Bait hive distance?

Hi can anyone tell me how far from hives I can place a bait hive?
And if can place them close enough, would this encourage the bees to want to swarm, in finding a new house ready.
Has anyone placed a bait hive in their garden where their colony's are & how successful was it?
Have one made, but have never used one before. Positioning is what I need to find out about.

Does anyone have any ideas on this?

About 15 - 30 yds away and high up...maybe on top of shed.

I had a bait hive last season about 5m from a pair of hives and caught a late swarm which has overwintered well.

Swarms fly may fly a kilometer from their hive, so unless you have a very large garden there is no certainy. Bait hives placed 100+ metres away may work. However, other peoples bees will be happy to move in right next to your hives. I had several do that last year.

i had a swarm from my bees move into a bait hive about 100 metres away from them. I think I also had a neighbours bees looking recently. They are about 100 metres away.

Doesn't appear to be a hard and fast rule (often the way with our hobby). I've had them take up a bait hive a few yards from my main set of hives, but more in my garden in a variety of positions which is about a mile from my apiary.

rockdoc said:

Doesn't appear to be a hard and fast rule (often the way with our hobby). .

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Agreed , got two swarms last year . 1 from my hives 20m away , the other , well the only place it could have come from was over a 1km away .

I'm going to put out a couple next week. Both about 200m from my hives, one is going to a spot under a lean too shed roof where I saw scouts having a look last year. The other on the roof of another shed.

Thanks everyone for your response, much appreciated. My garden is on a acre of ground. I was thinking of putting it the opposite side of the garden from where the hives are, roughly 70 foot over, up one of the trees in the hedgerow.
Sharon

The bees (according to research quoted in Winston) typically go 3/400 metres to establish their new home.

BUT, having a bait hive right outside a house window is supposedly a useful indicator of bees thinking of swarming. Hopefully, right outside the window, you might notice some activity as scouts inspect that bait hive. Even though it might not catch many swarms, it might help you prevent some!

ITMA - what an excellent observation and makes perfect sense when one thinks about it. I will put an old box outside my window in the near future. Thanks for this tip.

itma said:

The bees (according to research quoted in Winston) typically go 3/400 metres to establish their new home.

BUT, having a bait hive right outside a house window is supposedly a useful indicator of bees thinking of swarming. Hopefully, right outside the window, you might notice some activity as scouts inspect that bait hive. Even though it might not catch many swarms, it might help you prevent some!

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Thanks Itma
Very interesting stuff. Great idea.
But I wonder, would it encourage swarming having a bait hive . Don't want to encourage my own colony's to swarm.
Just thought if had one, I might catch a swarm from somewhere else .

Its not an original idea of mine! (sadly)

And "bait" hives don't cause swarming.
The causes are within the original hive and colony.

Jimy Dee said:

ITMA - what an excellent observation and makes perfect sense when one thinks about it. I will put an old box outside my window in the near future. Thanks for this tip.

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I wonder how Roola's is doing?

sharonh said:

Thanks Itma
Very interesting stuff. Great idea.
But I wonder, would it encourage swarming having a bait hive . Don't want to encourage my own colony's to swarm.
Just thought if had one, I might catch a swarm from somewhere else .

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It is unlikely that the presence of a bait hive will "encourage" swarming. It is the natural instinct of a colony of honeybees to swarm and thus proliferate. There are a wide range of factors which will prompt a colony to begin swarm preparations but the presence of a potential new home is probably very low on the list
Often a colony will swarm without having finalized on a new home. Two years ago a friend lost a swarm just days after carrying out an artificial swarm on the "parent" colony. They clustered in the crown of one of the trees surrounding his apiary (about thirty feet up) and stayed there for four days before finally moving off to a new home.
Last year I had two swarms in succession (not my own) take up residence in bait hives I placed in one of my out apiaries. The bait hives were within two meters of several other stocks and were at a height of around 1.5m.

Erichalfbee said:

I wonder how Roola's is doing?

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I seem to have 2 different colonies that check by the bait hive every day... they pop in and out. On nice days the numbers from both colonies increase a great deal and they then start fighting in the entrance or barging each other on the front. Its strange trying to work out what is actually going on with these bees as obviously its been a few weeks with the bait hive out. Trying to work out if these colonies have accepted this as a potential new site for the future or are just local colonies popping in for a nose... There is no sugar/honey inside, just wax smeared around sides, an old comb and lemon grass/swarm lure.

It is fascinating seeing them arrive, check it out, fight etc...
Here is a vid of some of the activity:

http://youtu.be/Tg2M3V5FoWA

i had three swarms arrive in empty hives the year before last and they were in 2 different apiaries and right next to hives with stocks in them. So im not sure about any rules about distances. However none of the swarms were my own and it was late in the season. Ive never had any swarm arrive in a bait hive that ive put purposely out to catch one despite trying many times.?

Heh, bait hive out fortwo weeks. land owners reckons they've only seen the odd scout. I blithely whip the lid off to check the lure and I'm met with a roar! Must have been in a little while coz there is fresh comb with eggs. chuffed.
Seen plenty of scouts at the home bait hive so fully expect a colony there when i return from hols

Attracted a swarm today. Might not be mine but apiary is 30 yds away.

Bait hive works best in semi shade, not full sun, facing south, over 1 m high with a swarm lure. I've tried many spots in my garden but the best one is a bait hive placed on top of a compost bin under an elder bush.
Cazza