Most novice beekeepers ask themselves: where to get insects? There are two ways to get your first bees: buy it, but it will be very expensive, or catch stray ones. How to catch a swarm of bees will be discussed in this article.

How to trap a swarm

This article will be useful not only for beginners, but also for beekeepers with practice. Because families tend to swarm, they sometimes need to be returned to the apiary. For these purposes, you need to put a special device called a trap. What is the device for?

Sooner or later, a process such as swarming occurs in a bee colony. At first, the young swarm flies off not far from the native hive, but it stays there for a short time. Therefore, it is very important not to miss this important point. If the beekeeper did not have time to react in time, then the swarm flies away with the young queen.

According to natural instincts, bees fly away from the old nest as far as possible, so that there is no overpopulation of insects and there is enough food. For this reason, traps are set in the garden. If done correctly, as a result, young bees will mistake them for their new nest.

How to trap a swarm

How to make a trap correctly

The construction of the trap is quite simple and not laborious. When creating a structure, the following rules should be taken into account:

  • It is necessary to make a box that will serve as a temporary new home for the bees. If you look at the trap from the point of view of beekeeping, then this is the same hive, only much smaller.
  • For the construction of the box, you can use regular plywood or thin boards. Do not think about the aesthetics and appearance of the structure, since it will only be used temporarily. Secondly, an unsightly design will not attract a thief's attention.
  • Despite the fact that the outside of the trap looks like something, inside it must be made in such a way that the bees are comfortable there. It is necessary to maintain all proportions and not allow gaps through which drafts will form.
  • When creating a trap, you need to remember that half of the bee army is separated from the family, so the box must be roomy. Otherwise, the swarm will fly by.
  • The most optimal trap would be a drawer that can hold five to eight frames. It is in such a room that young bees can settle.
  • The parameters of the entrance should correspond to six to seven centimeters in length and one centimeter in height, so that no rodent can penetrate into the trap. In front of the entrance, a plank with a ledge of at least three centimeters must be attached.

How to make a bee trap

  • Externally, the trap can be covered with tree bark or branches with leaves. Thus, people will not notice it, but nevertheless it will attract bees. In order for insects to better go to it, the inner walls must be covered with wax.
  • To keep the inside of the box always dry, you need to take care of the roof. It is built in a small overlap and covered with a waterproof material.
  • To attract a young family, it is best to use frames with already drawn foundation, but without honey, since its aroma can attract a thief to itself and the wasp.
  • In most cases, the trap is not insulated, since it is suitable only in the summer.

Interesting!From the above, we can conclude that the trap differs from a full-fledged hive in that it is created from improvised material that is on the farm.

When you have caught a swarm of bees, you need to know what to do next. If the trap was made correctly and the swarm settled in it, then the following actions will be as follows:

  • The bees need to be helped to adapt to a new place, only after two or even three days they move to a permanent place.
  • The trap is transferred only in the evening, when all the bees will be in the nest, and it is necessary to close the entrances.
  • At the place where the trap was set, they hang another.
  • Before you move insects to a permanent place, first of all, you need to inspect the frame and find the uterus.
  • The transplant will only be successful if the queen is housed.
  • For the family, you need to substitute a few more frames with the already drawn dry and with a new foundation.

Fishing without a trap

Bee trap

Important!In order to catch a swarm in this way, it is necessary to use a dadan, a lounger or the lower hive body. They take him fifty meters from the main apiary, set several frames with dry land and leave him waiting for the swarm to settle. The main advantage of this method is that this structure can be safely used as a hive, and the family does not have to be relocated.

Catch a swarm with a carry

As soon as there are suspicions that the family has begun to divide into two camps, action must be taken immediately. Catching bee swarms is possible with a frame carrier, several sushi are placed there, and the walls are rubbed with wax, the smell of which attracts insects.

Catch a swarm with a carry

After the swarm begins to sit on a tree in the garden, you need to put the carrier on your head and slowly move after the bees. Soon the swarm will begin to fly into the box, while you need to be careful and not move abruptly. As soon as the uterus sits on the frame, then soon the whole family will join her. Many people ask themselves the question: "What to do with the caught swarm of bees?"

After the swarm has completely sat down in the box, it must be hung on a branch, but never placed on the ground. Ants can crawl to the bees, and the family will escape from them. The top of the carrier is covered with a cloth and left on for a while. In the evening, you can start moving.

How to lure bees into an empty hive

How to catch a pheasant?

On a note!In order to attract new families to your apiary, you need to follow some of the recommendations of experienced beekeepers on how to drive bees into the hive.

Exactly six frames must be placed in an empty hive. Wild bees have their own personality and intelligence. If there are not enough frames, they will simply fly by. If there are more frames, then they will attract a not very large family.

It will be useful to rub the walls of the hive and the hive with a mixture of herbs: lemon, mint, basil.

Before catching bees, it should be borne in mind that frames with already used foundation attract wild individuals, and new sushi and foundation are interesting for families who have left the apiary.

How to lure bees into an empty hive

The hive, which is set up to attract the swarm, must be constantly viewed, but in no case should it be moved. It may appeal to scout bees, and when moving, they simply will not find it in the future. Thus, the bee colony will be lost.

Bee bait

On a note!If someone does not know how to lure bees into a trap, then it should be borne in mind that modern beekeeping uses baits that are designed specifically to catch swarms. The composition of these preparations includes substances that have been selected in accordance with the basic instincts of insects.

How to get rid of wild bees

The most effective baits include the following drugs.

Apimil

It is an effective bee bait. The preparation contains:

  • Geranil;
  • Citral;
  • Nerolic acid;
  • Geranic acid;
  • 9-UEC;
  • Stabilizer Phenosan-43;
  • Phenylacetic acid methyl esters;
  • Phenilo.

Interesting!This drug is created by mixing all drugs under normal conditions. Moreover, this drug is much more effective than traditional substances used in beekeeping.

Apiroy

This is a bait for bee swarms, an analogue of the aforementioned drug, it is released in the form of a gel. It effectively affects the swarm of bees and can completely change their behavior. It is used to attract swarms, having previously processed a trap, swarm or empty hive with it. The only condition is to place the treated trap at a distance of one hundred to eighty meters on the windy side. Then the bee swarms will be trapped.

Apiroy

Sanroy

On a note!The most popular bait that beekeepers have been using for a long time. It consists of strips treated with an aromatic agent, which must be attached to the front walls of the hive or between frames. Such hives should be placed in the southern part of the apiary and placed on the windy side so that the bees can smell a pleasant aroma for them.

Where to set the trap

Swarm traps must be hung with a rope in the forest. For this, it is best to choose:

  • A sunny glade, the edge of a forest or a strip where felling was.
  • Old trees that are lonely placed.
  • A tree that grows on a hill near a body of water.

It is easiest to place traps on trees such as aspen or spruce. In this case, they need to be placed, according to the rules:

  • The box is hung from the north side of the tree;
  • The entrance is also located on the north side;
  • Under no circumstances should the trap be installed in such a way that direct sunlight falls on it. Otherwise, it will not attract the bee colony.
  • Place the box at a height of at least three and a half meters.
  • Be sure to hang it on rafters or rope.

Important!The trap is checked every week.

It is not difficult to catch a swarm, the main thing is to follow all the recommendations and then take care of your pets. Indeed, in the future they will receive the most delicious and useful product from them - honey.