Looks like a swarm found one of my bait hives!

harvey · May 21, 2010, 11:38:28 PM

Yesterday my father called me and told me that a bait hive or swarm trap that I put back in the woods on his place was covered with bees! I really didn't expect to catch anything back in the woods by him as I have never seen any evidence other than a lot of large old trees. I used a Dadent deep with one drawn comb and 9 foundation less frames. Screwed a board on the bottom and one on the top. I put a vial of swarm lure inside stapled to the drawn comb and put four drops of lemongrass oil near the 3/4 inch hole I drilled underneath the handle. He called me again today to tell me that there was a circle of bees around the hole and bee's constantly going in and out of the hive body! I think I actually might have got a swarm in there. It will be sunday before I can go over there to take a look. Since it is a regular hive body and has frames in there if it is a swarm that has moved in it should be fine till I am ready right? Also should I wait till just before dark to move it? It will only be moved about a half mile, should I put maybe a pine branch or something near the entrance to get them re orientate so they don't go back into the woods? I need to get more equipment!! Hadn't really expected this to work out at least not this quick. I still have two other bait hives in a different woods that I put out last sunday and havn't checked yet. Maybe five hives won't be enough? ;0 Might be giving bee's away to a couple friends interested in keeping them too. This is cool huh!

Superdog · May 22, 2010, 12:06:50 AM

Congratulations!!!!! Nothing better than free bees

G3farms · May 22, 2010, 12:16:42 AM

yes, yes and yes.

congrats on the swarm!!

G3

jajtiii · May 22, 2010, 03:16:27 AM

That is very cool.

I chuckled when I read 'maybe 5 hives won't be enough.' I started this year out getting a swarm call on April 19, which was my first ever (this is my second year at this.) I immediately began to worry about not having enough hive bodies and ordered 5 more from Dadant!

This is a very fun hobby.

AllenF · May 22, 2010, 09:56:49 AM

It is a fun hobby, but it seems we as bee keepers can never have enough. Splits are too easy. Swarms are fun. And the boxes cost money. I know I have a back yard full of white boxes everywhere.

DavesBees · May 22, 2010, 10:49:51 AM

Harvey,
I know you are boiling over with excitement right now. I want to give you the best advice possible here. These are your bees; you own them right where they sit. They don't perhaps feel like yours because you are itching to get them home. It is still early enough to go slow. Here is what I would do. Leave them at the bait location for two weeks. My reasoning is that the swarm took honey with them. The young bees will put new comb on the empty bars and deposit the honey; this takes a few days. The queen will start laying in the frame you put in; this will take a few days. You know they are happy with the present location so they will behave normally. After 2 weeks, take them home and set them up at the new location. If you are going to transfer them to another hive body then wait another week for the transfer. While they will orient quickly at the new location, a few more days in the home they adopted can't hurt. On this schedule they would be in their new home by 10 June if you transfer them or a week sooner if they stay in the present hive body. I truly believe you will have the best luck with this swarm if you give them the space they need and the time to do the work.
WRT moving time, daylight works well also. You get there and screen them right at the edge of daylight and load them in the vehicle. You are not going very far so they should be fine but don't bump them around too much as they will have new comb (unsupported) that is subject to failure upon manipulation.
No matter how you do it, have fun!

harvey · May 22, 2010, 10:46:43 PM

DavesBees, Hey thanks for the info. I used deeps with ten frames just because I wanted them to be able to set up home if I could not get them right away. Won't hurt and I can handle waiting a little. They are back in the woods so it won't bother anyone else either. Kinda small bee's though and kinda a dark color, not really black but not quiet brown? I have to other bait hives spread back in the woods that I haven't even checked yet. Will do that tomorrow. Am crossing my fingers. I have three good hives and would like to go to five if possible. Anything more than that and I will be calling friends to see if they want swarms. Maybe this winter I will build some more boxes? I want to figure out building my own frames too.