what to use to catch a swarm

[firebug]

I live in central NC. Im not sure we have enough swarms to make it worth while to try for swarms but I would like to try. I am a first year beek so I dont have drawn comb and used equipment. They only think useed I have is a shallow a frined gave me. It was left at his dads house years ago by someone doing a trap out. So what are some ideas for cheap equipment and just general advice on catching swarms?

[Charlie B]

If this is your first year, have you saved any burr comb? If you did, place some in that used shallow you have. If you're handy you can "add on" to that shallow and make it the size of a medium or deep by attaching a 2 to 4 inch shim to give it more depth. Buy some lemon grass oil and put a few drops on a Q-tip or piece of paper towel and place that in a half open sandwich bag. Place the bag in the floor of the shallow.

Wait until early spring to do the above and then place your box either in your bee yard or in any logical place where there's a huge amount of trees and flowers. Another option is you can covertly find out where other beginner beehives are and place your bait box nearby. Some beginners don't keep up with their bees progress and fail to add appropriate space so their hive swarms. (This is why odfrank is so successful).

There are plenty of resources and information about catching swarms on this site and on-line.

Good luck this spring.

[firebug]

Do we have enough swarms to make trapping them worth my time. I am outside every day, I hunt, fish and farm and I have never seen a swarm of bees.

[Charlie B]

I would ask local beekeepers there about that. Good luck.

[Grant]

Do we have enough swarms to make trapping them worth my time. I am outside every day, I hunt, fish and farm and I have never seen a swarm of bees.

Just you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. We had a hurricane roll through town many years ago. I had two dozen calls from people who said, "The hurrican blew down a big tree and bees moved in while it was on the ground. You need to come get them out for the tree trimmer." I tried to explain the bees had been there all summer...but they said they never saw a bee in the yard at all.

I've been to lakes where people said, "Ain't no fish in that water." Sometimes you just got to try fishing with different bait to get different results.

You can build bait hives out of cardboard boxes, old packing crates and bait them with lemon grass oil. Or buy a commercial pheromone lure for $5. There's a hundred different ways to catch swarms, even when you swear there aren't any around.

I got more information if you drop me an e-mail to twentyfivehives@yahoo.com where I can attach stuff I already have printed up. Put "swarm info" in the subject line. It's free.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[LetMBee]

Firebug:
I live in a very agricultural area of Indiana (as in ALL mono cropped soybeans and corn). I didn't see honeybees around my place at all prior to getting bees. This spring I moved all of my bees to out yards in order to transition newly caught swarms to hives at the house. I had 4 swams come into traps that were either in trees around the house or setting around waiting to be deployed.

I would actually be surprised if you built traps and didn't catch anything. They are out there. I look at it as a huge bonus. Feral bees are living in this tough environment, and swarming, therefore they may have a better chance at surviving in your hives in the same environment. Make 5 or 10 traps, and place them near major drainages, like a river or large creek that has a tree line consisting of large trees. Just as in fishing, that is the "pattern" that has been working for me.

Goto: http://www.savethehives.com/fbp/Map.html
That is supposed to be a database of feral bee reports. See if any of them are close to you.

[KQ6AR]

Keep in mind you'll need a complete hive for every swarm you catch. We shook a lot of swarms onto foundation, & most stayed in the box.