How to set bee traps and lure a swarm into an empty hive

Beginning beekeepers are often interested in catching wild bees, which they need to develop their apiary. These insects are used to create the first families. Despite the fact that layering, queens and bee colonies are sold in specialized farms, it is much more profitable to catch stray swarms. Therefore, the question of how to lure bees into an empty hive is considered quite relevant.

Why lure?

A caught swarm of bees helps to increase the size of the apiary, as the swarms quickly increase the number of individuals.In addition, catching new inhabitants of the bee farm makes it possible to increase the volume of bribes.

Wild swarms are most prized. These bees have the following characteristics:

• high efficiency;
• resistance to many pathologies to which domestic animals are susceptible;
• resistance to climatic factors.

Modern beekeepers try to avoid swarming so as not to lose insects. Therefore, ancient fishing methods are almost never used. By adding a roaming bee swarm to your farm, you can create new strong hives with different genotypes. In addition, many individuals that leave the apiary do not always manage to find new housing. As a result, they die in winter. In such cases, catching helps save the insects' lives.

How to find a suitable place?

To catch a swarm of bees in an empty hive, it is important to choose the right place to install it. It is not always possible to do this in the yard, but experienced beekeepers have succeeded. The optimal places for catching insects include forests, fields, and gardens.

Field

If there are no forests near the apiary, it is permissible to catch swarms in the field. Bees fly there to collect nectar. To catch a queen with her family, you need to place a box at the edge of the site.

Garden

If you can’t place the boxes in the forest or near a field, you can try to do it in the garden. It is recommended to place the trap on a tree during flowering of fruit plants. Bees collect nectar from fruit inflorescences. Therefore, you need to choose one fruit plant and attach a fishing box to it.

If there are no fruit trees on the site, the bait can be attached to a linden tree. When it blooms, bees will fly in to collect nectar.

Trees

Wild bees most often swarm on trees that grow in forest plantations.Therefore, it is recommended to choose suitable plants and install the structure at a height of 5-6 meters. If this is not possible, it is mounted at a height of 3 meters.

A tall and branchy crop is suitable for installing the box. It shouldn't be very noticeable. It is important that the structure can withstand strong gusts of wind. Oak or pine is suitable for fastening the box. But the plant must be located next to honey plants.

Fishing methods

Today there are many methods of catching bees. This allows each beekeeper to choose the best option.

Lures

To attract a swarm, beekeepers treat scions with special agents. They influence the instincts of insects. Often such baits are made from extracts of pheromones and dissolved gland particles. It also includes the following components:

• geranic acid;
• neroliic acid;
• stabilizer hexane.

The effect of veterinary drugs is largely determined by the rate of pheromone evaporation. In addition, the beekeeper needs to position the bait correctly with his own hands. The box should not allow moisture to pass through. In addition, it needs to be painted before being placed on the site.

Traps

You can catch bees using special devices. Making a trap is not difficult. At the same time, it will be possible to catch bees even if there is no apiary nearby. When making a structure, it is important to consider the following:

1. Build a box that will become a temporary new home for insects. Essentially, this is the same hive, but it is smaller in size.
2. To make a box, you can use ordinary plywood or thin boards. At the same time, the appearance is not particularly important - the trap will only become a temporary shelter for the bees.
3. The inside of the trap should be comfortable. It is important to observe all proportions and avoid the appearance of cracks through which drafts will appear.
4. When creating a trap, it is important to consider that half of the insects are separated from the family. Therefore the box should be quite large. Otherwise the swarm will fly by.
5. The best option would be a box in which it is recommended to place 5-8 frames. Young bees settle in such a room.
6. The parameters of the taphole should be 6-7 centimeters in length and 1 centimeter in height. This will help prevent rodents from getting inside. It is important to install a board with a protrusion of at least 3 centimeters before the tap hole.
7. It is permissible to cover the top of the trap with bark or branches. To make it easier for insects to go there, the inside walls should be coated with wax.
8. To keep it dry inside, you can build a roof. It is overlapped and covered with waterproof material.
9. To attract a young family, you should use frames with drawn foundation, but they should not contain honey. Its scent may attract thief wasps.

• Traps usually do not need to be insulated, as they are used exclusively in the summer.

If a swarm has settled in a trap, you need to do the following:

1. Help the insects adapt to the trap. Only after 2-3 days they need to be moved to a new place.
2. It is recommended to move the trap only in the evening, when all the bees are in the nest. It is recommended to close the entrances.
3. It is worth hanging a new one in the place where the trap was installed.
4. Before moving insects to a permanent place, you need to inspect the frames and find the queen.
5. The transplant will only work if the queen is in the hive.
6. For the family, it is recommended to add a few more frames with new wax and dried drying.

No traps

You can catch stray bees without traps. To lure insects, you should use a bed, dadan or the lower part of the hive.To catch bees, the device needs to be taken 50 meters from the main apiary, put several frames with dry land and leave it for a swarm to settle there. This method has the important advantage that it can be used as a beehive. In this case, the family will not have to be relocated.

You can also catch bee swarms using a frame carrier. You need to install several sushi there and rub the walls with wax. Its smell attracts bees.

When the swarm is completely seated in the box, it needs to be hung on a branch. However, the structure is strictly prohibited from being placed on the ground. Ants can get in with the bees. In this case, the family will fly away. The upper part of the carrier must be covered with a cloth and left for a certain time. In the evening you can begin relocation.

Drugs

Special preparations will help lure bees. There are many effective products on the market today.

"Apimil"

This bee bait is considered very effective. It includes components such as geranium, stabilizer Phenosan-43, geranic acid. It also contains phenylacetic acid methyl esters, citral, and 9-ODC.

"Apiroi"

This product is available in gel form.It has an effective effect on a bee swarm and can radically change its behavior. The composition is used to attract swarms. For this purpose, you need to treat a trap, swarm or empty hive with the product. It is important to place the treated structure on the windy side.

"Uniroi"

This remedy is also considered very effective. It helps to catch a bee colony or queen. The product is released in the form of a gel. It is made from synthetic attractants and natural ingredients with a strong aroma. Before placing the queen, a drop of the substance and a little honey are applied to her abdomen. After treatment, the queen is placed in the center of the nest.

The drug needs to be sprayed on the scion in a circle. For internal processing of the box, 1 gram of the substance is needed.

How to prevent leaving the hive

To prevent the hive from leaving the apiary, there are certain secrets:

1. Roy the first one flies out with the intention of leaving his family.
2. At this time, you need to bring the hive, installing 3 frames in it.
3. Carefully remove the frames with honey and printed brood from the colony. In this case, it is important to prevent frames containing queen cells from getting into them.
4. Place the structures in the new hive.
5. Cover the top with a tail.
6. It is acceptable to use brood from another family.
7. This allows you to get a bait hive.
8. To increase efficiency, rub the outside of the structure with lemon catnip.
9. After this, you need to monitor flying insects. The new hive should move smoothly behind them.
10. When the bees land on the structure, you should install a house and wait for the swarm to settle in it.
11. Move the structure to the shade - to a permanent place.

Transporting the swarm

Once the bees are trapped, you will need to transport them to the apiary. It is recommended to do this in warm, windless weather.This allows you to avoid increased bee aggression and minimize the likelihood of bites. It is important to wait until sunset when the last bees enter the trap after work. Then you should climb the tree, carefully close the entrance, remove the box and use an additional rope to lower the structure down. At the same time, you cannot make noise.

It is quite possible to catch wild bees. To do this, you can use special traps or other devices. Of no small importance is the use of special baits that attract insects.