What are the chances of catching my own swarm?

**heus** · 06-08-2012, 08:32 AM

I again have swarm cells in the hive that I have already split about 6 weeks ago. Instead of splitting again, can I just set up one or two swarm traps around my apiary to catch any possible swarms that I may have? What are the odds that I would be able to catch any swarms from my hive? Do swarms typically choose the closest suitable home available?

**Charlie B** · 06-08-2012, 10:27 AM

If that worked everyone would just put traps up in their apiaries and not worry about swarming. When you did your split 6 weeks ago, did you open up the brood nest or just took a box off and made that your split?
Did you leave any capped honey in the parent hive?

**MrHappy** · 06-08-2012, 10:41 AM

The bees also might sense that the queen is weak and ready to die and they are building supercedure cells, not swarm cells. Sometime the queen has it in her mind to leave no matter what you do though. She might not like the area, the hive, or the exposure.

That said, it's about 50/50 that you will catch your own swarm. Add LGO(in a small bag is best) and drawn frames if you can to the swarm catchers and it will help.

**Nantom670** · 06-08-2012, 10:58 AM

Just last Sunday I was asking a friend at church who has about 30 hives about swarms and he told me that he had caught 8 of his swarms recently from his own hives. Before he had told me that he catches some from his own hives. I did not get into the details, so I cannot tell how he does it. I will ask him when I see him, if I think of it.

**heus** · 06-08-2012, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by Charlie B

If that worked everyone would just put traps up in their apiaries and not worry about swarming. When you did your split 6 weeks ago, did you open up the brood nest or just took a box off and made that your split?
Did you leave any capped honey in the parent hive?

Charlie,
Yes I took brood from the lower box and replaced these frames with foundation. Both hives are doing great. Both queens are laying well. I figured these are swarm cells since they are hanging off the bottom of the comb. Dont remember if the honey I gave them was capped or not. I think it was. I did notice that my original queen seems smaller than I remember, which also leads me to believe she's getting ready to swarm.

**Charlie B** · 06-08-2012, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by Nantom670

Just last Sunday I was asking a friend at church who has about 30 hives about swarms and he told me that he had caught 8 of his swarms recently from his own hives. Before he had told me that he catches some from his own hives. I did not get into the details, so I cannot tell how he does it.

My guess is that he used a ladder to catch them and did not retrieve them from his swarm traps. I don't want to sound negative but I don't think it's a good strategy to rely on swarm traps to retrieve your swarming hives.

If the cells are hanging from the bottom they're swarm cells in which the only cure is splitting.

**psfred** · 06-08-2012, 11:57 AM

I suspect that most bees will ignore swarm traps close to their original hive -- no evolutionary advantage to establishing a new hive in close proximity to the original. Swarms, to my understanding, often move out of the hive to a convenient spot neaby and scout from there for a new home, then move to it shortly, and the new home may be a mile or more away.

You can catch them while they search -- once you put the queen in a suitable hive, they usually (but not always) will stay put, but so far as them choosing to re-locate a few feet away from the original hive in a swarm trap, no.

Far better to do some sort of swarm prevention rather than catch them after they leave. If you have the equipment, you can do splits and pinch underperforming queens and merge them with better hives later in the season if you don't want more hives, or do the MDA splitter thing to really gas up hives, etc. That way you have all your bees hived and at work for you rather than chasing them all over.

Mind you, I prefer caught swarms to packages or nucs for increases, but I also prefer that they aren't from MY hives!

Peter

**KQ6AR** · 06-08-2012, 05:59 PM

I caught 12 swarms in my neighborhood this year, all within walking distance.
My 4 swarm traps with drawn comb, & lemon grass oil caught 0 swarms.

**NasalSponge** · 06-08-2012, 06:59 PM

My big hive issued a huge swarm in March, perched way up in the neighbors tree. I just shook my head and went to work. The next weekend I am in my beeyard and notice a ton of bees flying into and out of a stack of drawn boxes I over wintered in the beeyard for moth prevention. Looking closer I saw them bringing in pollen and realized I had caught my own swarm quite by accident. If you have a few boxes to spare it sure couldn't hurt.