[seanQ]

Hey, Im a Peace corps volunteer in El salvador and Ive just started a beekeeping project in my site. Going from a beekeeping book I got we built several top bar hives and in going with the instructions in the book, put a starter strip of beeswax on each top bar, rubbed the inside with lemon grass (zacate de limon), and sugar water. The boxes were placed in heavily trafficked trees. Bees were quick to come, rob the sugar and leave. they have not been back. Any advice on capturing wild swarms?

 

[power napper]

Hi seanQ--how long of a period of time are we talking here--days or weeks or months? If no swarms are present nearby you won't catch a swarm no matter where it is sitting. Patience is the only comment i can make here, just keep trying. When the bees do throw a swarm your box is ready.

 

[seanQ]

thanks, yea its been about a couple of weeks, three maybe. Ill give it some more time. got plenty of that.

 

[Michael Bush]

>Hey, Im a Peace corps volunteer in El salvador and Ive just started a beekeeping project in my site. Going from a beekeeping book I got we built several top bar hives and in going with the instructions in the book, put a starter strip of beeswax on each top bar, rubbed the inside with lemon grass (zacate de limon), and sugar water.

I'd skip the sugar water, but the lemon grass will help a lot.

>The boxes were placed in heavily trafficked trees. Bees were quick to come, rob the sugar and leave.

As I would expect.

>they have not been back. Any advice on capturing wild swarms?

Location, location, location. That and time. The lemongrass and the hive will not induce a hive to swarm, it will just offer a tempting home if they do swarm. I don't know the swarm season there, but it's right now here. The main swarm season usually lasts about a month here and then you get some overcrowding swarms from time to time after that up until mid summer.