suggestions on trapout

[hunter3015]

My cousin called today an said she had a swarm.  Seeing how i was just stung by the bee bug, I said I be right over and have my try with my first swarm.  But when I got there it wasn't a swarm, the bees are living inside a column,  The column is about 10 feet off the ground and is a very nice house.  I've been reading the trap post.  With out nailing a box or screwing it to the house does anyone have a set up I might could try(thats gets the bee's lower then the 10foot high.  How long can a trap cone be, I thought about using a piece of PVC pipe with the trap cone on both ends to get the bees down to ground level will this work.  Any ideas?

Thanks

[iddee]

This one isn't attached. Just 2 2X4's with bracing and a platform on top.

[David McLeod]

You can use as long as cone as you want BUT the bees will always go back to the last known entrance. Hence the trapout hive being placed adjacent to that entrance.

[tincan]

ladder stands for deer hunting work nice good platform for hive

[hunter3015]

Having to work the weekend , but come Monday will set up the trap, willpost pics then

[hunter3015]

well got the trap set up, would show pics but I've not had enough posts to be able to show pics yet.  One question the bees are clustered up pretty good at the base or the cone.  But don't seem to have gone inside the hive yet.  How long before they start going into the hive?

[hunter3015]

ok now it let me...   any suggestions?

[buzzbee]

I actually posted for you,but you'll be able to before long. :)

[hunter3015]

thanks,, wasn't sure how that happened... lol

[iddee]

I can see that it would be hard to do otherwise, but I have never had an entrance that far away from the base of the cone. They may find it after a period of time, I don't know. Maybe a top entrance would help.

Did you place a frame of brood in the catch box? The smell of brood is a very strong attractant for them.

I'm just north of Asheboro. You're invited to come up and visit anytime.

[hunter3015]

yes i placed a frame that had eggs and larve of different ages but both sides had very very small little eggs.  You might not can see from the picture but I stapled a 4 to 5 inch piece of wire from the entrance of the hive to the bottom of the cone entrance like a bridge across to help I hope.

I checked them before dark and there was serveral bees flying in the hive and out, or maybe just flying on the top cause i couldn't see them go inside, because i was on the ground.  the bees at the cone entrance looked like a baseball ( like a small swarm).

[hunter3015]

you was right the box was to far away.  Left it there for a almost a week not a bee went in, lost a frame of eggs  :( .  Built a 5 frame nuc and drilled a 3/4 in hole in the top and made the bottom board long so i could slide it over more right against the column.  That was last Friday, the bees have been using it for almost a week  :) . Friday is 7 days using on last frame of eggs.   Added a new frame of eggs when I installed the new nuc.  Went by today just to check bees using the nuc and nothing around the base of the wire cone.

1.  When do I need to check for queen cells?

[G3farms]

You should have queen cells in 3 to 4 days after you put in the frame of eggs.

[BeeMaster2]

This one isn't attached. Just 2 2X4's with bracing and a platform on top.

Hey, That looks like my deer, tree stand with a few steps missing.  :-D
Jim

[iddee]

To add to G3, the queen will emerge 13 days after you placed the eggs, so you need to check it between 4 and 12 days after placing them.

[iddee]

sawdstmakr, stealing is cheaper and easier than making, don't you know that?

[BeeMaster2]

 :-D
I don't know. You sure had to buy a few gallons of gas to get it.  :) :
Jim

[iddee]

BUY!!!  NAH, not as long as I have a length of water hose..............

[hunter3015]

yea it cheaper with the water hose, but i always get a mouthful and boy does that taste bad :(

[hunter3015]

I was thinking that catching "FREE" bees was good and cheap for me.  But "FREE" is not "FREE"!!!!!   But it is fun learning how to "SAVE" these bees from death.  Cause thats where they was headed.