Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: wouldliketobee on January 13, 2011, 03:04:01 pm
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How early should I set out my swarm traps here in southeast Iowa ? Also I have a co-worker that wants me to do a trap out on a tree, I've been trying to absorb all the info on here and I'm going to try it this spring ,when should I start the trapout ,March ,April ,Or May? Thanks for all the information.
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Do you want to trap out an existing hive in a tree or just catch swarms?
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Sounds like he wants to do both. Here in E. TN the first swarms will start in the last weeks of April, not sure about your area though.
Fot the trapout I would wait until the nite temps were in the mid fifties myself. This will help the trapped bees keep the brood warm and alive. By this time there should be plenty of flow going on to get the going.
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Nectar flows are more of a factor than dates/temps for swarms and these vary greatly by region. Check with local beeks for when your spring flow typically starts and set your traps 2 weeks before the anticipated flow starts. The spring flows could be later than usual this year with the crazy weather most of us have been having.
Last year the unusually cold winter here actually forced an early (and sporadic) saw palmetto bloom.
Once swarms are flying you can start your trap out.
Scott
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And make sure to place traps by the bee tree!!!
Scott
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I put them out in March. Mid-April is the earliest I hearn of a swarm showing up here.
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Here in Michigan I put my traps out mid May. I have never caught a swarm before May 25 and caught them last year till the end of June. Latest one I caught was last year too. It was in the first of August? Hoping that that one lives through the winter. It was a small cluster going into winter and only had about 12 frames drawn. We will see.
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You can bump things up if you find a bee tree and free syrup and pollen sub. That's my plan for this spring get the bee tree to swarm before i do a trap out on them. That way i make sure i get the old queen.
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Thanks for all the replies ,I would like to feed the bee tree and catch swarms from it but the owners just want them gone, as soon as possible, without destroying the tree, I was going to do it last fall but I was working 7 days a week and I thought it was too late in the year , I set a couple swarm traps last year at my brothers farm and caught one small swarm in July but they absconded , I think I transfered them too soon to a full size box. I had other oportunities for swarms but I wasn't prepared ,especially working seven days a week so I had to pass on some ,I'm hoping I don't have to work seven days a week so I have more time to enjoy this great hobby.
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Keep what I call a swarm kit in the truck during the summer.
a file or paper box (the box reams of paper come in), break it down so it will fold up
duct tape, to put the box back together again
an old sheet
veil
smoker
small pair of limb loppers
take the box and cut a couple of 4" to 6" square holes in opposite sides and cover with screen wire, this will allow for ventilation while in transport
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That's my plan for this spring get the bee tree to swarm before i do a trap out on them. That way i make sure i get the old queen.
Why is the old queen important? Isn't it common to have to replace the queen in a trap out?
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Well the idea of gathering swarms from bee trees and such is for survivor stock. Trap outs very rarely allow you to capture the old queen. May be losing some good genetics by just going ahead with a trap out of course sometimes we have no choice. A cutout on a bee tree is a thing that should be avoided unless you have absolutly no other way. They are messy many places for the queen to hide and where you have to use a chainsaw it's like using a sledge hammer to drive in a tac. Just from experience it's a pain in the rear. That said if i have to do it that way i would but i'd rather trap out or cut the bee tree and haul it home.
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I may ask the owner if I could put up a couple of swarm traps before doing the trap out,one of their biggest concerns was the hive was eating up their hummingbird feed and chasing away the sqirrels in the tree and they think that the bees will take up residence in their house somewhere , it is in a small town and I will try to keep things hidden from the public to try to avoid problems, the swarm kit that G3 mentioned sounds nice and compact I will make one up soon, thanks for all the great ideas.
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In Central Texas, I put out my traps out the last week of February. March 1 is the earliest we'll see a swarm.
I put out 10 last year, caught 6. I've got 30 traps this year.
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Just like fishing, the more hooks in the water the better the chance of catching something.
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Just like fishing, the more hooks in the water the better the chance of catching something.
My mother tolled me you better not eat every thing you catch. ;)
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You'll want to put out syrup and pollen sub early to intice them to swarm make sure they have both at all times as to simulate a flow. Remember to use lemon grass oil and some old comb if you have them in your traps. Will make things more manageable while doing the trapout if you don't have so many bees to deal with. Also make good and sure after doing the trapout to seal it up unless you want to do it again next year :evil: also ask the owner if you can hang a swarm trap in or around the tree as swarms later on will be inclined to take up residence.
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Also make good and sure after doing the trapout to seal it up unless you want to do it again next year
Actually that is the plan. The owner is not bothered by the bees. He is just letting me take them because I have an interest. The bees have already been removed once by cut out method and have returned again. I think my biggest issue is going to be insuring that there is only one entrance. That may foil the whole idea.
It appears that silicone is the choice caulk to seal things up. Does anyone feel something like quickset or another masonry product wouldn’t work instead of the silicone?
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I came up with another swarm trap today,I removed a water heater from a friends property last fall full of bees I tried to set them up on my property to hopefully survive the winter but they absconded, I think they got robbed but anyway they were only there a couple of weeks , I just now cut open the water heater and found about a dozen nice looking but empty combs so I am planning on putting a wood top and bottom on it and hanging some frames in it and setting it out next spring , I was going to take it to scrap yard tomorrow but now i'm going to keep the 24inch by 18 diameter piece and just take the unoccupied part to the dump. The piece I'm keeping should have plenty of scent and the price is right ,if it doesn't work I'll scrap it later on .
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A waterheater bee hive hanging in a tree. Now there is a picture. ;)
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a waterheater bee hive hanging in a tree. ;)
Red Neck
Here's your Sign :jerry:
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It's not actually a water heater like people are thinking I think it is some sort of expansion tank for radiator type heat, it's galvanized and maybe 18 inches in diameter, right now it is a galvanized piece of pipe 18 inches in diameter after I cut it in half and cut the end out of it ,I was thinking of someone on here that used sonatubes for swarm traps I don't see much difference and this one has already caught one swarm, I have a couple of nucs I built ,one of which caught a swarm last year I don't know if I'll have time to build any more this year it sounds like we are going to start working 7 days a week again.
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a waterheater bee hive hanging in a tree. ;)
Red Neck
Here's your Sign :jerry:
I don't mind the redneck remark although I don't consider myself much of one , but the" here' s your sign" remark is saying I'm stupid which I am not!
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Where is BJ when you need him!! :-D :-D
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Why is the old queen important? Isn't it common to have to replace the queen in a trap out?
Sure the queen would be good for the genetics, but getting the queen to slim down and stop laying gets the hive shut down that much faster.
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March, April or May will do fine. You'll probably have the best luck in May...
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The owner of the bee tree that I was going to trap out , called me last night the hive swarmed and ended up in a cedar tree about 4 foot up I caught the swarm this morning, I plan on starting the trap out next week.