[BurleyBee]

Caught my first swarm. **Update video

I just checked a swarm trap and I have a good bit of bees in there. Had to come back to the house to grab a Nuc box. I have some empty frames, but should I take a frame of brood or nectar/pollen from one of my existing hives to put with swarm? Or just straight empty frames and feed?


https://youtu.be/8CIXA_RFW00

 

[Fivej]

I am not a great swam catcher guy, but you haven't had a response so I will take a shot. I am confident that most would say that yes, if you are sure the swarm has taken up residence, a frame of open brood will "lock" them in. I would feed until they don't take it, but some say not to if you have a flow on. There is little chance of them swarming, so little risk in feeding. They will draw out frames like crazy so I feed and swap out frames like they are a comb drawing factory. J

 

[Sickdog5]

When I catch them they are in wax making mode big time because their survival depends on it. So I take it vantage of that and have them draw empty frames and feed feed feed.

 

[BurleyBee]

Yep. My trap is a 5 gal bucket and it was full of drawn comb. Kinda crazy. Screwed it all up for the most part when I pulled it out and didn’t have rubber bands to salvage. So I just put a frame of larva and 4 empty foundation; then put a gallon of syrup on. Anxious to see how they take off.

 

[Fivej]

Might be time to invest in, or make a deep for your next swarm. J

 

[BurleyBee]

Definitely. I’m gonna build some more Nucs and have a deep ready for this one.

 

[BurleyBee]

Re: Caught my first swarm. **Update video

Anyone know what I can do with this mini frame I use in my trap? Has some capped brood on it and doesn’t really fit in hive to hatch out. Is there an easy way to clean it up?

 

[elmer_fud]

Re: Caught my first swarm. **Update video

can your rubber band it into a normal frame and put it in the hive?

 

[NCBeeGuy]

Re: Caught my first swarm. **Update video

Well I've done all of the above. Two weeks ago pulled a swarm off a fence line near my bee yard. After trying the jiggle, brush, tap, ended up using the bee-vac super slowly, and they're still in the hive that I put them in.

Later this same week - I have a swarm on an adjacent lot which had a lot of activity - I naively assumed that they were the same bees --- let them set up a week and a half, until pulling it down today. Dang. No kidding about them making wax - they filled in 5 deep open frames and drew out the bottom off a medium which was drawn comb. They were fairly easy to re-house - cut down the medium frame and rubber banded it into another medium. Put the trap back up to try and catch the TONs of foragers left.

I didnt think of the brood trick with the first one, but did so with the second. That should help keep them pinned down. I assume the one nearest my hives were my bees swarming, but not so clear about the other trap. I'm definitely going to make more traps for next year - just struggling with what size. Would love to be able to do it all and keep it with medium frames for everything.