Natural Beekeeping | Hanging the Swarm Trap - Where, What, How (Vlog)
Today's vlog is about us hanging one of the swarm traps we've built. This is where all our hard work building the boxes pays off and we get to attach them to trees in hopes of attracting honey bee swarms.
After we've baited the 7 frame Layen's swarm boxes with lemongrass essential oil and propolis (both signaling bees to make home), we ratchet them 15-20 feet up a trees and wait for a swarm to call it a home.
NOTE: The swarm trap we made differs from the plans for the swarm trap.
That swarm trap is made with plywood and is significantly lighter. We live in an area with a ton of cedar and for longevity's sake, beauty, natural appeal and not using a product like plywood, we chose this wood. This is a difficult task and so keep that in mind when you're making your traps. Our idealism can often cause us to work more and we want you to know you can use another type of wood and also hang the traps as low as 10 ft if you aren't able to hang them that high safely!!
As we mentioned in our previous blog we are hanging boxes in hopes of attracting feral or with bees populations to build our natural apiary with. (See that vlog for more basic information.)
This is in alignment with the natural order of things where the strongest genes survive and multiply. When healthy bee colonies swarm, they seek out a new home and this is what we are offering them.
Hanging the Swarm boxes
When placing the boxes, consider the location from the perspective of the bees.
- Where will they get water?
- What would they be eating?
- How easy is it to fly through a certain area?
- How easy is it to access the box?
- Another factor is how easy is it for YOU to access it?
It's a good idea to put it near an area that you go to frequently and can check if bees have taken up residence. The box can house a swarm for an entire season, but keep in mind the longer it's up, the heavier it will be.
A few tips on placement and things to consider when hanging the box.
- Near a source of water
- On the edge of a forest or field
- Close to an open flightpath so scout bees can access it easily
- Hang on a large tree with few low lying branches
- Access to bee forage
Once they're up we walk away and check on the periodically. Once we have secured a swarm, we simply close the entrances and take the colony back to it's final location in our natural apiary. Sounds like a sweet deal to us! :)
Thanks for watching.
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This was a really cool post! Lots of good points to consider when placing the trap. I do hope you get a new swarm....
thanks! and not to ruin tomorrow's post - but we did get a swarm already in the trap on our land!! doing a happy dance & tears of joy!!! :D
Yay! How cool is that! I'll be looking for tomorrow's post.
Well done you guys! Now you wait!. Yes, as you were putting it in the tree I thought oh, dear....how will they take it down! Yikes! Can't wait to see what happens!
thanks!! i know, it will be interesting! definitely a balancing act to secure and carry down all that weight. good thing ini's doing his pushups lately lol!
This is great and @martin.mikes, we need to connect with @mountainjewel for more bee keeping lessons.
thank you~ please connect with us with any questions you have and we'll do our best :)
Very interesting, it never occurred to me to place a hive in the wild.