Swarm catching bag

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

JohnyP

House Bee
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
171
Reaction score
0
Location
Somerset
Hive Type
Commercial
Number of Hives
9
Has anyone made one of these? I was thinking of coat hanger wire and calico.

Can anyone suggest a sturdy hoop for the mouth of the bag? Going to IKEA tomorrow.... anything in there that might be suitable?
 
Hedgerow Pete has a video about making one. Using a bucket, pillowcase and broom handle. On you tube. May also be in the video section of the forum
 
Best catcher ever inverted staw flower holder. Works every time.

Does it work every time? I have never had any success with trying to get the bees in a swarm to go up on their own. Every time I try this, they just stay where they are

Is the string poking through, just string tied to the top?
 
Is the string poking through, just string tied to the top?

No, they need the string to cluster round.
I use a bit of broken comb ( smeared with honey) right up in the apex inside.
The scouts make a beeline ( excuse the pun!!) for it every time & think it is
7th Heaven. They stay there quite happily for at least a few hours which gives you plenty of time to organize.
 
Does it work every time? I have never had any success with trying to get the bees in a swarm to go up on their own. Every time I try this, they just stay where they are

?

Same with me.

But it depends what material the boxes are. To some boxes they go likely and to not.


I am going to do net cylinced where I can pull with line the upper part closed. It is better to spray water on the cluster.
.
 
Last edited:
Get an old laundry basket from second hand shop and cut bottom off, use as above but keep lid to put over when moving long distance. Will try an photo mine tomorrow and add to this thread!
 
Ikea do some fold up cloth covered storage boxes which at a couple of £ make a great swarm catching box. Come in a range of colours too for the fashionable bee.
 
Has anyone made one of these? I was thinking of coat hanger wire and calico.

Can anyone suggest a sturdy hoop for the mouth of the bag? Going to IKEA tomorrow.... anything in there that might be suitable?

To me a better system to collect a swarm out of reach up a tree than a bag is one of these converted 5gallon water bottles.

Sorry I don’t have a photo at hand of a converted one but have used one and very simple to use and no cloth to get snagged with the inevitable branch in the way.



Basically you cut off the pointy end around the rim then a 1” hole in the bottom in line with the handle you then get one of the extendable poles I think you can get them from garden centres ect, you can get different ends for them so you can do several tasks with the same pole and not just swarm collection.

You simply put the adapted water bottle on the pole position it under the swarm, you can even see through the bottle so no need to rely on someone’s directions when a bag obscures your sight of the swarm, a firm shake lower to the ground, lift off by the handle and dump into a hive.
 
An old lamp shade frame sewn into the material should do the job. Are you planning to catch the swarm as it leaves the hive as the old bee keepers in Germany did? I would use a thinner material than calico if that is the case. Calico might be a bit too thick and heavy a lighter weight cotton sheeting may be better.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top