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Author Topic: Trap-Out into active colony  (Read 1772 times)

Offline landellapiaries

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Trap-Out into active colony
« on: July 29, 2011, 03:19:04 pm »
I started a trap out today that needed to be done asap.  The colony was in a tree at a doctors office complex, and they were afraid of patients getting stung.  I figured it was kind of late to let the bees raise their own queen in my area (Upstate New York), so I am trying to do the trap out with a nuc with a few frames of established bees.

As soon as the hive entrance was closed off, bees began heading into the deep I transferred the nuc into.  There was a bit of fighting right way, but didn't seem too bad.  The guard bees in the deep checked out the bees from the colony I'm trapping out basically 1 by 1.  I am going to give this a day or so and then check the progress.  I am hoping the guard bees will settle down and allow all to enter, but if not I'm going to pull the box and put a empty deep with drawn frames and do a newspaper combine into one of my other hives.

I'll post what I'm seeing here and if it is working or not.
Kris - Ulster County, NY

Offline iddee

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Re: Trap-Out into active colony
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2011, 09:36:36 pm »
I think it will work out OK, but if you decide to put a different box up, be sure to give them a frame of brood, even if it's older brood. They won't have any reason to go into an empty box.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline landellapiaries

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Re: Trap-Out into active colony
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2011, 10:32:31 pm »
Checked the trap out about 0445 today.  There are about 8 frames of bees in the bait hive!  There were no dead bees from fighting on the platform and no signs of another entry into the trap out colony.  I did not however look for the queen to make sure they did not kill her, but I need to switch out the body in another day or so and I'll find out then.

I'll bait the next hive body with a frame of mixed eggs and open/capped brood.
Kris - Ulster County, NY

 

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