Swarm Catching

[The15thMember]

Big mistake to put food in a trap as you will have robbers and not home makers.

I would be concerned about this as well.  That is also basically just setting up an open feeder, and you are going to waste a lot of syrup feeding everyone's bees within 3 miles of you.  Plus, you will be lacing their honey with syrup if you guys have a flow on already. 

[Terri Yaki]

Big mistake to put food in a trap as you will have robbers and not home makers.

Thanks for the tip, I?ll take it back out. Especially since I don?t have any ?migrants?.

[Terri Yaki]

And just like that, my scouts are back.   

[Terri Yaki]

So...what are these things doing? They were around hot and heavy yesterday morning and suddenly, they were gone. Then, this evening, the gang showed back up. I suspect it's the same crew because they didn't come in a few at first, they all showed up at once and checked everything out, over and over again. I did cut a notch in the inner cover and they found that and prefer it over the entrance on the porch. I sealed up that seam with wax so they weren't inspecting that any more and I got wax all down the front of the hive. They were sniffing at that too. As the sun went down and it started to cool, they all went inside. I got up close before coming in and they came out both entrances to let me know they are there. Is this typical? I set the alert on the camera so when they start up in the morning, I'll hear about it.

[Terri Yaki]

And at 0730, we have a good amount of activity at the swarm trap. Keeping my fingers crossed for a winner today.

[Terri Yaki]

I'm still having pretty good activity out there. It's like a mini hive moved in or something. Maybe it's a drone's club.

[Terri Yaki]

Obviously, I'm a newbee but from all the reading I've done, this kind of puzzles me. My migrants spent the night, got up pretty early and flew around and then all got quiet. I don't know if they were hanging out inside or what but there are flyers out there now still flying around.

[The15thMember]

I don't have any experience here, but I would think it's possible they were investigating the trap, and it got late in the evening so they just spent the night.  Bees sometimes get caught out late on flowers too and will just hunker down until it warms up in the morning.

[gww]

If there are flyers there is still hope.  I have a couple of places where I do have more then one trap (Which is a bit of a waste) and I will see the bees looking at all of them and many times end up picking just one. 

[beesnweeds]

Empty hive bodies and swarm traps near your colony or the neighbors will always attract some attention, typically foragers looking for resources.   Move the trap a mile away or more to catch a swarm. 

[BeeMaster2]

There is a good chance that the hive hasn?t swarmed yet but the scouts really like your swarm trap and keep telling the other scouts about it. You still have a good chance of catching them. Watch which way the bees are coming and going to see if it is your bees or another hive.
Jim Altmiller

[Terri Yaki]

I was wondering if it was my own bees too. I've been trying but I'm not having any luck seeing which way they're coming from.

[Ben Framed]

Terri I?ll not try to encourage or discourage you. A few seasons back Father Michael was trying intently to catch a swarm and was very disappointed that his own hive swarmed and went another direction. Father Michale, is my memory correct?

I agree with >almost every thing .Beesnweeds post.< His advise is well worth listening too. Even still I think you have a chance! Keep us updated, and thanks for sharing your experiences!

Phillip

[gww]

Not to be disagree with Beesnweeds post but I like a trap around my hives for a couple of reasons.  I have one in my back yard and I do not see bees looking for resource very often but when I do see a bee around it, the first thing I do is walk down to my hives and look in the trees.  I have hived at least three of my own before they even picked a home using this.  There are studies that say most bees move away from their home hive a ways on average.
I have a theory though that hives from others like to come to where there are already hives.  I had two dead outs filled this way last year.  Most times except rare occasions of one or two bees, if I see bees at a trap, somebody is looking for a home.  Bees most time if you don't put something sweet in the trap could care less about but get very interested when looking for a home.  I do know that my swarms from my hives will look at a close trap and I have never given them a chance to move in cause I find them and shake them but it is the looking at the trap that tips me off to do that.  The ones that leave a hive very seldom go very far when they first come out.  Mine all land in two cedars that are the closest thing.  Some people set up a Russian scion based on this fact and old early bee books advised setting up fake branches if nothing was close.

[Terri Yaki]

I obviously have no experience of my own to run with but I do have my thoughts. 1) Swarms have landed on my neighbor?s apple trees multiple times so I do have other bees around that are looking for homes 2) my trap is about 1/2 mile from the hives right down the road and 3) it?s over a mile from the hives in the other direction and those are just the hives that I know about. I suspect that at least some of those swarms have come from that closest apiary.

[BeeMaster2]

Terri,
I keep swarm traps near my apiary, especially very large swarm traps. I usually catch very large swarms and have watched and videoed several of them come in from afar. This year I did catch a swarm from my largest hive.
Keep trying.
Jim Altmiller

[BeeMaster2]

Terri,
Here is a picture of a swarm that moved into a stack of 5 empty medium supers that I put one old drawn frame in with 9 foundation less for frames. I took the hive apart 10 days after they moved in. The 10 frames were fully and perfectly drawn and the cross comb was at least 12 inches deep. I cut the comb and put them in medium frames with rubber bands holding them in place. Three pieces of comb were already cut out.
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

It?s hit or miss. Beesnweeds is right but so are you all. My point is, don?t be disappointed Terri if they decide otherwise. Father Michael posted regularly about his optimism of catching his own swarm via the swarm trap method. He was disappointed. After all the high hopes his swarm from his hive, went another direction. I hope you are successful in your perseverance .

Gww, I left a dead out in place just for this specific reason. Just this week I had a swarm enter. It?s good to have a trap close but it?s good to have some far away as well, for those who are serious about seeking swarm catches with swarm traps. In that I agree with beesnweeds also. Jeff Horcroff, a serious bee trapper, has traps as far as 40 miles from his place.

For the serious bee trapper; as I have mentioned before, a location where a cutout has been done is the ideal place for swarm traps in my opinion. Good luck! I am rooting for you!

Phillip

[cao]

Not to be disagree with Beesnweeds post but I like a trap around my hives for a couple of reasons.  I have one in my back yard and I do not see bees looking for resource very often but when I do see a bee around it, the first thing I do is walk down to my hives and look in the trees.  I have hived at least three of my own before they even picked a home using this.

Been there, done that.  At least 5 of mine were caught that way this year.  The only difference is I have a stack of empty boxes that are getting ready to be put on hives instead of a swarm trap. 

Trapping swarms is like fishing, the more hooks in the water the more chances to catch one.  But there are days that the fish aren't biting no matter what you do.

[FatherMichael]

Terri I?ll not try to encourage or discourage you. A few seasons back Father Michael was trying intently to catch a swarm and was very disappointed that his own hive swarmed and went another direction. Father Michale, is my memory correct?

I agree with >almost every thing .Beesnweeds post.< His advise is well worth listening too. Even still I think you have a chance! Keep us updated, and thanks for sharing your experiences!

Phillip

Yes, I had several bait hives out but two swarms turned them down.

I caught the third swarm in a pillow case because they landed on a low branch of my neighbor's Redbud tree.