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BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: jmblakeney on February 11, 2011, 11:52:32 am

Title: Swarm Season
Post by: jmblakeney on February 11, 2011, 11:52:32 am
Hey all,
This is my first year beekeeping and I was wondering if there is any one out there around the Tennessee area who knows around about when the swarm season usually starts kicking up.  I am making some of Robo's Bushkill Swarm Traps and didn't know when to start putting them out.  Also, is there really that much difference between the lure's that you can use (lemongrass oil or the swarm lure from the catalogs)?
Thanks
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: VolunteerK9 on February 11, 2011, 11:56:02 am
The first week of May last year I caught my first swarm-I'm going to put my traps out around the first of April. My thinking is if we have any early Spring it could make for early swarms. I had two traps out in the same area, one baited with the commercial pheromone and the other lemongrass oil. Both had a frame of drawn comb inside. The one that caught the swarm was with the lemongrass oil.
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: jdnewberry on February 11, 2011, 12:07:06 pm
The earliest swarms I have seen around here have been the first week of May.  VolunteerK9 hit it on the head...  Put the traps out in the first part of April and bait with whatever you want.  The lemongrass seems to work well, but then again, so do the commercial lures...
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: John Adams on February 11, 2011, 12:47:29 pm
This will be my first season puting out swarm traps as well. I made 31 traps out of plywood this winter and found a bottle of lemongrass oil at GNC for alot less than the lures sell for. I would like to do a test with say 10 traps that have the lure and 10 that have L.G.O in them, but the wifey thinks I have spent enough money on bees for one year! :roll: With all that being said, some people swear by the lures and others swear by L.G.O.
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: G3farms on February 11, 2011, 04:10:04 pm
I like to stick mine out early April, this gives scout bees time to locate the bait hives. First week of May is a good time to start looking for swarms in this area.

Old comb works good also, I like to use old comb from cut outs that have been rotated out of an established hive.

What part of East TN are you two fellas in? that is a bunch of territory you know.

Good luck with catching swarms this year.
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: jmblakeney on February 11, 2011, 05:33:25 pm
Thank you all for your responses.  I was hoping there would be some people from around my area on here.
I probably will just go ahead with the lemongrass to start out with since it is easily accesible to purchase locally.
Are there that many swarms around east Tennessee?  I know that is a big area, but I have never seen a swarm or wild hive?  Then again I haven't been looking for them untill late last year either. 

If I may ask another question, I plan on applying this Lemongrass oil to the swarm box entrace.  Is this ok?  Will it last for a while just smearing it on the wood, or do I need to reapply it every so often?

G3farms, I am just north of you.  In Clinton, about 35 miles north of Knoxville.  I do work in Knoxville though.

Thanks again for all your help.
James
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: JP on February 11, 2011, 06:39:58 pm
Thank you all for your responses.  I was hoping there would be some people from around my area on here.
I probably will just go ahead with the lemongrass to start out with since it is easily accesible to purchase locally.
Are there that many swarms around east Tennessee?  I know that is a big area, but I have never seen a swarm or wild hive?  Then again I haven't been looking for them untill late last year either. 

If I may ask another question, I plan on applying this Lemongrass oil to the swarm box entrace.  Is this ok?  Will it last for a while just smearing it on the wood, or do I need to reapply it every so often?

G3farms, I am just north of you.  In Clinton, about 35 miles north of Knoxville.  I do work in Knoxville though.

Thanks again for all your help.
James

James, it will evaporate and lose most all of its effect if you just apply it to the wood. One way is to place it on a cotton ball and place the cotton ball in a medicine vial. This will make it last much, much longer.


...JP
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: John Adams on February 11, 2011, 06:58:25 pm


James, it will evaporate and lose most all of its effect if you just apply it to the wood. One way is to place it on a cotton ball and place the cotton ball in a medicine vial. This will make it last much, much longer.


...JP
[/quote]



JP what are you calling a medicine vial? Are you talking about a pill bottle or something else?
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: hardwood on February 11, 2011, 07:03:11 pm
I've been melting a little beeswax and stirring in some LGO when it's melted. put a chunk in your bait hive. The scent lasts a really long time that way.

Scott
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: JP on February 11, 2011, 07:08:28 pm
John, yes, a pill bottle, one of those lil plastic things with the child proof cap.


...JP
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: ronwhite3030 on February 11, 2011, 07:14:33 pm
I guessing you leave the cap off JP? when should I set traps for northern california?
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: John Adams on February 11, 2011, 07:36:05 pm
Child proof my @$$ they're adult proof :-D
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: JP on February 11, 2011, 09:57:51 pm
No Ron, keep the cap on. Puncture a few very small holes in the cap to let some of the fragrance out. The bees will be able to sense the fragrance just fine, their sniffers are far more superior than ours.


...JP
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: jmblakeney on February 11, 2011, 10:10:58 pm
Jp,
Thanks I was gonna put a 1/4" to 1/8" hole in the top.  I thought maybe leaving the top off would waste the scent.  I like your idea of just piercing with a few little holes.
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: bailey on February 11, 2011, 10:55:53 pm
bait with old brood comb if you have it!  if not then use the lemon grass oil..
i use both at the same time and i catch loads of em!

bailey
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: G3farms on February 12, 2011, 08:01:57 pm
Hey James, glad to see ya on the boards. Last year there were not that many swarm calls for me. Do you happen to know Michael Wilson? he lives in the Clinton area. I am way down in the Concord area myself.
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: jmblakeney on February 12, 2011, 09:38:40 pm
G3farms,
I don't know him personally but I do know of him.  I saw him once at the local beekeeping meeting here in clinton.
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: G3farms on February 12, 2011, 09:53:46 pm
He is a good fella and smart too!!

Is that a Melton Hill cat you got in your avatar?
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: jmblakeney on February 12, 2011, 10:08:30 pm
Is that a Melton Hill cat you got in your avatar?
No, it was from a pond in Powell. 

When you say there wasn't that many swarm calls for you last year, how many is not that many?  I only ask b/c I've never saw a swarm around here.  Were do you have your name at, as far as advertising you collect swarms?
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: dp on February 14, 2011, 11:28:00 am
Thank you all for your responses.  I was hoping there would be some people from around my area on here.
I probably will just go ahead with the lemongrass to start out with since it is easily accesible to purchase locally.
Are there that many swarms around east Tennessee?  I know that is a big area, but I have never seen a swarm or wild hive?  Then again I haven't been looking for them untill late last year either.

Word of mouth will help you a lot.  You can't believe how many people hear about swarms, see swarms, know of a hive in a tree etc.  Spread the word that your looking for bees, and the calls will come in.  Just be prepared for the cut-out calls.  Good luck.
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: VolunteerK9 on February 14, 2011, 11:33:49 am
[
 Were do you have your name at, as far as advertising you collect swarms?

Call your local Police/Fire Department as well as your local utility company. Give them all your contact info. It worked for me last year on a couple of different swarm calls. Most people generally don't know who to contact about a swarm, so inevitably 911 gets called.
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: jmblakeney on February 25, 2011, 10:43:49 pm
bait with old brood comb if you have it!  if not then use the lemon grass oil..
i use both at the same time and i catch loads of em.

I have got three medium frames of brood comb that was rotated out of my beekeeping buddies hive.  (there are no problems with his hives, as far as diseases go)  I will be setting out more than three swarm traps, so, could I maybe cut some chunks out of these frames of comb?   Maybe a 1" x 3" section and put one chunk in each trap.  If so, should I just put the chunk on the bottom floor of the trap?  Will this be enough for the scouts to catch a whiff?

I plan on using a medicine bottle with Lemongrass oil as JP suggested, in addition to this comb section.  Any suggestions as to how or where to mount this medicine bottle.
 
Again, thanks for all your responses to this thread. 
James
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: JP on February 26, 2011, 12:46:25 am
Just hang the pill bottle from one of the frames, the comb you can place anywhere inside the trap.


...JP
Title: Re: Swarm Season
Post by: T Beek on February 26, 2011, 05:27:19 pm
I put out swarm traps about a month after packages are hived in my area  ;)


thomas