Swarm Traps-Baiting and Setting
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- čas přidán 10. 02. 2023
- Well folks, it is already that time of year. WOW! Just wow! Here we are in the first week of February in this video and we're setting out swarm boxes. This is the earliest I've ever done this. Everything is early this season so it's time to get busy. Come take a ride with me and let me show you "How I do" with swarm boxes.
@brucesbees @thesidelinebeekeeper-craig6924 @ThatBeeMan @CastleHives @628DirtRooster @JeffHorchoff @BeekeepingWithNatalee @NaturesImageFarmGregBurns @aCanadianBeekeepersBlog @TheCaliforniaBeekeeper @bobbinnie9872 @josephrawls
Great prices and an excellent beekeeping equipment supplier that I use:
HillCo Bees: hillcobees.com/
@hillcollc
FB: / hillcobees
Bob Walker at
@WalkerBeeRanch
Jason at:
@BohemiaBees
www.bohemiabees.com/store
Thanks for joining me in my bee yard here in Louisiana as I share how I maintain my beehives. My videos are not meant to be 'How To' videos, but simply me sharing my experiences in beekeeping as I learned it from my mentors, teachers, and studies.
#bees #beekeeping #beehive #honeybees #hiveinspection #savethebees #honey #honeycomb #beeswax #swarming #swarmtrap
Swarm Rustler is No price advantage over swarm commander @$29.99 for 2 Oz on Amazon
Well, looks that way, but I got it cheaper, so I guess I can't complain. But with people buying the swarm commander, I'm sure the Rustler will do well too. And he has the bullet tubes. To me, even if I didn't buy the spray bottle, the little bullet tubes are cheap and reusable. I'm glad to support Bob though, so I wish him well on this.
@MikeBarryBees hey Bud thanks for the videos 10k soon wow 👌 👏
No Lemongrass at all actually lol but smells lemony
Very interesting...Interesting indeed....
Thanks for the help..
Glad you found it helpful!
Thank you, sir, for sharing your experience.
You’re welcome and thanks for watching!!
Mike it's always a pleasure to see your videos and your passion for bees are amazing. Thank you for sharing all your wisdom with us greatly appreciated best of luck with your swarm traps Mike..
Thanks so much Patrick. Really, really appreciate that.
Love to see your excitement and passion for what you do.
Thank you so much!!
Definitely getting mine out early here in Oklahoma. Thanks for all the information. Like the medium and deep idea. Take care and God bless.
Early, early, early.. that’s all I’m hearing from folks. Got either a swarm or a lot of scouts in one already!! 😀😀. Looking forward to seeing your video on setting yours.
You’re right about that traps
Thanks for watching!!
There ya go! Good luck Mike. I will probably hang a few but really not looking to catch as many swarms. Trying to fix my genetics a little bit. But swarms are so much fun to catch. I probably can’t resist.
You can’t deny the fun😀😀. I got a short phone video of either a swarm in one or just a bunch of scouts. I set it six dats ago in the first week of February Exciting! And amazing! Going to check it tomorrow.
Kinda like hunting and fishing, but this deal can pay you $
I've heard that you should put them out several weeks before you thi k they might swarm since scout bees are looking before they swarm. Some say they have a good idea where they are going before they leave the hive.
I agree with that 100 % the know where their headed part ..not always of course but with traps ,usually I've noticed .
Yes, swarms are right around the corner and scouts are out now, so that’s why we start in February for an end of February, beginning of March swarm season. The bees are checking out numerous locations before they leave the main colony. When they have a few places scouted out, they leave the colony and gather very nearby the hive in a tree or on a post or wherever. Then they remain there until they come to a consensus on which place to inhabit. That can be three hours or three days. Or never. If they cannot come to a consensus, they will remain in place and begin building comb right there. Most always they come to a consensus. Tom Seeley writes about it in his book.’Honeybee Democracy’
@@MikeBarryBees Witnessed this about 1960. Swarm landed on a branch of an apple tree about head high. After a few days they started building comb right there anchored to that branch. they built 2 combs hanging down about a foot and a half. Started a third comb several times but it kept breaking off at the branch and started a pile of broken comb on the ground. After a while they all disappeared except the wax on the ground. I figger someone finally got around to collecting them. That was my first exposure to honeybees. I used to stand there, only a foot or two away, watching them for what seemed like hours almost every day.
Had Mr.Ed or DirtRooster hired that Chopper ? 🙃
Back to watching the 2nd Bait Box Installation. After to many YT Ads ! 👀
Comment :
I had x60k Bee Swarm come to me into a Hive last June 2022.(Preused Hive Boxes x3 Stacked Langstroth Deeps :(Deadout from Dec '21.)
Flew in off the Washing Line, right into that Hive on a x1ft High Hive Stand, here in Scotland 🏴 Wow what a sight
Just need to wait for May for Bait Hive use.
Yep, Swarms are even near me, a 3rd New Newbie Beek. Can't wait for Bee Season to start. 😎
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Happy Beekeeping 2023
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Ha!! That’s why that thing flew so low. I bet they did!! I had to stop and start because of that H-60.😁😁😁. Best wishes on your upcoming season across the pond!! Thanks so much for watching and good deal on that nice swarm!!
I catch more bees in my own yards than any where else, and they aren't always my own bees. I always set up any empty boxes as traps in my yards. No extra drive time, I am there anyways.
Tads, I see the same thing with swarms in my own yard. Plenty of times swarms on my property are from the woods. Bees like to move away from their areas as I’ve read. I used to set one in my front yard every year and I know that at least half of those, if not a bit more, we’re not from my hives in the back.
Hi Mike! Love that blue BWCA T-shirt! I don't believe there are any feral honey bees up here. But I do put out swarm traps to cover for my own mismanagement of colonies. It worked three times last year, the fourth got away. Sigh. Not expecting Red Maple bloom here until early May. Thank you!
I see y’all are having a warmup this week. Highs in the 30’s!! Wow, just amazing how different it is for you all compared to us. An old beekeeper told me one time that When you catch your own, you’re just doing splits naturally and much easier😬😁😁
Personally I think all bees begin building up the first new moon after the winter solstice, the degree is dependent on breed and new pollen flow, here in middle Georgia and South of the fall line we never have a complete brood break and the bees find small amounts of pollen year round, as Bruce and Mike both will tell you they're working wild mustard and radish and a few dandelions even in Dec & Jan, mine were bringing 10 to 15 loads of yellow and red pollen per minute Jan 18th
Hi Mike
Enjoyed your video and wish you the best with your swarm traps. Also, the growing zones are slowing and steadily moving north. We have gone from subtropical to tropical. God bless you and stay safe. 🐝😎
Thanks Gregory and wish you the best as well!! Yep, warming up quickly, ready or not...
Wow Thanks Mike! Wasn't Expecting 2 All Star CZcamsrs to do videos! I sure appreciate it! the bullets are on my website. Lure is also there but it is on amazon as well.
No problem Bob. Glad to get the opportunity to try it!!
I've only one swarm trap out, 4 more to bait n set. Good video
Thanks William! I got a report from one of the land owners that there is either a swarm already in it or a whole bunch of scouts. Best wishes on your swarm catching!!
@@MikeBarryBees and to you too. I sure miss the Southeast Louisiana.
Ps. DIY Lure Bullet Vial...
Tip :
Most Folk have Covid Test Kits stashed/shoved in a Drawer somewhere. 🙃
Take those "Tester Vials" from these eg 'Out of Date,' Kits.
They just need a bit of Lemon Grass Essential added into them. And a bit of Snapped off 'Tooth Pick' to be your "Wick" ! Simples. 😎
I still find old Wax Comb and Waxed/Propolised Frames work the best. With a dot of LG Oil too.
Best thing is watching those 'Scout Bees' doing RealEstate New Home visits, in the days of before: "Magic of Nature." Last year was my 1st time having a Swarm fly in. Wow !
Now I know what to look for when a Box might have achieved a "Baited" status
Re: incoming Bees Swarm(s).
To come to Me and my Garden ! Nice... 👍
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Happy Beekeeping 2023
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Yes indeed, watching the scouts and then seeing a bunch of the advance party show up is so neat. I’ve had a few opportunities to see the advance party and then all of a sudden the swarm shows up, it’s just amazing. I actually have a video of one showing up to inhabit a cavity in a mobile office space and I had my box there baited to try and divert them, and it worked!! Amazing!! Thanks for sharing the tip!!
@@MikeBarryBees
Your Welcome ! There must be so many Covid Test Vials (Kits) stashed in Homes. Ask your Beeks other halves to seek out those kits and do their bit for Bees ! 😉
Yes I did learn😊thank you. I get excited watching and I am going to fix me a swarm trap today. It is fun to catch and rescue bees
I’m so glad you liked the video and thanks. Best wishes on swarm catches!!
you sure have a lot of guts to stumble around that brush with all those creepy Crawley things you have coiled up on the ground down there. I'm going to put out a few traps this year maybe 5, I have a neighbor who wants some bees and if I can give them wild ones it will be cheaper for me.
I say the same thing about people that live in grizzly country 🐻. I gave away the swarms I caught. It’s a great way to get someone started for nothing but a little time and a few frames.
I know Mike's technique works, nuff said
Thank for the vote of confidence Carl!! I was thinking about you when I made the statement about folks having success with what I do.
I got to get off my butt and get my traps up with LG oil, that's works foe me, I left my lucky trap up for maybe a late swarm or abscound to use, now it has a nest of flying squirrels living in it LOL went to get it and clean it up and bait it and 3 came out running across my cap.
@@carlsledge3868 😳😳😂😂
I’m using a plain 6 x 2” Cedar because plywood will be too wide and accumulate too much water and lives underneath.
Definitely need to make it work for your application. Thanks for watching!!
thanks for great video one deep and one medium works for the bees , i have used only deeps iwill add a medium like how you doing , we are 1 month behind you in missouri thanks
You’re welcome and thanks. I have seen a better quality swarm each time I used that configuration, but can’t say that it can’t be happenstance. But you know how it is, when you find something that works, you just go with it.😁😁
thankyou for responding to my questions , i have always used plastic foundation in my hives from mannlake, i have used empty frames when taking brood frames out of colonies to replace with, my question is how do you make starter strips , plastic foundation gets expensive.
@@novarandy79 I just happen to have wax foundation. And when you order from man lake, you could add just one box of ten wireless wax foundations. You could get a couple seasons out of those. And there’s always the tongue depressor stick way. Take some tongue depressors and coat them with wax and lay them in the frame grooves and drop a bit more wax down in to the grooves to hold them in place. Those will work as a guide too.
Just found your channel, and like the way you roll. quick question .....why would you put a frame in a swarm trap with wax moths and eggs? i hate those things. i lost a hive i extracted from the soffit on a two story house because i didn't see any evidence of them when i pulled some decent sized pieces of comb out to rubber band into some frames. fast forward three days when i came back to get them and the entire hive had swarmed and left. opened it up to find that the original 3 frames with their comb (and their only brood) completely encased in silk.
Thanks for checking out the channel. I’ve never had an issue with putting a brood frame of two in a trap. All my frames are frozen for a week and the transferred to boxes with paramoth crystals. So they don’t go in the boxes with any eggs. And we’re usually coming out of winter anyhow. I’ve never had wax moths keep a swarm or. I did however, one year, have a few moth larvae in a small swarm I caught. They were still strong enough to keep them at bay, but that was a very late swarm in the season. Appreciate the question!!
Hey Mike, just a thought, if we catch the earliest swarms, I think we could be catching the more swarmy bees naturally. What are your thoughts on that?
Well, that’s always a possibility. One reason I’m not trapping in one of my old locations is because I catch a very swarmy genetic as I began to trend them. But I personally don’t think that it can be narrowed down to early or late swarms because I catch those usually late. As I think about it, I tend to think that early swarms are from more of the feral locations because they’re not managed. In other words, feral colonies are the first to swarm and swarm early because they have no one splitting or manipulating them, so as they build and nutrition begins to boost the hive and become present in nature, they’re the first to swarm. I think out of that you can get both swarmy or more stable. I guess I’d say that I believe that it’s more genetics than timing. Great question and something to definitely ponder. One place that I get regular swarms always produces solid colonies that don’t tend to swarm too much and I get those usually mid March. So I’ve gotten both early. Thanks for the comment and question!!
What is name of this spray bottle
Swarm Russler. That may not be spelled exactly right but that was the name he mentioned in his video.
Found it. The correct name is Swarm Rustler.
That hole rubing part felt awkward :)))
Umm, not sure about that, but appreciate you watching. Thanks!
@@MikeBarryBees give us a hint, did you catch anything yet?
@@vytbbb7146 a friend shot me a quick video clip of what looked to be scouts going in and out. Hopefully not long now😁😁
Good Job Mike, got to set some swarm Traps soon, Good stuff
Thanks for watching Grayson!
"I don't like swarm commander. It costs $30". I look up swarm rustler and what do you know, it costs $30.
Not sure of your point. I wasn’t saying either was better or cheaper. Matter of fact, I believe I’ve said many times I just as soon use the cheaper lemongrass oil which lasts longer and is way cheaper. I’m simply trying them and letting folks see what I do. Both are expensive in my opinion and truly not needed. The Rustler was a gift, so I used it and I had bought swarm commander a few years ago, just to try it. It all works, just have to choose what we like and what we want to spend. Rustler and Commander are very convenient. Thanks for watching!
Please send me name this spray bottle
Swarm Commander and Swarm Rustler
@@MikeBarryBees thanks sir
You are so right with the extra area needed to be successful with your traps. Duck river has a video on how to build traps that have the extra room..
Yea, I saw Nathan's first swarm videos. A lot of his info is from Tom Seeley who really has some very good writings on swarms. Nathan is a very astute studier and learner and did so good on that video. That's why he will do very well as he transitions to a commercial beekeeper. He listens and learns and is very hard working. I had learned the 40L info from Tom Seeley's writings myself as well as swarm behavior as they leave the hive and move on. Very much worth the reading if you haven't already.
Mr. Ed got you all worked up on them swarms lol. I'm about 2 weeks behind you guys , I'm gonna get mine out soon. It's always fun checking traps and finding a swarm, you never know how big or small it's gonna be. I like the idea of using a deep and a medium I think it works great. God Bless
Yes indeed he did!! I fell exactly the same way. You never know when or how big and just something about walking up and seeing those bees coming and going. Never gets old!!
Swarm Commander is a much better product. Hands down.
I’ve had the same results with both. I was just taught by a 50 year beekeeper about lemongrass and I find it just fine. It’s all good and I let folks decide.
@@MikeBarryBees Swarm Commander took two years of research and development to create. The reason Lemongrass works is because it is part of the chemical compound Nasanov. It works but it doesn't have the complete chemical make up of Nasanov. Swarm Commander is synthesized nasanov. When we created Swarm Commander we took Nasanov into the laboratory and broke it down to it's basic chemistry and rebuilt it using the exact chemical make up of Nasanov. Swarm Commander was the first swarm lure package in a spray bottle. There has since been many companies who have tried to copy our product but many are using simple lemongrass and passing it off and synthetic nasanov. We are the original and proud that we have changed the swarm lure industry. People trying to copy us is a compliment to our innovation. Thanks for posting your video and especially telling folks not to climb too high when mounting their swarm traps. It's really dangerous especially when they are full of bees.
Great video with solid technique for priming the pump with swarm boxes. Thank you for being real with us.
Thanks so much for the kind comment!! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Thanks Mike .. I’ve got swarm fever real bad .. I gotta get the traps out. Too rainy, windy and cold today.
I’m all excited after watching your video ..
Good deal!! That's how I got after Mr. Ed called me. Rainy and wet today here too, so I couldn't go tip the boxes to check growth. Soon though, very soon....
Oh man Mike!!!! You guys down south are really yankin chain. It was 17° F here last night and I know it will a month or a little over before things start happen here. Good luck with your traps man.
Thanks for the well wishes!! That's some cold weather right there. We have a few more nights that will dip below freezing, but before long, they'll be behind us.
Mike, beekeeper can be like catching a plane to go on a trip, if you’re too late you miss out and you can definitely miss catching swarms by being late. I don’t think I’m going to setup any traps. By the time I make splits in a few weeks, I will have all the bees that I need. When I reach my max number I start selling some or giving some away! If my health was better then I would love to have more hives. Before watching this video I looked at the number of your subscribers and thought about how much you’ve grown since I started watching. I think you will hit the 10K mark by the time you harvest your tallow honey. Maybe one of the suppliers we do business with will donate something for you to do a giveaway which seems to help most channels acquire more subscribers and help the supplier sell more supplies!
I agree Don. I miss some years and I get those small secondary swarms. Two seasons ago was the first time I didn’t set at least five. And the two I set last year and caught, I gave them away. I find it hard not to set mine, but like you, I have enough after splits and even have to sell off NUCs. But it’s just fun, especially when I set in new locations. Yes, you’ve been supporting me from the beginning. And I appreciate it for sure. I’ve turned down several offers for free items and endorsements with them. Even turned one down just this week. I did take foundation from premier, but that really didn’t get any further than that. I’m not terribly interested because I’m not sure from one year until the next if I’ll keep up the videos. HiveLife the last two years has kept me at it, but I feel like if I accept and offer, not sure I’d keep it going long enough and wouldn’t want to be tied to having to keep it going. But of course maybe I should’ve took some seeing where it’s gone so far…😂😂😂. But honestly, I was offered very good products, but I couldn’t say with my true heart that I would use them. Good products, but stuff I don’t use so can’t really talk about using them if I don’t use them. I don’t know, hard to explain, but in the end, while I am monetized, it is still a past time.
Got me off my bottom. Going in shop to prepare my traps and hopefully get some out tomorrow. Thanks
Glad I could help...LOL!! Hope you have a great swarm catching season!!
Thanks Mike, God Bless you and yours !
Thanks so much and same to you!!
I only put one swarm trap out and I'm preparing it right now. Here in Central Virginia, I want to have it up by March 1st. I may have to order some of that Swarm Rustler.
That's right around the corner. Virginia sure is a beautiful state. I spent a lot of time there in my younger years. Best wishes on a great swarm catch!!
Great information on swarm baiting. Can’t wait till this years bee season gets rolling. Thanks for sharing part of your day with us! Have a good rest of your weekend :)
Thanks and Have a great weekend and week as well!! Always happy to have you along for the ride!!
I will be putting my swarm traps out the first week of April up here in northern West Virginia. Thanks for a great video buddy. I hope you have success with your swarm traps.
Thanks Mark and hope you have great success as well!!
🤷 Promo SM
Not a promo. Just showing how I do and what I’ve tried. I don’t speak bad about any of them except maybe price points.
Great video, Mike! I've got 5 prepped and ready to go next week.
Thanks so much!! Hope you fill all five soon and in a hurry!!
Great how to video 😂 good luck are you planning to compete with Mr Ed and Dirt Rooster this year?
Oh no!!, I'm not getting involved with those two. They'd beat the pants off me!!
I can only dream of setting swarm traps here in central NH where it is 18 F at 6:35 am and it is light enough outside for me to read a newspaper. The days are getting longer. We have gained 2 hours and 27 minutes of daylight since 12/22/2022. Red maples are a month out before the pollen starts coming in, so I will be looking to have my swarm traps up by mid April. It's great to see the real time advance of the bee keeping spring. Thanks for posting, Happy hunting, Brice
That’s the great thing with CZcams….you can watch as spring progresses it’s way right up to you…😁😁
@@MikeBarryBees Yes indeed, riding the youtube spring swarm wave! Thanks for all the effort that you put into it!
Ornamental cherry trees are blooming early this year in south east NC., my bees love them, I get antsy this time of year. Can’t wait to see my first swarm.!!
Mr. Ed called me and told me the same thing yesterday. He saw them at the cemetery at the Abbey. I have one in the front yard and haven't even looked at it, so you know at daybreak I'll be out there checking...LOL!!
Always interested in a new scent. Curious to see the results
Only thing I would of done is flipped the medium so the hole was at the bottom so when the bees enter they then fly up more after entering. I believe it gives the illusion of more space.
Nice job
I'll surely keep you posted. I guess I could've dome that. Never really thought of it from that perspective. Thanks for the perspective and for the support!!
Watched your video this morning and inspired me to put 2 boxes out for swarms. Scout bees in 1st hour, Abita Springs
Hey there Mark! You better put some out over there. I bet you’ll catch some really fast. Just a lot of bees over your way.
I love catching swarms. i caught 3 swarms last year
Me too. It's just plain fun!!
@@MikeBarryBees it sure is especially when you can stand in the middle of the swar while they are moving in
You live in a different world down there. Swarm season here is 2 months away. Watching this video gets me looking forward to spring in Maine
Oh yes, Maine, you're way on up there. Our normal beekeeping season runs from end of February through end of October. But we still only have two main flows, generally from April15 to first week of May and the about 15th of May thru first week of June. That's it. We have steady nectar from mid February through until the April flow, but it's normally only enough to stimulate the bees and not fill supers. So we're fighting swarming for tw months before we fill any supers.
Thanks Mike great video as always!
Thank you very much James!! Hope all is well up the great North.
I was going to get some ready tomorrow after church but company invited themselves over
I guess that's the breaks. Probably too wet out anyhow if you're anywhere near me.
My plan was to get all my boxes ready today, but it rained all day.
I know, nasty all day!!
Yea I better go bait too. I built a great trap but I'm just going with a deep now. Saves any damaged comb from moving trap to hive I think.
The deep works well too. I've caught swarms in just deeps. The two I caught that I mentioned in this video at that first location were in just deeps, but I'm seeing bigger swarms in this combo. But like you said, the deep by itself guarantees you don;t have any extra comb that can be damaged. Last season I got it down a week or two after they moved in and they didn't build any comb under the frames, and they had built out all the top ones except two. If I'd a left them any longer, it would've been built below.
Ha Mike I’ve been using these by horizontal hives
SLOW-RELEASE TUBES FOR SWARM LURE
Slow-release tubes with integrated caps for lemongrass oil swarm lure. For best results use two per trap, half-filled with lemongrass lure. Close the lid tightly (smell comes through the walls) and position upright
They work great The tubes last for 3 months
Wow!! I haven't seen those. I will check them out. Thanks!!
Thanks Mike, I always enjoy your videos. Hard to think of swarms this early, y'all have a long season down there. I'm starting to get the itch now that we had a couple warm days and the bees got in some cleansing flights.
So glad you enjoy the videos and thanks so much for the support!! We do indeed have a long season. It wears us down and by August I almost want to quit...LOL!! But even so, we still only have two main flows to make honey for such a long warm season, and sometimes only one flow if we get a late freeze or a drought.
@@MikeBarryBees I bet, I get tired at the end of the season and ours only runs from late March-early October (except oxalic acid in winter). We're blessed with a rest, brood breaks, and long summer nectar flows, but every spring I see you guys ramping up and catching swarms and I start getting the urge. I guess we both have our own things to be grateful for. Thanks again for the videos.
I hope beekeepers are not getting to quick for their bee season. We still have cold weather coming looking back at my 10 years of keeping journal for me in S.C.
Hope im wrong but I've been burned alot
I don't think we are down here. We will have another freeze or two. Actually should dip to freezing tonight. But we warm up so fast. But I won't get to deep into splitting or any of that until the last possible minute, and I think while we're ahead, we still have a little time. I have seen the late freezes hurt our early flow, but I've usually not had it hurt the bees. And if I need to split early, I'll do it over a double screen so that they can share heat. but I agree, hope folks don't jump the gun.
Mike, I put out a trap three days ago and I have been having scout bees checking it out for the past two days (today was a rain out).
Good deal!! I need to go back if the rain stops and it warms back up and see what kind of scout action I am having.
I just subscribed. You mentioned dirt rooster and mr Ed. Big thumbs up yeah.
Thanks for the subscription!! Yes, I admit, I know them both. Known Mr. Ed for almost ten years now. Been a fun time for sure!!
It might not be a how to but beginners should really take notes. Mike love your videos.
Thanks so much for the vote of confidence Randy!! And for the longtime support!!
My favorite thing is catching swarms. I catch so many i get tired of catching them and take my traps down. I have some up now with bees 🐝 already checking them out. Get ready it's going bust open really fast and soon. ❤️🐝👍
It is a blast for sure!! I used to put up 6 to 8 traps but have gotten to where I only out two or three now just mainly do to time. I end up with so many splits that I don't need anymore bees. Last year I gave all of my catches away, so I can always go that route and still have fun catching a few. Hope you start catching them up soon Michael!! Have a great season!!
@@MikeBarryBees Giving away caught swarms may be a good way to introduce some folks into the community of beekeepers. Some will not last, but some may stick with it.
Starting my fifth year of beekeeping. First year I built 3 swarm traps. Caught nothing. Now how many beginning beekeepers do you know that have used brood frames? So now why would I build 3 more bait hives? I guess because I could. But this second year I had used brood frames. Caught 3 swarms and 2 of those swarms came from the same tree. I like to get my bait hives hung around the first of April. The peak swarm season is June 1st in my area (according to Tom Seeley's Honeybee Democracy). I've been hauling Amish down to Ithaca so I'm familiar with the 70 mile route from here to Cornell university. Location, location, location... The second location I caught a swarm during my second year was unbeknownst to me next door to a beekeeper. My good friends allowed me to place a bait hive along their property line. Now I always drive up to their place to and from the west. The next house east has a honey stand in the front yard. Found out later that my friend's neighbor is the brother of someone I know in our local beekeeper club. Good luck with catching swarms not that you will need it.
Yep, that brood comb is jet. And when we’re brand new, we have none. My first swarm box was made of pallet wood planks and I had done a cutout the February before the season started. So I dropped a piece of that into my first trap. It was maybe 6” X 6”. But I credit that first catch to that piece of old brood comb and the paper towel method I showed in Thai video. I re-baited every 10 to 14 days and right at the end of March, I caught my first.
I've been using old mailboxs that were free and hold 3 small super frames . But no extra room. 3 years and no swarms. Maybe I will leave a pulled frame out this year with starter strip.
Yes, I would try that. They like open space. I would go all starter strips personally if you're using only three frames. They really need a decent size box when it comes to the first spring swarms. Those are usually the biggest swarms. Best wishes on the swarm catching!! Hope you get a few this season.
Hello Hello Mr Mike here in NC I think ours season is maybe two weeks ahead of last year maybe three but anyway things are getting ready to start rocking. A question on your second location over your right shoulder that white thing was that a new style of swarm box .lol your five frame tall box is what I use an it has done good for me . Except last season I had one of them that caught the biggest bee I have ever saw ( squirrel ) lol chewed box all to crap . Made the best gravy over rice . Not as good as honey but still good. Thanks for your video’s they also help us north of you know what is heading our way rain or shine. THANKS .
I think that is the consensus with everyone so far that we're all two or three weeks ahead. We shall see. Right now rain and cold are keeping me away from the bees. Next week it warms back up.
Cold very wet weather Here this weekend. Nothing but wind and rain since Friday night. Not a productive weekend
Same here. Needed to get an idea of where the bees are but not this weekend….
In Maryland on Delmarva Peninsula our maples blooming here too pollen coming in strong to hives plus purple dead nettles popping all over farm fields. Checked 6 of my 7 hives most had 3-4 frames of brood and saw some drones so looks like it's on here too. I put out 2 swarm traps already mine are old 10 frame deeps with a frame of old comb , 1 frame of foundation then 8 empty wired frames. Back of pickup is as high as I go and did use swarm commander last year may try some Rustler this year. Caught 14 swarms last year that turned into 8 hives going into winter 7 of which are still alive. THANKS FOR VIDEO getting me ALL FIRED UP!
Well, sounds like you should just stick to your same plan as last season with catching 14!! Good deal!! I wouldn't change a thing. Glad i could get you fired up. It's really almost here in real time...
Your “second day” location has all of the amenities by having an outdoor toilet available in case of emergencies…😂😂😂
LOL!!!! Yea, you're right!!
LOL, Fake news. I probably won't put many traps out, don't want the numbers.
With how well you’re doing last season and over winter, no need for traps for you. You’ll make 30 with splits anyhow. 😁😁
@Mike Barry truth. I think my Spring is going to be busy.
Hi Mike just wondering if you have any Irish relatives, with a surname like Barry I'm thinking you might, great video content by the way 👌☘️
Actually, Spain and Holland. But I have a very Irish first and middle name🤪🤪
I honestly take something away from every video. Seeing what happens down south also give me a barometer to get ready for my season in east central GA, I can usually expect you are a week ahead of us, for instance when you started noticing SHB, mine followed shortly after. Our red maple is just cracking open now too.
Awesome and thanks!! And I am honored to be your early warning radar...Happy to do it. Have a great weekend!!