Trap (or bait) hives

top bar maker · Post by **top bar maker** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:55 pm

What are the ingredients for making and placing a temporary hive that will successfully attract swarms? There is a lot of conflicting info out there. Anyone care to add to the confusion?

Thanks

ski · Post by **ski** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 1:36 pm

I am usually confused so I will throw out a few bits of information.
Swarms or scout bees I should say since they are the ones that locate the new home for the swarm may have the new location in mind or scouted out a week or so before the main swarm. The scout bees seem to like a box about the size of a deep that is 6-10 feet off the ground and a little lemon grass oil or queen pheromone may help attract them.
Thats all I can remember right now so there there may be other stuff to consider.

Post by **Jacobs** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 2:19 pm

Add in some old comb that has had brood in it. You may want to treat the comb with Xentari before you put it out to stop/limit wax moth damage.

ski · Post by **ski** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 4:26 pm

Which way would you face the bait hive?

I set one out this past summer a bit after the swarm season and didn't give it much thought but faced it toward my bee yard, maybe that wasn't the best thing. It was facing north.

Post by **Jacobs** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 5:23 pm

I seem to remember hearing/reading south/southeast is the best direction, just like hive placement. I'm not sure of the basis for it--if many spring swarms are mid-morning, that could make the opening/front of the bait hive warmer and inviting, but I don't know when the scouts would be out determining the desireability of a given location. Maybe it's just that if we keep all openings in a consistent direction, WE will be able to find the front of our hives.

top bar maker · Post by **top bar maker** » Mon Nov 15, 2010 7:44 pm

I have read that bees navigate mostly by eye and that they like to have a landmark to help them find home. Like a lone tree in a field would be easy to spot from the air and so would be a good place for the colony.

I have also read that the entrance hole should be about 2" diameter but it seems to me that most feral hives I've seen had small entrances.

ski · Post by **ski** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:18 am

Bees do navigate by landmarks but lets not forget the waggle dance, bees do not communicate landmarks through a waggle dance.
So how much of their flying is done by eye and how much through navigation by the sun?