Homemade swarm lure whats missing

tom · December 01, 2007, 09:32:10 PM

Hello

I have a bunch of dead queens in alcohol since the spring time and was wondering what else do i need to add to it to make homemade swarm lure. I also would like to know how to use it to catch swarms from my hives i had plenty of hives sitting in the yard but when my girls swarmed they did not go to them some left and i caught some i want to get them to come to my empty hives when they do swarm and i do not have to worry about climbing trees to get them.

TOM

Understudy · December 02, 2007, 12:37:09 AM

Also put some comb in there.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

rdy-b · December 02, 2007, 01:45:41 AM

put a few drops of lemon grass oil and a few drops of your queen juice on the top bars of the frames and leave the lid adjusted for a opening and you will be good to go RDY-B

Cindi · December 02, 2007, 11:58:48 AM

Right, I have had questions about this too, and I keep forgetting to ask.

When the queens are placed in the preserving compound (rubbing alcohol), why doesn't the stench of the alcohol annul the pheromone scent of the dead queens. I can't get that concept.

Lemongrass. The scent of the queen pheromone. (JP putting his head into swarms to discover this scent still leaves me with my mouth hangin' open). I would really love to try this one day, I am one who is huge on beautiful scents too, but I think I am a little bit on the chicken side. Explanations please. Have a wonderful and greatest of this beautiful day, best of health. Cindi

Michael Bush · December 02, 2007, 12:22:44 PM

>When the queens are placed in the preserving compound (rubbing alcohol), why doesn't the stench of the alcohol annul the pheromone scent of the dead queens.

The alcohol is very volatile and quickly evaporates. The queen pheromone remains.

>Lemongrass. The scent of the queen pheromone.

Lemongrass is the scent of Nasonov pheromone, not queen pheromone.

A swarm is homed in on both the smell of the queen and the Nasonov from the cluster. If you remove the queen the cluster will eventually find her and move there. But if you remove the queen and let her go she will go back to the cluster. If you get the cluster in a hive without the queen they will stay for a while because of the Nasonov pheromone, but eventually go back to the queen.

The main point in swarm lure is to get the attention of the scout bees, at first. Then the other smells (like old comb, QMP etc.) make it even more attractive. Also they scent it for the other scouts to find it, so the Nasonov makes other scouts more likely to find it.

Cindi · December 02, 2007, 12:28:27 PM

Quote from: Michael Bush on December 02, 2007, 12:22:44 PM
>When the queens are placed in the preserving compound (rubbing alcohol), why doesn't the stench of the alcohol annul the pheromone scent of the dead queens.

The alcohol is very volatile and quickly evaporates. The queen pheromone remains.

>Lemongrass. The scent of the queen pheromone.

Lemongrass is the scent of Nasonov pheromone, not queen pheromone.
A swarm is homed in on both the smell of the queen and the Nasonov from the cluster. If you remove the queen the cluster will eventually find her and move there. But if you remove the queen and let her go she will go back to the cluster. If you get the cluster in a hive without the queen they will stay for a while because of the Nasonov pheromone, but eventually go back to the queen.
The main point in swarm lure is to get the attention of the scout bees, at first. Then the other smells (like old comb, QMP etc.) make it even more attractive. Also they scent it for the other scouts to find it, so the Nasonov makes other scouts more likely to find it.

Michael, beautiful. Imparting wrong information on my part is not a good thing, thanks for the correction.

Is there a scent of the queen pheromone that the human can detect? I would love to know this answer too. Have a beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi

JP · December 02, 2007, 01:06:42 PM

Michael, beautiful. Imparting wrong information on my part is not a good thing, thanks for the correction.

Is there a scent of the queen pheromone that the human can detect? I would love to know this answer too. Have a beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi

Actually Cindi, I am the one that mentioned the queen pheremone and nasonov being one of the same. I won't mention who but some of the suppliers mentioned the queen pheremone as being the same thing alhough synthetic, that comes in the swarm vial, not that its their fault, its my error, but I'm glad Michael chimed in. So, I am learning smething here as well. I'm sure Michael can gives us more clarity here. I would like to know if the queen emits an odor and is it anything like lemongrass? Seems I have been sniffng Nasnov all this time.

Kathyp · December 02, 2007, 03:02:56 PM

i saved my queen that i offed last year. i understand the pheromone thing, but is it contained in the alcohol, or do you pitch the dead queen in there and let her dry off? really basic question, i know :-), but i don't think i found the info elsewhere.

Michael Bush · December 02, 2007, 09:22:31 PM

Queens actually make many pheromones. I have some QMP (queen mandibular pheromone) and I can't really pick out anything definite as far as smell. I also have some queens in alcohol and it can pick out something but it's hard to separate from the smell of the alcohol.

Queens also make a pheromone on their feet called tarsal pheromone. And several others. I'm sure they are all in the alcohol when putting queens in it. I'm really not certain which ones they smell when the swarm finds the queen. But I can't pick it out.