[Colby828]

I built four swarm traps from the plans on this forum, should I put one on my bee yard or not. I put one about twenty yards from my hives about a week or so ago. Today I saw a couple of bees flying around the entrance of it. Am I asking for problems with one that close to my hives.

 

[shannonswyatt]

You can, you will not draw out a swarm from your own hives, but you may get lucky. The smell or your hive will attract scouts. We had one move in last year in our yard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqTPQS9W8uE
My cousin gets a few every year in his yard that are not from his hives.

 

[Beetell]

I caught a swarm yesterday. They were ina large ball in a bush by my house. I tried to lure them into a swarm trap nearby, but although the scouts would go in and out, the swarm didn't seem interested. Finally, I shook them off the branch into a garbage can. Then I poured the garbage can full of bees into a 5 frame nuke. There were still many bees flying around, so I just left the nuke hive near the bush, hoping the rest would move into the hive. This morning the bees are still in the nuke hive, but there is a small ball of bees (3-4 inch ball) forming back on the same branch. Do you suppose the queen is still on the branch? Will the bees get her to move into the hive with them?

 

[shannonswyatt]

If it is that small I would trim it off and go through it to see if a queen is in there. They may have had multiple queens in the swarm.

 

[FlowerPlanter]

>Should I put one on my bee yard or not.
Yes you should have several in different direction and different distances.

>I put one about twenty yards from my hives
A little too close, about 50 yard is the closest I have caught bees. They prefer a location 50 yard to a quarter mile away. But if you have scouts I would leave it.

>Am I asking for problems with one that close to my hives.
no