What is happening at your bait hives?

Thanks for the reminder to take a look! But it's a pretty amateur effort, due to a lack of used gear, so I suspect not a lot.

(Used Nuc box with new foundation, and 1:2 Lemongrass/Geranium on a frame side bar; I can never remember if it's 1:2 or 2:1 but for now 1:2 it is.)

I had been having quite a lot of interest for at least a week but now nothing. Sadly! (Not my bees as I have moved them four miles down the road.)

During the day if you have lots of activity at your bait hive and it suddenly stops it could be that the swarm is about to arrive or the beekeeper has inspected the hive and spotted advanced queen cells. If the activity at your hive diminishes over the day then it could be that the bees have found something better or someone has collected the swarm from the tree

During the day if you have lots of activity at your bait hive and it suddenly stops it could be that the swarm is about to arrive or the beekeeper has inspected the hive and spotted advanced queen cells. If the activity at your hive diminishes over the day then it could be that the bees have found somewhere better or someone has collected the swarm from the tree

about 50 odd bees now flying around the hive, fingers crossed!

That sounds promising!

Nothing

Three bait hives set up - check
Used comb installed - check
South facing - check
High up - check
All secured in different orchards - check
Squished Q essence - check
Nice small entrance - check

Result - nothing....

Beauhawk said:

Three bait hives set up - check
Used comb installed - check
South facing - check
High up - check
All secured in different orchards - check
Squished Q essence - check
Nice small entrance - check

Result - nothing....

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It's still early days

Tom Bick said:

During the day if you have lots of activity at your bait hive and it suddenly stops it could be that the swarm is about to arrive or the beekeeper has inspected the hive and spotted advanced queen cells. If the activity at your hive diminishes over the day then it could be that the bees have found somewhere better or someone has collected the swarm from the tree

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happened with my bait hive yesterday... it was like there was a colony in there considering the amount of bees coming and going... then it just swindled to nothing. gutted... not a dickie bird today.

Did not even have time to get the ladder down after putting it up this morning . New batch of H*lland and B*rrett lemongrass oil . Just a load of very interested scouts not my bees though . The Oak tree collected 2 swarms last year !!!!!!!!!

Husbo complained that I had moved a hive down the garden. Reckoned there were hundreds of bees buzzing around it when he was lawn tractoring.
Forgot to tell him I had a bait hive out. Methinks he is exaggerating re numbers but it does have a proper swarm lure so is attractive.
Cazza

Cazza said:

Husbo complained that I had moved a hive down the garden. Reckoned there were hundreds of bees buzzing around it when he was lawn tractoring.
Forgot to tell him I had a bait hive out. Methinks he is exaggerating re numbers but it does have a proper swarm lure so is attractive.
Cazza

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Are you using the little plastic vials or the swarm wipes from Vita?

first bees arrived

Day before yesterday had a swarm turn up in one of my bait hives in Norfolk

Roola said:

Are you using the little plastic vials or the swarm wipes from Vita?

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Vials, as I imagine the scent lasts longer than a wipe? I use them every year to try mop up any swarms I fail to stop happening.
Cazza

A few bees popping in and out today, they seem to go straight in so i'm guessing they know the hive is there now...

Roola said:

happened with my bait hive yesterday... it was like there was a colony in there considering the amount of bees coming and going... then it just swindled to nothing. gutted... not a dickie bird today.

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It’s more common than you think, it can start up almost straight away and when that happens, I think that the beekeeper thinks by removing QC’s it will stop swarming. Nope.

I have become quite used to it by now and its deciphering what is just passing interest and scout bees is important. Also it seems to me some bees, perhaps get lost, if that is possible and adopt the hive, or perhaps stay out all night? Had a bee that had clearly stayed there over night the other day could hardly move with the cold in the early morning by the entrance.

When I set up my bait hive I painted some melted wax around the inside to give it more of a bee smell and interestingly i've observed bees leaving with fragments of wax, could this be a clearing behaviour to prepare a bait hive for occupation? Interesting to see nonetheless.

Roola said:

i've observed bees leaving with fragments of wax, could this be a clearing behaviour to prepare a bait hive for occupation? Interesting to see nonetheless.

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I think they might be just helping themselves to your nice wax to use in their colony. When I was younger and even more ignorant, I saw bees hacking off large lumps of wax from comb in a well used, unsealed, box and flying off with them. I have read since that they will recycle wax if it's "cheaper" than making their own...

Nice big swarm moved into my 14x12 bait hive this afternoon. it's on a first floor roof, small entrance and solid floor. Grotty bit of brood comb inside.

There have been scouts about for a couple of days. Only problem is...I fear a neighbour's bees are about to go, and they are just the psycho bees from hell. Full battle dress if they are!

L.