I have heard you can use swarm traps or something to catch bees, I found a really big hive very high up in a tree, would like to catch a swarm off it. I have no idea how to go about this, any advice would be appreciated 😊
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Shot gun. At the branch not at the swarm. Then March them into a box. Easy.
Haha thats how my dad use to do it☺ with swarms.
I was hoping to catch the hive when they swarm this looks like a massive hive or possibly 2 in the same tree.
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If you can get your hands on the book "honeybee Democracy" by Thomas D Seeley it should give you a really good understanding of catching swarms.
I would place a box which is about 40lts in capacity (preferably which has had bees in it) about 30-40m away in another tree, bait it with a few drops of lemon grass oil and wait and see.
I would have to agree with three hives & you may need to do some homework on building & setting a swarm trap. tyey are quite simple & Lemon Grass oil works wonders. Good Luck :cool:
Following the above advice, put a strong hook in a limb of your swarm tree and use a rope over the book to pull up the swarm trap. A deep box with one old empty drawn frame and 9 empty frames fitted with a wood strip in the top slot, makes a good trap. Paint the edge of the wood strip with melted bees a wax. Put lemon grass oil on a q-tip, wile it around the entrance, put it in a baggy, seal it up and put it in the trap. Pull your trap up in the tree and keep tabs on it.
When you see bees bringing in pollen into the trap, you know you caught a hive. Leave it for another 5 days and then, at night, take it down and place it where you want it. If it is a large swarm, you will probably need to add a super as soon as you get the hive in place. Good luck.
Jim
Thanks everyone for the advice and info, very much appreciated.
I will update and let everyone know how I go.
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