finding ferrel bee's?

[Bubba]

I have another question. The clover in ther yard is blooming very well, There are lots of bees working it. What is a good method of trailing the girls back to their home so that I can save some cash and get some free bees? I have heard someone say that it is possible to put some white paint on them and trail them that way but is that a effective method? Maybe some of you have a better method.

[naturebee]

Hello Bubba,

Here's some stuff:

'Bee- Lining as a Research Technique in Ecological Study'
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K5DF147FC

'Efficient hunting of feral colonies'
http://www.beesource.com/pov/wenner/bsjun1992.htm

[Big Stinger]

Sprinkle some flour on them and watch them fly off to there hive. The flour shows up good on sunny days.

[Michael Bush]

Glue a small piece of down (feather) on them so they are slow and visible and beeline them back to their hive.

[Konrad]

Set up a swarm lure....sometimes hives swarm looking for a new place....you could provide it for them.
Konrad

[Bubba]

Thanks for all the info guys I'll have to give it a try!

[Henry]

What do you do when you find the tree? I don't fully understand the cone trap or whatever it is. Is there a way without cutting down the tree? I know of 4 and 3 are at the base of the tree and the other about 5' up. One of which is near my house I have been feeding with a jar at the entrance hoping for a swarm. I have 3 bait boxes in the area.
It will take a half gallon a day. It seems like a strong colony.

[Michael Bush]

Cone Method

This method is used when it’s impractical to tear into a hive and remove the comb or there are so many bees you don’t want to face them all at once. This is a method where a screen wire cone is placed over the main entrance of the current home of the bees. All other entrances are are blocked with screen wire stapled over them. Make the end of the cone so it has some frayed wires so that a bee can push the wires enough to get out (including drones and queens) but can’t get back in. Aim it a bit up and it helps some on keeping them from finding the entrance. Now you put a hive that has just a frame of open brood, a couple of frames of emerging brood and some honey/pollen, right next to the hive. You may need to build a stand or something to get it close to where the returning foragers are clustered on the cone. Sometimes they will move into the box with the brood comb. Sometimes they just hang on the cone. The biggest problem I’ve had is that this causes many more bees to be looking for a way in and circling in the air and the homeowners often get antsy and spray the bees with insecticide because they are afraid of them. If you think this is likely, then DON’T put the box with the brood here, but rather at your beeyard, hopefully at least 2 miles away, and you vacuum or brush the bees off into a box every night and take them and dump them in the box with the brood, you will eventually depopulate the hive. If you keep it up until no substantial number of bees are in it anymore, you can use some sulfur in a smoker to kill the bees (sulfur smoke is fatal but does not leave a poisonous residue) or some bee quick to drive the rest of them out of the tree (or house or whatever). And if you use the Beequick you may even get the queen to come out. If you do, catch her with a hair clip queen catcher and put her in a box and let the bees move into the box. Since the cone is still on the entrance they can’t get back in the old hive. I’d leave it like this for a few days and then bring a strong hive and put it close to the old hive. Remove the cone and put some honey on the entrance to entice the bees to rob it. This is most effective during a dearth. Mid summer and late fall being likely dearths. Once they start robbing it, they will rob the entire hive out. This is especially important if removing them from a house, so that the wax doesn’t melt and honey go everywhere or the honey attract mice and other pests. Now you can seal it up as best you can. The expanding polyurethane foam you buy in a can at the hardware store is not too bad for sealing the opening. It will go in and expand and make a fairly good barrier. Another option if you can keep a good eye on it is when they swarm, put the cone on and then the virgin queen will leave to mate and not be able to get back in. Then you can get a swarm with a queen from the cone.

[naturebee]

--Another option if you can keep a good eye on it is when they swarm, put the cone on and then the virgin queen will leave to mate and not be able to get back in. Then you can get a swarm with a queen from the cone.

I developed this method awhile back for my Feral Bee Project for the purpose of obtaining mother daughter ferals from a single bee removal.
Been using this method for years, it works well for me. I first describe it on the lists for pubic consumption during May of 2005. I know of no earlier discriptions of this particular method of catching the queen and mated daughter.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers/message/16919

I have eliminated the need to watch for a swarm when using this method. I implement the procedure using an automatic swarm catching device that I developed, and employ it near the entrances of feral colonies to catch any swarms that are thrown. I’ve been tweaking the device for several years now and may have a video out on it’s mode of operation this fall.

[Michael Bush]

>I developed this method awhile back for my Feral Bee Project for the purpose of obtaining mother daughter ferals from a single bee removal.

You are correct. Sorry I spaced off exactly where I heard of it. I should have credited you. Thanks for the correction.

[naturebee]

No problem Michael,
I'm in the process of using it as material in an article and I am trying to find my first refrence of this.

Mike, I think it was on Beesource sometime between May 1 and May 22 2005
Is there a way that I can search that far back to retreive what I have written?

Thanks!

[Michael Bush]

I can't find anything you wrote before today. smile.gif I wonder if I should search on your old name? I'm not sure I can remember how to spell it.

Not a lot of luck so far.