Presented to the Wasatch Beekeepers Association b y George Denton March 20 2017 Ways to Get N otified About a Swarm Get on the Swarm List here at the WBA Join Utah Swarm Removal ID: 934164
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Slide1
Swarms,
Bait Hives & Swarm Traps
Presented to the
Wasatch Beekeepers Association
b
y
George Denton
March 20, 2017
Slide2Slide3Ways
to Get
N
otified
About a Swarm
Get on the Swarm List here
at the WBA
Join
Utah Swarm Removal
on
FaceBook
Start a Web Page or Blog (SEO)
Leave your name with:
Local Fire Departments
Pest Control Companies
Friends & Neighbors (Social Media)
Slide4What do I Carry
for
Swarm Calls?
A quick video to watch a swarm capture in a tree
How to get notified
about a swarm
What to bring on a swarm call
Slide5What do I Carry for Swarm Calls?
2 10-Frame
boxes
2
Office Depot boxes with a frame of comb in them.
Bee suit, gloves, hive tool
Bucket that includes extra wire, scissors, large and small pruners, duct tape, LGO, screws, electric drill
Extra ratchet straps
Phone with Camera & Video
Ladder (rarely used
)
Swarm Pole
Slide6This is the reason the ladder isn’t used very much.
See
https://
youtu.be/sPyPMkqPdgw
for info on how to build your
own swarm pole.
Slide7Two main reasons why hives swarm
Slide8Two main reasons why hives swarm
Overcrowding – Too many bees due to new brood hatching in the spring, leaving them too congested to function, so they swarm.
Slide9Two main reasons why hives swarm
Overcrowding – Too many bees due to new brood hatching in the spring, leaving them too congested to function, so they swarm.
Reproductive Instinct – The hive (not the queen) decides there are enough resources for the main hive to survive with a decrease of bees, as well as enough time and resources for the new colony to establish itself to survive the upcoming winter.
Slide10First out of the box - The Prime Swarm
Picture by James A. Lofthouse
Slide11First out of the box - The
Prime Swarm
The Prime Swarm leaves as soon as the first queen cell is capped (about 8 days after starting the queen cells).
They had already stopped feeding the Queen so she’s slim enough to fly with the swarm.
They will temporarily land on a “staging area.”
Scouts will leave the staging area, searching for an acceptable new home.
Slide12What are the Scouts looking for?
Per the “Nest-site selection in honey bees” study by Seeley and Buhrman…Dark cavity (almost no light)About 40 Liters in size or 10 US Gallons. Will accept volumes as small as 15 liters, but prefer the larger size by far.
An entrance about 15 sq cm, or 2.3 sq in (about the size of a half-dollar).
Slide13What’s the difference between a Bait Hive and a Swarm Trap?
Slide14What’s the difference between a Bait Hive and a Swarm Trap?
Nothing at all…the names are used interchangeably to indicate a man-made vessel (with or without a swarm lure in it) that is used to entice a swarm to occupy it.
Slide15Why do we catch bees in Bait Hives and Swarm Traps?
FREE BEES!Less work…The bees find the traps and install themselves.An inexpensive way to increase your hive count.To add new genetics to your apiary.
Able to sell excess bee inventory (
nucs
, etc.)
BECAUSE IT’S FUN!
Slide16Do you really “Trap” the bees?
Slide17Do you really “Trap” the bees?
Nope – The bees are free to come and go as they please…until you seal up the trap and take them home to install them in your own apiary.
Slide18If you set a Bait Hive or Swarm Trap near my apiary, will it “lure” my bees away?
Slide19If you set a Bait Hive or Swarm Trap near my apiary, will it “lure” my bees away?
Bait Hives and Swarm traps
do not cause
managed colonies to swarm.
Slide20If you set a Bait Hive or Swarm Trap near my apiary, will it “lure” my bees away?
Bait Hives and Swarm traps
do not cause
managed colonies to swarm.
Bait Hives and Swarm traps
do not encourage
managed colonies to swarm.
Slide21If you set a Bait Hive or Swarm Trap near my apiary, will it “lure” my bees away?
Bait Hives and Swarm traps
do not cause
managed colonies to swarm.
Bait Hives and Swarm traps
do not encourage
managed colonies to swarm.Setting a Bait Hive or Swarm Trap near a colony that has already decided to swarm may, or may not, capture that swarm.
Slide22The 5-Frame Deep Nuc
Box
A large Prime Swarm may not fit into this small of a box. This swarm left within 24 hours.
Just 22.5 liters (6 gal) in size.
Very inexpensive to build from plywood.
Easy to place just about anywhere.
Slide23Randy Bunker (Left) and Michael Parker (Right) Bait Hives
Randy’s box is 32 liters (8.5 gal) with a lower entrance.
Michael’s box is 40 liters (10 gal) with an upper entrance.
Narrow style hangs well in trees.
Slide24UGLY BOX!
Recycled boxes that held large magnets and were getting thrown away at my work.
Fits 7 frames
Measures 36 liters (9.5 gal) in volume.
Bulky and too heavy to hang safely in a tree…but it’s free and it did catch a swarm!
Slide25Using Swarm Lures to attract Bees
“The latest revolution in swarm trap technology occurred 20 years ago with the analysis of bee pheromones. They discovered the different pheromones that bees communicate with and were able to synthetically duplicate them.”
- McCartney Taylor,
“Swarm Traps and Bait Hives.”
Available through Amazon.com.
Slide26Types of Swarm Lures
A slow-release blend of
pheremones
by Mann Lake
Lemongrass Oil (LGO)
Swarm Commander
Slide27Common Application Methods for LGO
6-8 drops of LGO on corner of a paper towel and stored inside a baggie with holes poked in it, or the corner barely left open.
One, or both ends of a Q-tip dipped in LGO and put in a baggie, similar to above.
A few drops placed inside of trap on frames, and a few drops outside near the entrance.
Slide28Other Application Methods for LGO
Odfrank Method – Heats burr comb with a torch above the entrance inside the trap right on the wood. When boiling, adds a couple drops of LGO. He does not ‘freshen up’ the trap later that season.
Michael Bush Method – Dip one end of a Q-tip in LGO and the other in “Queen Juice” and drop it in the trap. He does not ‘freshen up’ the trap later that season.
Slide29Other Application Methods for LGO
3.1 Michael Parker Method – Uses a piece of sponge in a baggie, wetted, and adds vegetable oil and 8-10 drops of LGO, pokes holes in the baggie and staples it to the tree- hanger arm to allow the sun to heat it up to send out the smell.
Slide30Other Application Methods for LGO
3.2 The Michael Parker method also includes the “tagging” of the tree where he locates his bait hive. He uses a spray bottle filled with 1 part water, 1 part vegetable oil and around 30 drops LGO. In the ‘stream’ mode, he sprays (or ‘tags’) the tree from top to bottom as well as ‘tags’ the box to turn the area into a beacon, of sorts, attempting to attract any bee in the area.
Slide31So what’s the best bait hive setup to attract bees?
Lemongrass Oil (LGO).One frame of empty black comb, which adds bee smell and encourages the queen to lay eggs immediately.A veteran swarm trap (adds bee smell).
If you don’t have any comb, use what you have.
If you don’t have a veteran swarm trap, use what you have.
If you don’t have LGO, you better go get some!
Slide32How many frames should I use in my Bait Hive?
This is a personal preference.Some use just one (makes their comb, or frames, go further; makes it look like there is plenty of room to grow to the bees).Some use three, and only check every couple of weeks, or longer. Having frames in the box keeps them from building comb on the roof.
Others fill up the whole box with frames.
Slide33Where to place your Bait Hive
SAFETY FIRST! Whenever you go up a ladder with an awkward, heavy box, or down a ladder with a bunch of bees and an even heavier box, you risk hurting yourself. Suit up in full gear so any surprise attacks by the bees won’t cause you to flinch and fall.
Better yet…consider putting the hive no higher than what you can reach with a step stool.
Slide34Where to place your Bait Hive
In the shade, not in full sun.Just inside of tree lines.Along fence lines, in the shade of a tree or building.In a lone tree in the middle of a field.
In older, more mature, urban housing areas. The East bench areas seem to do very well between Draper and Bountiful.
Slide35Where to place your Bait Hive
In your yard (bees attract other bees).On your roof or the roof of a shed (shaded).On back yard decks or balconies.In the yards of family and friends.
In, or near, old brush piles.
Luring bees is like finding a good fishing hole. If you are not catching bees in one location, adapt and try another.
Slide36I caught a Swarm…Now What??
Confirm the swarm’s moved in by watching to see if they are bringing pollen into the hive.If possible, give the bees up to a week to build new comb and begin raising brood. They will not usually abscond with brood in the box.Early morning, or late evening, seal up box and move colony to your apiary.
Slide37Bait Hive Challenge Utah
A friendly challenge to see who can catch the most swarms using a Bait Hive or Swarm Trap this season in UtahThe bees have to install themselves into the traps; we do not count swarms that we shake into the boxMichael Parker won in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 with 100+ swarm lures out (17 was the most, I believe)
251 members now, 198 members in 2016.
Find us on
Facebook
under ‘Bait Hive Challenge Utah’