Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => Swarms, Cut Outs, Trap Outs and Bee Trees => Topic started by: RAST on March 08, 2021, 08:22:59 pm
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Too much watching YouTube and doing something different/fun had me build a swarm trap box out of my neighbors scrap plywood. It's hung on a tree about a mile or so from here. Thursday I took a used deep 8 frame hive body, a solid bottom board, put about a 2-3 in shim in between, one black comb and some starter strip frames. I put some lemongrass oil on some cotton balls in a baggy with slits in it on top the frames. 1 in entrance. Bees were checking it out the next day, LG oil I figured. A lot of bees in and out this morning. About 4 this afternoon I heard it, called my wife and went out looking up, I told her to watch that green hive and sure enough they went in. She was in awe of how many bees were in the air and I was in awe of they were coming into one of my boxes instead of going out. Hopefully they didn't come from one of my hives. Might go take a look at the one in the tree tomorrow. I sure didn't expect anything this fast.
I videoed it and my computer won't see my phone, I will post if I get it figured out.
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Hi Rast ;D Swarms are my most favorite bee event! I love to stand right in the middle of them... Magical!
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My apple computer won't see my android phone, so I just email pics and videos to myself. Works great.
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Tried that, said file over the 25mb maximum.
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Thursday I took a used deep 8 frame hive body, a solid bottom board, put about a 2-3 in shim in between, one black comb and some starter strip frames.
I have been hearing about setting up swarm traps using starter strips on the brood frames along with some old comb. Glad it worked for you!
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I checked the other trap for the first time yesterday and another swarm. I should'a tried this before.
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Wow Rast! Free bees ;D
Do you think these swarms came from your own hives?
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No, inspection on Thursday all showed good. A Sideliner parked close to here last year til the bear ran him off. I saw a hive in a hollow tree here not long ago.
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How is the swarm doing?
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They are both doing fine. The first has mostly filled an 8 frame and the second was transferred to an 8 frame on Monday. I took one 8 frame with a July 20 queen that just sets there in 6 frames, pulled her and did a combine on the second at the same time.
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Nice!!! My Situation prevents me from chasing swarms or doing cutouts.. but as soon as the situation changes I will be back at it again... Had some good times doing cutouts. SO.. definitely need to live vicariously through you guys for now!
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Cut outs are pretty much a thing of the past for me, some were enjoyable, others not so much. I have my third swarm in a trap box on the side of a tree right now. Swarm traps are hung with the top of the box abt. 6 ft up so I can just back my truck up to it and take it down easily.
Good to see you posting LazyBkpr, I still visit your pages every now and then.
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Had a rough few years there, but attempting to get back on track! I'll also be working on updating the website! Good to be back!