Bait hive success

[Ed Woods]

I have had a bait hive sitting ontop of my oil tank for a few months now - at the weekend I decided to renew the pheromone bait, tip half bottle of lemon grass oil around the entrance and inside and stick in half a dozen empty old frames I was given that are only good for firewood - covered in propalis but stripped of wax.

Yesterday there were about 50 bees clustered around the entrance and going in an out while performing some mad demented waggle dance - took a peak last night and it was empty.

This morning my daughter phones to let me know there are thousands of bees - so many they cant get in the entrance so the bait box has a beard

My daughter helped me catch a swarm a few weeks back so she said they looked exactly the same - mass knots of clustered bees.

One of my daughters friends had decided to pop round and when she opened the back gate was confronted by a cloud of bees (OK putting a bait hive next to the back gate was perhaps not one of my better ideas )

My daughter has checked my three hives and all appear to be OK - I am hoping this is a swarm from the colony that lives in the hole above my front door - will check when I get home - and hopefully post a few pictures

The colony above my front door are placid and friendly so I am hoping I have caught one of its swarms

 

[Pete D]

Well done ED, so 3 becomes 4 after all ! Guess its out with the wife now !!

 

[Ed Woods]

Well done ED, so 3 becomes 4 after all ! Guess its out with the wife now !!

lol - out with the credit card for some more hive 'parts'.

They are from the bees above my front door so I am hoping for some very placid Norfolk mongrels

I will take a peak later this afternoon to see that I have a captured swarm. Neighbour has said they were swarming and apparently there were thousands of bees around the back gate earlier this morning - there are about 50 or so bees clustered around the entrance to the bait box and they were buzzing very loudly earlier

 

[Dishmop]

and what did the wife say....



or I bet you havent told her...

 

[Ed Woods]

As I havn't spent money buying them she is very happy with the free bees

I have been trying to lure a swarm out of this colony for the last 3 or 4 months - success at last

I need to get them off the oil tank to the end of the garden with my other hives - should this be a problem? Or will they all fly back to the oil tank?

 

[Pete D]

Free bees......... haven't spent any money ! Ha ha your secret is safe with us.
Lets hope she doesnt sell it all one day for what you told her you paid for it ! ha ha

Oh can you get me a couple of thoses free bait hives mate !

Cheers
Pete

 

[Ed Woods]

I was well chuffed when my daughter phoned me at work - next door neighbour watched them move from the front of my house and up the driveway to the oil tank at the back of my house

Once my children re out of the garden will take a peak inside to see exactly what I caught

There is a constant stream of beas going to a nearby snowberry bush and back to the bait hive

The colony above my front door is very strong and I hope this is the first of many swarms it throws out over the next few years .

Just off to conduct a funeral for one of my daughters rabbits - one of our cats got hold of it last night

 

[Ed Woods]

Moved the swarm to the end of the garden last night - about 100 feet from where they were on top of my oil tank.

About 50 bees flying around in circles above the oil tank - should I move the swarm back or leave them where I have moved them?

 

[Cazza]

Hi Ed
Put them wherever you want them to end up. The 50 bees will find new homes or perish.
Cazza

 

[Beeline]

Ed

You may find if you place a box (cardboard or other) in the original spot where your bait box was located, they will rest up in that box overnight. Simply transfer them across to your new location, remove lid and bang them in.

I did it with a swarm I found in a field nearby. Felt terrible leaving the loyal stragglers so I did exactly that and it worked a treat.

Bring the girls home. Good luck.

BL

 

[Ed Woods]

By the time I got home all the flying bees had got bored and gone home - wherever their new home is - have now spotted some scout bees doing the mad waggle dance around the box - I wonder if the colony above my door is going to spew out another swarm

Time to purchase another Nuc box

 

[Ed Woods]

Just checked swarm - lots of purple pollen and plenty of eggs