catching a swarm

basicly there were 5 swarms wich fluew over my garden last year one stoped in the next doors garden and by the time they got back it went i had a bait hive in the garden about 3 foot up with old comb and lemon grass oil in it had scouts but no swarm how can i improve my chances this year i have put a bait hive on the roof with a brood comb how can i iprove my chances any help pls

Hi, I've put out bait nuc box's, no luck, placed a older hive outside the side of the house and lots of bees buzzing around, opened up the entrance and put in a couple of frames and had a small swarm set up home, moved them to the apiary and the nuc has now got through the winter. The reason for this story is 'best laid plans etc...' or 'you can take a swarm to a hive, but they won't always stay!'
Steven

Have you dowsed the area for ley lines ?

my Guildford poly box (big enough for some damaged super frames and lure) suboptimally positioned in shade on a shed roof, jammed against a north facing wall and with east facing entrance managed to pick up a lovely little swarm in october - mated queen, steady on comb, very gentle. made it through winter in a MB poly nat (dummied down) and was trying it's hardest to get going despite small numbers of bees. They've been united with another hive that needed the space and HM has replaced my DLQ.

5 metres up, entrance south at bottom, less than 30 sq cm entrance, 40 litres capacity.

icanhopit said:

Have you dowsed the area for ley lines ?

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Okay, I'll bite. Does this work, and have you tried it?

If so, how do you dowse for anything other than water?

Hi, Bees usually look for places high up in trees so place your bate hive as high up as you can reach with a ladder

anything off the ground is best, preferably above head height.

I use, amongst others: garden table (1m), shed roof, garage roof.

All of my self hiving swarms arrived at ground level last season so take the height issue with a wee pinch of salt. The higher up one got nothing.

PH

ive just put two bait hives out one on the roof and one on the out door table hopefully that will work

i had bait hives in trees, on banks etc, caught nothing. An old pile of boxes on the drive and a nuc box (6 frame) on a table each caught 1. Then I read 'the book'. Dowsed all my bait hives and the only ones that 'read ' correctly were the ones that succeeded.

justme said:

i had bait hives in trees, on banks etc, caught nothing. An old pile of boxes on the drive and a nuc box (6 frame) on a table each caught 1. Then I read 'the book'. Dowsed all my bait hives and the only ones that 'read ' correctly were the ones that succeeded.

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Go on, enlighten us more. 'The book'?

This is half a Warre hive that is on a shelf about shoulder height. In full sun today there were 20 or 30 bees showing an interest

The "block" on the alighting board is a block of wax recovered from old brood combs, smells nice to me and the bees seem to like it too.

Note hornet traps top left - only seen one hornet so far this year and that was a European and allowed to go on it's way

Skyhook said:

Go on, enlighten us more. 'The book'?

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Skyhook said:

Go on, enlighten us more. 'The book'?

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“An HOLISTIC Way in Saving the Honeybee”.

Poly Hive said:

All of my self hiving swarms arrived at ground level last season so take the height issue with a wee pinch of salt. The higher up one got nothing.

PH

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Bees do nothing invariably!

Thanks for the book title, any chance of a quote?

icanhopit said:

Have you dowsed the area for ley lines ?

Click to expand...

BeeJoyful said:

Okay, I'll bite. Does this work, and have you tried it?

If so, how do you dowse for anything other than water?

Click to expand...

Still don't know the answer to this one

BeeJoyful said:

Thanks for the book title, any chance of a quote?

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http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/blog.php?b=503

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8579&highlight=John+hardings+book

thanks

insert "reading" smiley - there's one in chat, but not on the main forum



edit: still not at all sure how to do the dowsing

Don't bother with dowsing, it is pseudo science nonsense.

Some people should know better! Next they'll probably recommend some 'homeopathic cure'.

Yes this post has every chance of bringing out the crazies, but as a newbie myself, I will take my advice from the experienced beekeepers and not psychic healers or other nutters!