Triple Swarm Catch - Aggravation & Ease
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Manual swarm catch plus two trap catches. Trap catches are definitely easier, but probably lower odds.
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Here’s a tip I learned from Joe May, the Skinny Bee Man. I realized early on that bee brushes with artificial bristles tend to rile bees up (Stone say that hair-bristled paint brushes do no, but they can be spendy and I have not tried them). Joe uses turkey flight primary feathers, which can be had cheaply off sites like Amazon. I pulled one out of my fly tying materials and tried it. Works beautifully. The bees do not respond as aggressively. The cupped side is plenty stiff if you need to move a volume of bees, and the other side can be used for more gentile applications, like if you absolutely have to brush bees off queen cells. Give ‘em a try. Worst thing is you are out around the cost of a bee brush and havre some spiffy feathers to stick in the band of your hat.
Thanks, I turkey hunt so I've got a renewable supply of wing feathers. I may give it a try.
Hey Nath. I was so excited to see the swarms you caught even the little two framer.
We just had just over 20inches of rain here in two days with some parts nearing 27inches. We are in full wet season.
Reading hives is one thing but understanding the relationship between the hive temperament and weather as you touched on, is also a skill to developed. I dropped in a gallon of feed prior to the big wet to keep my new hive kicking on. Worked a treat and they have drawn out more comb over this week and a bit of rain.
Nothing like eating in.
Thanks Wayne. Plenty of feed sure settles a colony down. It helps with Queen acceptance and temperament in my opinion.
Great video again… I’m a new keeper and following your footsteps. I started with 2 colonies last year and plan on expanding to 10 this coming year and on to 30 next year….so I’m about 2 seasons behind you… Keep up the good work.
Thanks!
Always fun catching swarms . thank you again.
Thanks!
Amazing. You are a get it done guy I respect you for that. I get my first bees this year.
Thanks!
I leave the queen in the cage overnight or up to three days that keeps them in the box
Yep, sometimes I will leave them, I’d rather not unless I have to though.
Thank you sir 🙏 so much information. I have had luck with one of my swarm traps seen them bring in pollen yesterday. Today setup new apiary and got there new home ready next step is to get them moved at night and let them orientation to there new location
That's awesome! Swarms are so much fun.
Caught 4 swarms already. One moves back and forth to a new box not sure what they are doing but I'm going to let them choose the one they want .nice catch and good luck with them .👍❤🐝🐝🐝🐝
Congrats, and thanks!
First!!!!!! Nice catches! I'm jealous!!! LOL!!!
Funny Rodney! You win!
Do you split your hives? Seems like you catch a lot of swarms in the same area . Must be a bunch keepers around you.
nice entrance screen trick
It works pretty well, but lots of things work. Steel wool or a sponge would also work. These screens just allow for ventilation which I like, even though I wasn't moving them in hot weather.
Good idea with reducer and HW cloth.
Thanks!
Looking good !
Thanks!
Great job!
Thanks!
What kind of hat and screen is that? Does it work well and keep the bees out?
I still need to buy a queen clip just in case but so far I haven't needed one yet.
They’re handy. Get queen in box, swarm moves in. Queen not in box, who knows?
Why not transfer the frames from the swarm trap into a Nuc....or single hive box....leaving your set up for the swarm trap in tact....to put back up for capturing more....
I'm using mediums for the swarm traps and nuc boxes, and hive bodies, and honey supers. So it's just easy to transfer from the swarm trap to a bottom board. I don't have to worry about disturbing the cluster or pinching the queen, or the queen being on the wall of the box, etc. Once transferred I just pop another medium on the swarm trap base and put it back.
Ok...I see.....I’ve always heard a swarm trap had to have a certain cubic feet of storage.....maybe it just takes a medium box....Thanks....
Ed, they do need to be a certain size. I use mediums with a spacer underneath. I actually did a series on swarm trapping that is very detailed. This video explains the equipment I'm using and why - ua-cam.com/video/7tK47OiXhHg/v-deo.html
Good job on the swarm catches, your hive numbers are increasing. How often have you lost a swarm to absconding after you have them in a box?
As far as I know I've never lost one. I guess I could have had a swarm in a trap that absconded, but I don't know. I haven't had a swarm leave that I put in a box. Get them in, get them fed, and they generally just start drawing comb.
I love your truck! Been looking for one for a while now. Nice ones are getting hard to come by and expensive when you do find them.
New to Beekeeping. When you set the swarms up in the woods to reorient, why did you not just take them straight to the your yard?
I needed to move those hives about 500 yards. If the bees came out and recognized the farm, they would go back to their old hive location even though the hive wasn't there. So you end up losing a bunch of forager bees which weakens the colony. The rule of thumb with orienting bees is you can move them 3 feet per day and they're fine, or you can move them 3 miles or more away and they're reorient to the new location.
And thanks on the truck, I got it a couple years ago, 2006 model that had 95k and ZERO rust. I'm trying to take care of it, though it does stay pretty dirty driving on the farm constantly.
I am going to look at an 05 4WD with 124k miles here in a few minutes. I noticed you have car seats in the rear. I have one son turning 6 next week and another son that is 4. How do the car seats fit? Is it pretty tight?
I am also looking at an 07 Crewmax 4WD with 137k miles that is 3 - $4k more , but has a much bigger rear seat.
I didn't think about that they were already your bees. Moving them farther away and then back makes sense now.
Car seats fit fine in the rear. The first gens were a really good size in the doublecabs.
That last hive will make some excess honey for. Harv est at the rate they r going
I’ve got a couple swarms that have supers already. Amazing the girth they have.
I noticed you don't have insulation in your top cover , may be something to think about been it's get very cold there .
We get into the single digits F once or twice per winter, negative numbers very rarely. I had 100% survival last winter without insulation.
Hey neighbor I’m getting my first bees in on May 1 here in Virginia I was curious what you’re using for your bottom boards in this video and why?
Those are Freeman Bottom Boards from eHeartwood. The trays hold vegetable oil that trap small hive beetles, and I can use them to easily monitor mite loads within the hive. Though the monitoring is nowhere as accurate as a wash, it is also completely passive. They're a good board, expensive, but worth it to me.
I see the top super had new frames. Old frames and some lemongrass would help. Leave queen in the clip to control her movement. Good job on swarm catching
Thanks, no old frames to give them. Everything that’s drawn is trying to make honey.
I should of figured that you ran out of drawn comb. You are too good of a beekeeper to over look it.
I appreciate that, but you’re overestimating me 😀
Just a thought. You might want to check out Fredrick Dunn on UA-cam. He does a lot of research and experiments on his hives and has found that the Better Comb from Better Bees is readily accepted by the bees and perfect for use in you brood chamber. Could save you time to get your drawn frames if you fill your bottom boxes with it and use the drawn comb for honey supers. Not bad priced.
Interesting, thanks
Do you only work with 6 inch comb
I have three deeps that I experimented with last year, everything else is mediums. I greatly prefer all medium equipment.
Just a question? Why you use mediums for brood box?
I need to do a video on this.....
1. All mediums = everything interchangeable
2. Bulk ordering, lower cost
3. Use mediums 4 ways - swarm traps, nuc boxes, hive body, honey super. Less equipment, lower cost.
4. Future proofing - medium is 35 lbs lighter than a deep.
All mediums makes a ton of sense to me. I don’t know why more people don’t use it.
@@DuckRiverHoney I only use brood box system!
Did I see safety life line! Hopefully
No you didn’t!
@@DuckRiverHoney Great video, but safety is 1st.
Thanks, I’m pretty safe in those ladder stands. With climbers or lock ons I always use a line.
Do you wax your plastic frames? Or are they already waxed?
I got the heavy waxed from Acorn this last time. I’ve used waxed rite cell too. Waxing frames is just one more chore, and I’ve already got a lot of those.
Just out of curiosity why do you use medium boxes
Several reasons. Big one is everything is interchangeable. I can use a medium with 8 frames and a double frame feeder as a nuc box with standard lids and bottoms. I use them as swarm traps as well as honey supers and hive bodies. Multiple uses of a single size means less equipment and lower cost due to bulk pricing. They’re also a lot lighter than deeps so it’s some future proofing for me getting older.
@@DuckRiverHoney that makes sense I use all deeps that way I ain't got to worry about different frames and different boxes
Is your syrup a commercial grade, or did you make it your self?
I make my own.
who don't ;)
That harp is disgusting in your song. Disgusting is good in the harp world. Lol
You should not release that queen. Keep her in that clip in your hive, until all bees are in. Release her when got to the apiary.
Maybe so, but I was in a hurry and couldn't get the lid on with the clip stuck in between the frames. I released her, glad it worked out.