Not swarm prevention but close...

[Mklangelo]

What if there is a nice ready and empty deep with frames right next to my hives?  What are the chances that any potential swarms from my existing hive will just follow the path of least resistance and just move next door?  Or is that wishful thinking? 


I haven't had opportunity to do a full spring inspection since we just started getting decent weather two days ago. 

Swarm cells are queen cells on or very near the bottom of the frame and on outer frames?  I saw very similar looking cells during a supercession mid season on a newly installed 3# package last summer.  Are swarm cells pretty much going to be the same?

[Mklangelo]

bye.

[JP]

What if there is a nice ready and empty deep with frames right next to my hives?  What are the chances that any potential swarms from my existing hive will just follow the path of least resistance and just move next door?  Or is that wishful thinking? 


I haven't had opportunity to do a full spring inspection since we just started getting decent weather two days ago. 

Swarm cells are queen cells on or very near the bottom of the frame and on outer frames?  I saw very similar looking cells during a supercession mid season on a newly installed 3# package last summer.  Are swarm cells pretty much going to be the same?

Swarm cells will be on the bottom of the frames.

It would be unlikely to have a swarm from one of your colonies swarm out and go into a deep right next door, unless, your queen couldn't fly and wound up in the deep next to it. I would find this to be very unlikely however.

If you want a swarm to move in, place the deep about 50-75 yards away, elevated about 10' or more, with a little lemongrass, and drawn out comb if you have it. This set up would be very enticing.


...JP

[Michael Bush]

>What are the chances that any potential swarms from my existing hive will just follow the path of least resistance and just move next door?  Or is that wishful thinking?

Most likely they will move a quarter mile or so away.  But I have occasionally had a swarm move into an empty hive.

[Mklangelo]

Well, I don't have the space to create the "new home" especially 10' up in the air.  It sure sounds like a fun experiment though.

I'm seeing empty frames in these hives so I'm thinking they may not be getting wanderlust from a cramped space.  I'm going to reverse the upper and lower deeps to get them back working the bottom and close off the top entrances that were created when I put some candyboard on the inner cover. 

[Brian D. Bray]

I always keep a bait hive available in my bee yard.  Sometimes I catch a swarm from my own hives, sometimes a swarm from a different apiary, and sometimes I don't get anything.  I also use to it to hive a swarm from a call--since the hive is set up and ready it's easy to grab and go.  I don't think having an empty (bait) hive in the yard is a problem.  3 years out of 5 I have a swarm move in to it.

[jimmyo]

You might want to do a split or make a nuke from the hive you have now.  This can stop the swarm impulse  before it starts. 
Or moving the empty hive away from that spot would help. Even if you can't go 50feet away and 10 feet up.  Go as far as you can.
  Jim   

[Sean Kelly]

Cool thread, I was gunna ask the same questions as Mklangelo!  I've got an extra hive (was gunna order 3 packages this year and only could afford 2 but bought the equipment anyway) and was gunna put it out as a bait hive along with the others.  Where would I find lemon grass oil thought?

Sean Kelly

[tillie]

Whole Foods has lemon grass oil as well as health food stores - I'm sure you can order it online as well.

Linda T in Atlanta