2nd swarm trapping

This morning it's not clear whether I'm observing active scouting or a move-in at the hanging swarm trap.   After a few more hours, I looked again and now convinced there's a move-in - see the large lump of bees attached to the bottom of the box that was not previously present.  Tomorrow the forecast calls for rain - so, I'm glad they'll stay dry.  This is my 2nd successful swarm trapping this spring.

This is my largest swarm ever, I always say that.  In a few days, I'll transfer the frames and can really judge the size of this swarm.

This hanging 8-frame deep contains 1 frame of brood comb, 7 frames with foundation and a swarm lure.   A hole saw was used to create two entrances - one that you can see and another on the bottom side.

Hanging swarm trap advantages:

• no ladder climbing required with this rope hanging scheme
• large volume created by 8 deep frames
• movable frames can be transferred into other deep boxes without cutting comb 
• bottom entrance encourages complete move-in and discourages comb building beneath the box
• sustainable alternative to splitting

Hanging swarm trap disadvantages:

• requires foundation as the swarm trap is not left-right level

The best element of the hanging swarm trap scheme is the safety of no ladder climbing. My next steps include using window screen and duct tape to cover the bottom entrance and to gradually move the trap to its final location.  I'll move small distances every day or every other day to minimize bee entrance confusion.

Swarm Trap - March 25th '17

Active scouting quickly changed into a mid-afternoon move-in.   Bees appear to be pouring sideways into the swarm trap entrance. This hanging 8-frame deep contains 1 frame of brood comb, 7 frames with foundation and a swarm lure.   A hole saw was used to create two entrances - one that you can see and another on the bottom side.  I don't want to use foundation, but the non-level box is not suitable for foundation-less frames.   It's too good to be true, this swarm did not demonstrate any comb building behavior beneath the box.   After an hour, everyone was inside.   It rained last night. I'm glad they stayed dry and are presumably busy drawing comb.

betterbee wood nucleus box attracts swarm

I created 5 swarm traps - all contain some dark brood comb and a swarm lure.  After many days of scouting, the swarm selects one - yellow highlighter indicates the characteristics of the selected swarm trap.:

• entrance size and geometry -  1" round or 12" x 3/4" rectangle
• entrance height above ground -  3' or 16'
• entrance orientation - south, east or west
• cavity volume - 1387 cubic inch or 5030 cubic inch
• direct morning sun or no morning sunshine

Not every combination was created

• 3 large volume swarm traps have a 12" x 3/4" entrances which face west and are 3 feet above ground.  
• 2 small volume swarm traps have a 1" round entrance facing either south or east and are 16 feet above ground. 

As the swarm trap contains movable frames, there is no urgency to lower the nucleus box to a shady ground location.  If morning sun played a significant role in their cavity selection, then let them enjoy the sun while the weather is still cool and wet.

small hive beetle larvae & dark brood comb

If I told you what happened, you probably would not believe it. The first photo contains the queen's retinue. When my finger tips touch these bees, enough space opens up for me to see her majesty - this experience is a rare gift.

I have been away for one week and returned to a hive with significantly fewer bees - maybe the hive swarmed, perhaps more than once.  My concern is that this hive has a huge surplus of honey, and many deep frames of dark brood comb attractive to small hive beetles (SHB) - too many frames, too much space and too few bees to keep the SHB confined to the margins of hive.

To my horror, several frames in the bottom box of this skyscraper hive contain SHB larvae crawling through pollen, honey and the dark brood comb.   I created a new hive configuration containing no dark brood comb at all.  I moved the small population of bees onto clean light colored comb, added a one gallon pail of 1:1 syrup (with Honey B Healthy) and reduced the entrance.  Stay tuned.