Under 3 feet/over 3 miles

[FidoDido]

How important is this? I was talking to a beekeeper and she reckoned that if you pop a swarm into a new hive at night they orient to it fine the next day regardless of where they were caught.

Also - I’m hoping to catch a swarm. Yesterday there was a honeybee in the office near my hive. Would it have been worth catching her and putting her in the hive on the off chance she was scouting for digs? Or is it unlikely? Or does it just not work like that?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How important is this? I was talking to a beekeeper and she reckoned that if you pop a swarm into a new hive at night they orient to it fine the next day regardless of where they were caught.

for a swarm yes, they wipe the hive memory as they swarm so will quickly orientate to a new location even if only a few yards from the original hive. it's different if you need to move an established hive though - not always precisely three miles (all depends on terrain, forage and time of year) but good to stick to three feet

Yesterday there was a honeybee in the office near my hive. Would it have been worth catching her and putting her in the hive on the off chance she was scouting for digs?

no

Or is it unlikely?

very

Or does it just not work like that?

You're right, it doesn't

 

[pargyle]

Swarms are the exception - as they are looking for a new home. Established colonies orientate back to their existing location (not the hive - the location is where they return to).

No - it does not work like that - nature will take its course - don't interfere.

 

[FidoDido]

for a swarm yes, they wipe the hive memory as they swarm so will quickly orientate to a new location even if only a few yards from the original hive. it's different if you need to move an established hive though - not always precisely three miles (all depends on terrain, forage and time of year) but good to stick to three feet

no

very

You're right, it doesn't

Great thanks! That was my hunch but I got to second guessing myself. The guy who uses the office caught me just as I was leaving, going “There’s a honeybee in my office!” and seemed a bit deflated when I said “Ooh hopefully it’ll find my hive!” and it wasn’t til I got halfway home that it occurred to me he might have been expecting me to scramble a bee catching kit.

 

[FidoDido]

Swarms are the exception - as they are looking for a new home. Established colonies orientate back to their existing location (not the hive - the location is where they return to).

No - it does not work like that - nature will take its course - don't interfere.

So if I bought a bait hive and put it up high, about 20 yards from my actual hive, and I was lucky enough to catch a swarm, I could still transfer it to the main hive? That would be good as I’ve got plenty of trees/telegraph poles* to put a bait hive on but it’s tricky to get my main hive up high.

*not with wires attached; they hold my barn up.

 

[Swarm]

Yes but don't leave the swarm there for too long as they will orientate to their location so best to check your bait hive daily.

 

[FidoDido]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AGS-nation...5&psc=1&mcid=116c926579903c6fa9a7c1566e34cd2c Is this any good?

 

[FidoDido]

Yes but don't leave the swarm there for too long as they will orientate to their location so best to check your bait hive daily.

Oh yes I plan to. On the off chance I’m not there, there are always people around who will call me if it gets any interest. The first whiff of a bee will have me sitting nearby waving ping pong paddles, ATC- like, directing them in.

 

[Sutty]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AGS-nation...5&psc=1&mcid=116c926579903c6fa9a7c1566e34cd2c Is this any good?

A bit smaller than ideal

 

[Sutty]

Oh yes I plan to. On the off chance I’m not there, there are always people around who will call me if it gets any interest. The first whiff of a bee will have me sitting nearby waving ping pong paddles, ATC- like, directing them in.

Don't get too excited about a few scouts (or even lots), not uncommon to have lots of interest then it suddenly stops - maybe someone sorts out their swarm prevention or collects the bivouaced swarm.

 

[user 819]

One doesn't need to place a swarm/bait hive up high, on the ground is fine.
My two swarms of last year, one arrived and simply usurped the Long hive (entrance no more the 18" off the ground) , the second swarm collected from a bush approx three feet off the ground.

When bees swarm they intentionally make themselves homeless , so any where/place will be considered as home.

If one clips the queen often one will find that home is under the old hive/mesh floor.

 

[FidoDido]

One doesn't need to place a swarm/bait hive up high, on the ground is fine.
My two swarms of last year, one arrived and simply usurped the Long hive (entrance no more the 18" off the ground) , the second swarm collected from a bush approx three feet off the ground.

When bees swarm they intentionally make themselves homeless , so any where/place will be considered as home.

If one clips the queen often one will find that home is under the old hive/mesh floor.

Oh that’s interesting! Fingers crossed then!

 

[JamezF]

How important is this? I was talking to a beekeeper and she reckoned that if you pop a swarm into a new hive at night they orient to it fine the next day regardless of where they were caught.

For a captured swarm put into a new hive that should work fine. If you catch a swarm in a bait hive however, some bees will start to orientate almost immediately, so if you want to move them elsewhere once caught you need to get a wiggle on (unless the eventual destination is some distance away).

As regards "no more than three feet", I suspect that like the Pirates' Code, that's "mostly guidelines". If you move a hive a bit more than that and there are other hives nearby, I suspect workers may sometimes beg their way into others rather than returning to their own. If there's a stand still in the original site, perhaps they might gather on it. If it's the only hive locally, I think they'll probably find it anyhow.

October before last I was called about a feral colony in a cavity of a tree that had been very heavily cut back. The colony had been left in a piece of removed limb lying in its side at least five metres from the the tree involved. When I arrived there were no bees flying around the tree looking lost or clumped on it, so I think they probably found their way to where their nest had been left fairly quickly.

James

 

[Mint Bee]

A bit smaller than ideal

advert is not clear but this looks like a 14x12 box, aimed at national frames, that can be used for 14x12 as well - 'suitable for deep brood as well'. If it is a 14x12 box, then it will make no difference on ideal volume, which is somewhat flexible anyway. If using national frames then would recommend transferred to national hive ASAP to prevent extra comb being drawn beneath frames. Will just make transfer more complicated with this.

 

[user 11159]

i have had swarms turn up as high as a pallet.as for 3.miles .i moved 2 just less than a mile .none went back .but did move everything away from thare last home .except one hive about 10 yards away..and the weather was as it is now cold windy raining..that might be why ..or its better forage ..or maybe luck..

 

[Do224]

One doesn't need to place a swarm/bait hive up high, on the ground is fine.

My experience is they much prefer swarm traps that are high up, having experimented with lots of different locations. I’d say the OP will have a better chance if he puts his trap above head height and ideally a bit higher…

 

[drdrday]

I seem to have luck with bait hives on flat roofs, and that makes them easy enough for me to access. I tend to put out 6 frame poly nucs as bait hives or an old Paynes nuc with the feeder cut out. They're not as big as is recommended, but as beekeeping equipment seems to get rapidly out of hand in the amount of space it takes up, I like things with multiple uses. The swarms I've caught don't seem to mind too much about the size, and for me it's the smell of a 'used' box, with lots of propolis that makes them more successful than lures or old comb.
Unfortunately, I spent a year waiting for 'free' bees with no luck whatsoever, before I bought a nucleus of bees. Then, once I had bees, the swarms started coming!

 

[Do224]

I seem to have luck with bait hives on flat roofs, and that makes them easy enough for me to access. I tend to put out 6 frame poly nucs as bait hives or an old Paynes nuc with the feeder cut out. They're not as big as is recommended, but as beekeeping equipment seems to get rapidly out of hand in the amount of space it takes up, I like things with multiple uses. The swarms I've caught don't seem to mind too much about the size, and for me it's the smell of a 'used' box, with lots of propolis that makes them more successful than lures or old comb.
Unfortunately, I spent a year waiting for 'free' bees with no luck whatsoever, before I bought a nucleus of bees. Then, once I had bees, the swarms started coming!

I agree, roof locations are good. My best location is in a cedar tree, about 10 feet up, attached to the trunk.

 

[user 819]

The reason they like high up swarm boxes is because that is where they are placed, I have lost count the amount of swarms I have collected and very few require me to use steps or a ladder.
Any that are too high (rare in my history of collecting) and require a ladder I simply refuse on H&S grounds.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

I was going off to check my bees and had a load of supers in the back of my truck just about to leave and my wife asked if I wanted a quick coffee.

By the time I had my coffee, I had a swarm move into the boxes on the back of my truck.