Here's one for ya. I took a peak at a swarm trap in the back yard yesterday morning before work and noticed a few bees checking it out. Came home at 5:30pm and noticed a rather large swarm hanging under the trap (Old 10 frame deep). After speaking with Iddee I decided to let them move into the trap and move them later. I came out this morning and they were still under the trap and had not moved. I decided to go ahead and take them down, so I dropped them into a cardboard box and then in to a hive body. What I found was that they had already pulled 2 large pieces of comb from the bottom of the trap and when I check the inside of the trap there was a wasp nest inside although I did not see any wasp.
Never had this happen before. Do you think they did not enter due to the nest?
Bees are not cohabitable with wasp. I NEED TO LOOK IN MY TRAPS AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK AND IF WASP ARE IN THE TRAP USE ANOTHER TRAP WITH OPENING FACING ANOTHER DIRECTION.
Wave,
I once had the same thing happen with a very large swarm hanging on the bottom and totally covering the entrance. I figured they had already filled the box. When I opened it there were no bees nor wasps. They also had a five inch long piece of comb already built under the box. Bees don?t always do what we expect them to.
Jim
I had a swarm build about a 6 inch piece of comb on the bottom of a trap last year and they didn't move in. I think in this case it may have been because the trap was wet inside.
Master Jim {Bees don?t always do what we expect them to.}
Gold plate that sentence. Hundred percent agreed.
Blessings
Lol as soon as you think you?ve got it figured out they do something different.
You may be on to something about the inside being wet. I have a couple of swarm traps that i used particleboard for the bottom board and sometimes it holds moisture And appears damp. I have come to realize that my success rate with these is for less than with other swarm traps with solid wood or standard plywood.
I made some out of advantec and have had no problem with those.