Finding A Colony

[papabear]

Every time i do something outside within minutes there is always several bees around checking things out. Last year there was a colony next door in a shed but the guy killed them. How can i find where they are comeing from? I caught the swarm on video when they found the shed. It seemed like there were millons of bees flying around. By the way my hive is about 1/4 mile from my house in my dads horse barn. Should i put a box out and try to get a swarm?

[Ruben]

Do a search on beelining, I have never done it but they make a box that has three compartments in it and you catch three bees, one in each compartment and you put syrup in the box and they will fill up on it so when you release one bee it will fly straight back to the hive. You follow it until it is out of sight, then release the next one and repeat the process until you find the hive.

[ktbearpaws]

I found a colony last fall by beelining.
It can be tricky. But, loads of fun.
       I started with a small tuperware container,anise extract and a lil honey..
Put a couple drops of honey and a drop of anise in the tuperware container.
      Next, find a honeybee on a flower and trap it in the bowl with the honey.
Then hold the bee captive til it calms down. It will then start drinking the honey. When it does this , you can then remove the top off of the container.
      After the bee gets her fill, she will begin to start to buzz around and take to the air. Pay close attention what direction she goes. Wait and pay attention to how long it takes to return. What she is doing is taking the honey back to the hive. Allow her a few trips and pay attention to the direction they come from.
      After a few trips, she will have done her lil waggle dance to the rest of the hive and a few other workers should coming back with her to your bowl. The anise will help her to relocate you.
      Allow the bees to fill on honey again and allow them to make another trip.
on thier return, as they are refilling on the honey. I took a bottle of white out, but you can use flower or chalk, and marked one of the bees.
      I close the lid on the marked bee and walked twenty to thirty yards in the direction she came from and release her again. Watching her direction she flew away in and the direction she returns in.
      When you start to get close to the hive, you should have 100's of bees eating out of your hand .
      Keep your eyes out for big hollow logs or trees or anyplace that would make a good hive...
      It took me a couple of days to do this, but it was my first time.
      Here is where I found them....
 


Now, How do I get em down???  LOL

[Apis629]

I can't beeline in my neighborhood.  I always end up finding my hives.

[Kathyp]

my hive is about 1/4 mile from my house in my dads horse barn

are they your own bees?

[Scadsobees]

It wouldn't hurt to put up a swarm trap.  The worst case is that you will catch a swarm from your hive(s).  I think it will be quite tricky to beeline with your hive so close.  But you can set out some syrup and see if any bees fly off in a different direction.

Swarms can travel a fair distance, so it doesn't mean that they are from nearby.

-rick