Queens in Alcohol

ONTARIO BEEKEEPER · January 29, 2010, 11:24:37 PM

I know that you can use lemon grass oil in a swarm bait box, and that there are also a few products on market that you can buy to attract swarms. But somewhere I remember reading that you can put your un-wanted queens in a vile of rubbing alcohol and after they've been in there a while you can use this to attract swarms. Make your own swarm attractant ?

Does anyone know the proper procedure of doing this, or if it works ?

iddee · January 30, 2010, 08:37:34 AM

Micheal Bush recommends it.

http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm

contactme_11 · January 30, 2010, 09:11:31 AM

The swarm lures you can buy commercially are pretty much a mix of this and lemongrass oil.

Michael Bush · January 30, 2010, 10:23:40 AM

(Posted before I was done)

Michael Bush · January 30, 2010, 10:25:44 AM

Put some rubbing alcohol in a jar (or if you prefer some everclear or vodka...) and whenever you are 'retiring' a queen, just drop her in and put the lid back on. After a while it gets quite dark from the "queen juice". It makes great swarm lure especially if you dip a q-tip into it and the other end of the q-tip into lemongrass essential oil.

ONTARIO BEEKEEPER · January 30, 2010, 11:34:34 AM

O.K, so sounds easy enough. Just a q-tips worth, good thing you said so, I probably would have used half a jars worth. Thanks.

David LaFerney · January 30, 2010, 09:48:13 PM

Does it have a shelf life or do you just keep adding to it like mulligan stew?

troutstalker2 · January 30, 2010, 10:54:21 PM

I've used queen juice with lemongrass oil last year. I just made one trap and caught a swarm in about 5 days. I made some more and will try at more locations this year. Maybe it was just beginners luck. It was a swarm from my yard I believe, but at least I didn't have to chase them.

David

Michael Bush · January 31, 2010, 08:42:50 AM

Like mulligan stew. Just keep adding queens and keep using it...