Video: Swarm arrival at bait hive

[Rosti]

They arrived home at the same time as me (and yes I know I still have race boots not wellies on - but then I'd have missed the arrival!). Third bait hive take this year, sadly weather has made maiting for previous two queens at best difficult. I looks like she has just started laying.

You Tube link here

 

[oliver90owner]

That was my thought - did they arrive direct from a hive, and then you had an easy job of collecting and hiving?

I hope you added some foundation later as, otherwise, they will be building from the ceiling by tomorrow!

My comment would be: that's a wide entrance for a bait hive.

Regards, RAB

 

[newportbuzz]

interesting how they missed the hive by 3 inches. not bad shot tho from possibly 1 mile.

 

[Rosti]

From whence they came I know not! but yes RAB, I always leave my bait hives wide open, and also always leave the bait hive only half stocked until a take and then fill in the gaps once I have a take (works for me), I frame out once they have settled down a bit, move to required location, fit an entrance reducer at that point, leave 24h, feed 2ltr of 1:1 then leave them to get on with it for 2 weeks before inspection and an OA treatment.

 

[newportbuzz]

why do you leave it two weeks for an OA treatment? wouldnt this be better done within 6-7 days just before the larvae are ripe for infestation.

 

[Rosti]

I work on the basis that the queen is not mated and that any OA intervention before mating increases the chance of colony failure. Although my bait hive has a really manky old solid floor to increase my chances I run on OMF's normally. If I see a load of pollen going in or a drop before the 2 weeks I can / do inspect and change tactics if required. The other two hives in shot are also bait swarms from the last 2 weeks, I dont keep at home, but it is the easy place to bait because you can monitor activity so easily.

 

[newportbuzz]

i see that makes sense. I didnt think about montering the varroa count on the swarms.


must start doing that from now on.

 

[oliver90owner]

always leave the bait hive only half stocked until a take and then fill in the gaps once I have a take

Mine are Dartington carry boxes, or similar, with a Dartington 1/2 super above (I had to use them for something - NBG as honey supers on the Dartingtons, IMO).

I leave any old brooded frames in the top. In the past they have been shallows, deeps or 14 x 12s, I'm not fussy. Just have to watch out for wild comb when recovering, if not checked for a while, or unrecoverable due to circumstances.

Still reckon this was first stop from the swarming hive and not a swarm arrival to take up residence. The scouts would have shown the way better than that.

Regards, RAB

 

[Rosti]

Possibly RAB? but there was heavy scouting activity the day before, which was continuing this morning before I went for a blat, to the extent they actually started clearing out some of the old comb bits. I think the 'make-shift' landing board didn't help matters; that and the fact the scouts clearly hadn't paid for the latest TomTom firmware update

 

[Lesley Hoppy]

Fantastic video - thanks for posting! What were they doing with the bits of wax comb on the landing board?

 

[Rosti]

What were they doing with the bits of wax comb on the landing board?

Pulling them out of the hive (and had been for about a day before they arrived). I clean bait frames of brace comb and similar when I put them in but leave all the bits on the solid floor. Even when scouting the bees seem to have an uncontrollable urge to clean up!

 

[Luminos]

Great video. Love the camo hive, that's a real boy's hive

 

[Rosti]

Great video. Love the camo hive, that's a real boy's hive

Sad fact of life! all mine are camo'd. Out apiary overlooked at about 500m by a foot path, but are fortunately south facing on the edge of a Wood, hence the Rambo tendencies!

 

[oliver90owner]

Perhaps the comb on the floor is a secret (to all of us) weapon in bait hive department. Perhaps it enhances the chances of receiving a swarm, by giving the scout bees something to do and impress them in some way. Worth trying a control, for a while?

 

[YorkshireBees]

Perhaps the comb on the floor is a secret (to all of us) weapon in bait hive department. Perhaps it enhances the chances of receiving a swarm, by giving the scout bees something to do and impress them in some way. Worth trying a control, for a while?

I recently caught a swarm with a polynuc into which I had put some cut out queen cell pieces of wax as an attractant.
Well the full story is that a swarm appeared to have taken up residence in a cavity wall through an air brick next door to a friends house. After having a look and basically deciding thre was nothing I could do I left the polynuc with frames and the pieces of old queen cell about 4-5ft away on top of an outside storage cupboard. I had a call 2 days later to say that the hive was covered with bees!

I have no idea if they just decided to move to the polynuc or whether he QC wax had anything to do with it!