Hey blades! I just bought a beehive. I know this has nothing to do with growing marijuana but I want to do my part in saving bees and I have a garden as well so I could use them. Anyways my hive is empty and we are waiting for the bee guy to call us and tell us he has bees for us but we have been waiting weeks. I looked up how to capture swarms but everyone uses these things called bait hives? I have been trying to find information on beekeeping but it is not easy. My main question right now if anyone can answer it is: What is the point of a bait hive and why can't I just put my empty hive outside and tap the swam in my hive directly? Every single piece of information I have found says I need a bait hive but it does not give me a reason why I have to capture the bees then tediously move them and agitate them into my hive? Why can't I just cut the extra stress out and attract them directly into my hive.
I saw a video of a guy picking up 5 boxes of lives bees. Each box had a queen in a little separate box inside the bigger box of like 10000 bees. The guy would just stick the Queen box in his hive and dump the bees into hive and let them accommodate to the hive. Spraying sugar water on them makes them start licking themselves, distracting them, which makes them less hostile if they become aggressive. Although idk how to capture wild bees, usally bees stick around their queen.
If you capture a swarm you find the queen and put it into the box hive then sweep as many into the box with the queen as possible then leave the box near the swarming bees until nightfall then take the box to the place you will be raising the bees. The bible of beekeeping books is called " The Hive and the Honeybee" originally written by L.L. Langstroth, the inventor of the box hive. The Hive and the Honey Bee Dadant 1978 Harry H. Laidlaw Excellent Cond Hardcover You will need help from a knowledgeable beekeeper to get started, especially if you are going to start collecting swarms. PW
Thanks for the reply! I am on several lists for bees but I was wondering if I could just bait my empty hive while I am waiting? Can I catch a bee swarm this way?
I am not familiar with the baiting technique. I don't see bees entering a new box without the queen being in the box. Without a queen in the box the bees will not stay and will seek out the place the queen is residing. You can start by buying a "nuc" box of bees with a queen in early spring and add to your hive box. You will need to feed the bees with a sugar syrup while the bees start to make their own honey in the frames, if you don't have a frame full of honey to add to the hive. Look for a beekeeping association in your area and try to find a mentor who will help you getting set up. Buying a nuc and queen is the easiest way to start. Capturing a swarm is pretty advanced for someone with no experience, or find an assistant who is knowledgeable to help. PW
I have hive 2 swarms. When a colony swarms the queen leaves first and then lots of the workers follow in a mad rush! The queen will landsomewhere nearby and the rest of the bees will sign land on her and for a cluster of bees. Reach into the cluster and get a double handful of bees and place them in your hive. Repeat until you see the bees going into the hive on there own. Atthat point the queen is in the hive and the others are following her. As soon as they have all gone in move the hive to where you want it. Be sure to block all holes bees could escape through until the hive is set up where it will stay. Keep it plugged up until dark and then unblock the entrance. That's all there is too it. When you take out a handfull of bees from the cluster it will feel like you are tearing up a loaf of fresh baked bread. Bees are very docile when they swarm. They have no home to defend! Hive defence is the main reason for bees stinging. And they will be engorged with hiney, which also makes them docile. Just be gentle! Pinching a bee is the other main reason one will sting.
My guess is it would if you used good enough bud. But it doesn't take very much to calm them down to work the hive. You don't need to get them high. So why waste it?
I know its a waste but I love my bees and I just want them to experience what I experience . Also it could be used in the future as a marketing ploy to catch a higher premium on the honey, "These bees were smoked with only premium Homegrown Bud".
Some folks at Harvard did a study on how to get honey bee swarms to select a home that they had provided for the bees. They made some interesting discoverys. They found that if you made a chamber about 40 letters inside, roughly cylindrical in shape, with an open approximately 1 1/4 inch in diameter and placed it to face East to Southeast about 10 feet up they had about 60% filled each year. I think it helped to place them fairly close to a colony that is likely to swarm. That's a good strong one anytime in April or May. Good luck!
Funny how Harvard claims they found it out. I'm sure tons of bee farmers already new lol. I saw video on Netflix where they bread certain types. I rather get my knowledge from someone that has experience and love in the art than some fucking college. Sade's outdoor Bigfoot territory grow