiary

 

[Andy Duff]

"I have always regarded him as the deepest thinker amongst the Thunderbird pilots. Given his interest it's a pity we didn't see animatronic bees in at least one of the episodes though."

No - but i'm sure that there was an episode of Joe 90 where the 9 year old boy genius is flummoxed during his Basic when the old duffer from the BBKA (smoking a pipe, in 3 piece tweed suit and with no veil) asks him the latin name for AFB!!!!!

AFB? I thought it was F.A.B. oh no that's Thunderbirds again!