My most prolific location is in the split of a two trunk tree in front of a friends cattle pasture. 3 seasons with 4 swarms. The trap is only 7 feet in the air and facing due south. Somewhere around his place there is a feral swarm that gets after it. Nice, gentle and prolific bees. I have had success there using new and used bait hives/swarm traps there. Other locations have only been successful with previously successful swarm traps (It's my theory that a swarm trap that has caught bees already, even in a previous season, is more attractive to scout bees.) or only two or three swarms caught since I've been trapping.
I caught a swarm off a grocery cart at Walmart 2 years ago. The best part of it was watching the customers reaction as they realized what I was doing. Especially the assistant manager they sent out to help me. I wish I had done a viedo.
I recently built five top bar bait hives. I strategically set them where I believed they would be most successful. The first few were in "choice" spots. The last one was an afterthought..I just screwed it to a palm tree facing down hill. That's the one that caught the swarm.
Is that down there to the left or right of that big rock?
Sorry, good question. I am planning on getting some boxes ready this year for next - shadded areas on the side of fields or open areas with good accesss to water seems key here. Does height off the ground seem to play a roll?
Stack some old bee boxes in your backyard, go away and forget about them. The bees will come.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Beesource Beekeeping Forums
1.8M posts
54.7K members
Since 1999
A forum community dedicated to beekeeping, bee owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, honey production, health, behavior, hives, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!