doing my first two trap outs this spring and need advice

[beegeorge]

I have two trap outs scheduled for this spring,, the questions I have are:

how close to where the bees are entering the house do I need to place the hive - the entrance the bees are using is about 12 ft off the ground,,

what sixe tubing /pipe should I use for the bees to travel,, should it be rigid or flexible, clear or not?

any help is greatly appreciated,,

[Mr.Beeman]

The best help I can give you is check out trap outs on you tube. Put the hive right next to their original entrance. They will immediately fly right back to the entrance and hopefully take up resdidence in your hive.

[RobWok]

I performed several trapouts last year. I usually try to get the donor hive as close as possible to the old hive. They can smell brood, but it seems that the closer you get, the faster they take to the old hive and stop trying to get back into it. However, make sure every single hole is plugged up. I had a job where they were in an old house that had concrete block. every time I taped a hole, they would find another chink in the mortar. I just had to keep going back every day to close up the old holes an
d eventually they gave up.

I use aluminum foil tape. It seems to stick to anything, is moldable, they can't chew through it, and it almost never leaves a residue.

rob
www.mongrelbees.com

[D Coates]

Aluminum foil tape, now that's a great idea. When I do trapouts I take great efforts to get the old hive exit/entrance hole within 12 inches of the new hive/nuc box e/e. Don't change their main e/e hole any more than forcing them through the cone screen and plugging any secondary e/e. It would create confusion that will invariably end poorly.

[kilocharlie]

I've had good luck putting a large traffic cone in their old flight path to the original entrance, and using Swarm Catch and Bee Boost in the trap hive. They flew right into it at first, then acted suspicious as they came to the small end, but entered. I put a few frames of honey and brood in the trap, but preferably some of their own comb with brood, and a caged queen in the new hive if they didn't take up housekeeping right away. I use Bee Go (butyric acid) to drive them out of the old hive.