Catching Swarms

Presented by: Rick Bledsoe

Swarming- bees fill up on honey

- old queen and half of bees leave, settle nearby, send out scouts

- usually mid to late morning (can be early afternoon)

- may stay 30 minutes to 3 days

Catching swarm

- Find them while they are clustered

--depends on luck

--may be there a few minutes to a day

--often in an inaccessible location

- Shake bees or cut branch if in tree or bush

- bump or brush them if on solid object

- bee vac, box, bucket on stick

*most bees will stay with queen, some will return to swarm location

Some swarms aren't worth the risk.

Bait Hives (swarm traps)

Let the bees come to you

Check once a week, replenish LGO every 2 weeks

A good bait hive:

– about 10-15 feet above ground

– in a shady area, but visible to bees

– entrance size 1-1/2” - 2” square inches

– 1.4 cubic feet (40 liters) – about the size of a 10 frame deep

– dry, weather-tight

– should smell like an old hive; avoid new lumber and paint

Note: shape of entrance, direction entrance faces, and shape of box do not matter to the bees

Location?

This nuc in a sunny location caught a swarm.

Bees don't always follow the rules . . . .

If you catch swarm

-- leave there (don't open for at least 1 week) to let it get established before moving to your apiary

-- remove frames from bait trap and put in regular hive, and return trap to same location