Beekeeping > Swarms, Cut Outs, Trap Outs and Bee Trees

Has a colony moved in?

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Wandering Man:
I've had this swarm trap in my backyard for 9 months or so.

3Reds said she saw a bee go in and out of the trap earlier today.  This is two to four hours later.  We haven't seen an actual swarm, but the activity has certainly picked up.

I've not added any new comb or pheromone in a couple of months.

What do you who have experience with such things think?

Are these still scout bees, or has the swarm snuck in while we weren't looking?



The music in the background is my neighbor.  He is in a band and may be practicing, or maybe he's just playing music.  I can't tell about him either, feel free to comment on either the bees, the music, or both.

Perry:
My bet is that your swarm trap has been short-listed by scout bees and is seeing very promising signs. The trap is a bit smaller than what a typical swarm might look for but the interest is there. :)

Wandering Man:

--- Quote from: Perry on March 30, 2018, 07:56:30 pm --- The trap is a bit smaller than what a typical swarm might look for but the interest is there. :)

--- End quote ---

Thanks Perry.  I am hopeful.

That yellow strap is deceiving.  In the video, it looks like it is the top of the trap.  However, the video only shows the bottom portion of the swarm trap.  It has pretty close to the same volume as a deep, just shaped funny.

Jen:
ooooWeeee Wman, Looks like you got the right stuff in this box. How did you bait the box?

Wandering Man:

--- Quote from: Jen on March 30, 2018, 09:41:12 pm ---ooooWeeee Wman, Looks like you got the right stuff in this box. How did you bate the box?

--- End quote ---

I painted it a girly color, figuring bees were mostly girls. 

I went into the box at the end of January and made sure I still had comb on a frame, then sprayed a spritz of Swarm Commander on the floor.  I think after three months, the pheromone spray is probably gone.  So I figure it must be the girly color that's attracting the bees.

I have framed out the inside of the box, so it only holds three frames, with a lot of wasted space below the frames and to the sides.  But I figure the bees will see that as places they can attach more comb.

If the bees do end up moving in, I'll have some future questions for the forum.  I want to move it to a friend's property, requeen the colony to ensure I'm not raising africanized bees, transfer the bees to a regular nuc and then sell the nuc once the colony is established.

Questions will be about timing and type of nuc.  But I'm not going to count my larvae until they hatch.

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