Collecting Swarms – The Nuts And Bolts Of It
One option that may be employed to collect swarms is the swarm “bait hive”. It is simply a box that is placed as an artificial nest cavity for bees. Prior to bees swarming, the colony will send scout bees to seek suitable sites. They are most attracted to locations with adequate space.
They prefer a cavity of about 6 gallons situated 7 + feet above ground level. They also prefer old bee nest sites, The pheromones from the old colony linger for years and acts as a “free rent” sign for the scout bees. If available old beekeeping equipment works well. An old 10 frame box is about the correct volume and has the old bee odor as an attractant. To increase attractiveness, a commercially produced “swarm lure” can be added.
In the event an old hive is not available an old piece of comb can be substituted in your “artificial cavity”. Any beekeeper would be glad to provide a beginner with an old piece of comb.
Then all you need to do is place your “bait hive” in a likely location and let nature take its course.
What to do when you get a call to collect a swarm.
When you receive a call to collect a swarm it will generally be from a very excited individual that has a swarm of bees the size of a automobile hanging in the tree beside of their house, and everyone inside is deathly allergic. No one can leave until you come and rescue them immediately. Be prepared.
Have your equipment ready .
Equipment list:
- Protective gear, veil, gloves etc.
- container for bees (hive body, cardboard box etc)
- spray bottle with syrup or water
- roll of duct tape or wide packing tape
- short ladder (mine is only a 4 footer since I do not plan to scale a 40 foot tree to capture a swarm!)
Taking a risk may seem like a good idea at the time and makes for a great story later. Do not take unnecessary risks, please be safe! You can embellish the story later over an adult beverage.
PLEASE NOTE! I purposely did NOT include a smoker as a piece of equipment for swarm collection. DO NOT use a smoker on swarms!
Smoke is used to modify the bees behavior. It triggers the bees to consume honey, and it also interferes with important pheromone communication. Used when collecting swarms it could trigger the swarm to take flight. Smoking a swarm is a bad idea.
Mist the swarm with the sprayer using very light sugar syrup (couple teaspoons of sugar in a 16 oz. Or larger spray bottle to spray the bees. You spray the bees to give them something to do. They will lick the syrup off of each other and it sticks them together which is just what you want. If you do not have sugar, plain water will work. The bees have a natural waxy coating on the body, so moderately misting or spraying water/syrup will not do them harm. Don’t drown them. The bees have to breath. They breath through the spiracles located near the front of the wings.
Note: do not use a sprayer that has been used for any kind of soap! Soap is harmful to bees! Soap will break down the waxy coating on the exterior of the bees and could cause them to “drown”.
After spraying the bees with syrup/water you can generally shake or brush the swarm into a container. I prefer a fairly large cardboard box. Cheap, disposable, light and easy to work with. Then use the tape to seal it up.
The best time to collect the swarm would be in in the evening (if possible). Most of the bees will be there just before dark. You may find that you must leave a few “stragglers” or orphans. Often this can not be prevented.
Evening is also the best time to install the swarm in the actual permanent hive.
Shake!
Shake the swarm in the hive, add frames with foundation or comb, apply the food source (sugar syrup) and let them begin making themselves at home.
Remember when working in the evening that bees will be attracted to light. Avoid using your light as much as possible. Of course, you could always give the light to the annoying person that is trying to tell you how to do it. Sure-fire way of getting rid of unwanted “sidewalk superintendents”.
Swarms will generally have an older Queen. Once the swarm becomes established after a few weeks you can then re-Queen it with a young prolific productive Queen. The one that YOU the steward/manager of the colony chooses. You can purchase Queens from suppliers that have selected characteristics or traits such as disease/parasite resistance, gentleness, overwintering ability, etc. Make sure you follow up after a couple of weeks with your parasite surveys and treatments if necessary.
I trust you will enjoy your bees as much as I have over the years. Observe and learn!
Regards,
Buzz
Be sure to read Part One of this Beekeeping series!
Thank you for the series of articles, Buzz. I’ve enjoyed reading them. About a decade ago when I heard about colony collapse disorder, I thought about trying to make a hive just to help protect the critters. I thought that if the enormous operations are having problems, maybe some micro hives would provide enough bees to repopulate if necessary. If I ever get some land, I now have an idea how to start. Thank you!