Author Topic: Swarm box  (Read 6297 times)

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Offline Lburou

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Re: Swarm box
« Reply #20 on: March 26, 2017, 11:11:22 pm »
Sorry to hear this news Mikey.  I commend you for sticking to your word about no treatments.  Would have been hard for me to do.  :)
Lee_Burough

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Swarm box
« Reply #21 on: March 27, 2017, 09:30:21 am »
Mikey, I was reading about swarm boxes on this website. http://horizontalhive.com/honeybee-swarm-trap/bait-hive-how-to-catch.shtml  It would seem that the author agrees with you about providing a water source near a bait box.

"Source of water — water is an everyday necessity for any bee colony. I am finding that 100% of the swarms I catch occupy traps hung within several hundred feet of a creek or pond. This may be especially relevant for locations with hot, dry summers. In dry areas in Russia some beekeepers hang plastic water jugs right by the swarm trap. (Usually a 2-liter soda bottle or a 1.5-gallon drinking water jug.) They pierce a pinhole in the lid, reverse the jug and let water slowly drip on a piece of board attached by the trap. Bees discover the “fountain,” come to collect water, learn the location, and the swarm trap is more easily discovered."  Dr. Leo Sharashkin

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Swarm box
« Reply #22 on: March 27, 2017, 09:41:24 am »
Mikey, I was just reading your post in the Chat section about robbing being terrible in your location.  That reminded me of a comment I heard Keith Delaplane say.  He suggested leaving entrance reducers on all the time.  His has observed countless colonies propolizing their entrances to a manageable size so that the guard bees can do their job.
Many beekeepers think they need to give the bees as much space as possible during a nectar flow.  Beekeepers don't want to slow down the process of nectar being brought in.  Bees that live in a tree aren't able to create a larger entrance but they still manage.  Just a thought.