# swarm moved into trap yesterday



## MelanieWoosley (Nov 11, 2012)

Hi! First, I'm jealous! Second, what a lovely description of what happened, possibly better than pics or video! Congrats! I have not trapped any swarms yet, but I did already set out traps. Still too cold here, we are having up and down crazy 
Kentucky spring weather. I have read to wait a few days before trying to move them, but I would definitely see what some more experienced beeks say, this is my second year and last year I did not try swarm trapping.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome to Beesource!

> I'd like get them into the new hive before they build up too much comb, as the walls of the TBH are tapered and the Trap is not.

I would move the trap to your permanent location immediately, then wait a few days to move the bars to your TBH. But by one week they _may_ have built enough comb close to the walls so that the combs need trimming, so don't wait too long.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Seriously.... grab the dang camera next time! lol
You did paint a pretty good picture though.
Wait at least two weeks possibly three. To make this really successful and increase your chances of keeping this swarm, wait until the queen begins to lay and maybe even cap the worker cells. It will take a while to build comb. DO NOT disturb them at all for three days at least. Just peek after that to see how the comb building is going.
Other than that you'll be fine.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Those are topbars. Move immediately before they build fragile comb which will collapse when you move them. They will not abscond, they chose the home. Foundationless does not make good bait hives that have to be moved due to the collapse problem. Set your topbar baithives in their permanent location.


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## beedazzelled (Mar 22, 2013)

Really what a fine eclectic array of advise. Thanks. I guess I'll sleep on it at least another night to process the points of view, and when I do move it, very gently. Fortunately, the permanent location is just a few steps away, (once I get it down from the tree).


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

If the bees decide which way to run the combs on their own (as they must with bare top bars) they could very well go 90 degrees to what you expect....That would be a mess and you would sacrifice their combs when straightening things out. Make the move ASAP and improve your chances of success. JMO


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

odfrank, how would you handle the reorientation after moving a day old swarm a few steps to beedazzled's permanent location?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Lburou said:


> odfrank, how would you handle the reorientation after moving a day old swarm a few steps to beedazzled's permanent location?


If it is just a few steps away as indicated they might find it in one move. Or lower and move it about two feet a day. I say it over and over again, put your baits right on the stand where you want them. And not up in some darn tree. High up is good but too much work for me. Caught my first one this week.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Last year at this time I caught 3 swarms by early April--2 of those by mid March, one early April and one at the end of April. This year, 5 bait hives out and nothing yet. All have 1 frame black comb and balance foundationless frames. One is a 10 frame deep (with dead queen), one medium 10 frame, one 5 frame deep and 2 4 frame deeps. All have lgo. Different heights, different locations. Nothing. I'm bummed. We have had several cold fronts where our nights are in the 40's. I don't know if that has anything to do with it.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Well, it could be worse bevy, I've spent the last few days in West Virginia and there is still snow on the ground. Last year was an early year for swarms up here, this year may end up being a late year.


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## RAFAEL/PR (Feb 23, 2012)

First of all a big congrats on your capture of your first swarm, leave them there for a few days , so far you did everything right ,when you move them do it at night and put some branches in front of the entrys that way they will notice things change from over night after that just leave them alone for at lease 3 weeks before you go inside and inspect them , but you could check them out everyday from a distance


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## beedazzelled (Mar 22, 2013)

RAFAEL/PR said:


> ,when you move them do it at night and put some branches in front of the entrys that way they will notice things change


This is essentially what I ended up doing a couple of days ago, and it worked pretty well, though I did loose a few bees and it did disrupt them pretty bad for a day. Rain storm that evening didn't help things, but next day they were back to business as usual. 

Why wait now 3 weeks before re-hiving them, is it to prevent them from being demoralized after the move? That thought had occurred to me, but I am also anxious to get them in a permanent home without having to do too much of a cutout. If I am lucky they may have built on the top bars I gave them in the trap and if I get to it soon enough might not have to cut out anything at all. One of the bars did have a few inches of old comb affixed. I was thinking about taking a peak inside the next sunny still day, which may be a few more days out.


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## beedazzelled (Mar 22, 2013)

Just an update I moved the bees into a top bar hive 3 days ago, 13 days after they first arrived. It was an easy switch, its a small swarm and they only had 3 combs, the biggest of which was about 6x6 inches. In the middle of this was a nice pattern of capped brood. They seem to have settled into their new home.


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## beedazzelled (Mar 22, 2013)

Well sometimes if something works you have to stick with it. After hiving the swarm I went ahead and stuck the trap back up in its tree. I also made 2 other traps, one out of a 10 frame deep and 1 out of a 5 frame deep, and placed those on a stump that would make a good permanent location. I figured, like odfrank suggested, if a new swarm went into one of those I wouldn't have to move anything. 

Today, another swarm came. I wasn't home but my next door neighbor called to give me the news. when I got home the bees had taken residence in the old trap up in the tree. Its true, scout bees had been checking out all three traps for the last three days, so maybe I would have gotten lucky with one of those if I didn't put the old trap up. Maybe.

Next I have to decide whether to make another top bar hive, (top bars on the trap make for an easy transfer), or to cut it into a 5 frame nuc box.

Its funny, I had been trying to get me some free bees for about a year now, including 3 failed cutouts and hanging this swarm trap, and finally broke down and bought a nuc from a local beekeeper along with a couple of extra boxes with frames. That was a little over a week before the first swarm arrived.


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## mtndewluvr (Oct 28, 2012)

Super jeolous...nice work, and great success stories!


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## Bee Whisperer (Mar 24, 2013)

beedazzelled; 
That was an awesome event. I would give anything to witness the scout's discovery and the move of a swarm. The fact that you were in the right place at the right time is fantastic. I have never tried to trap a swarm, but you have inspired me greatly. So, off to the shop to create a trap. 

A week ago or so, someone posted a name of a guy who designed a successful trap. If anyone knows the guy's name, please let me know. Great job! I think I've been beedazzled. :applause:


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Robo maybe? 
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/downloads/


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## beedazzelled (Mar 22, 2013)

Hi I am back with another update. That 2nd swarm turned out to be a big one and has filled that little swarm trap with comb. I don't know what they were thinking choosing this trap over the 10 frame deep I had set out nearby. The box was full of bees and they haven't even had time for their first brood cycle yet. My 3rd swarm did choose the 10 frame deep. That one came in a couple days later, much smaller and possibly a cast from the same colony. 

So Its been 2 weeks. Today I transferred this 2nd swarm into a 10 frame deep. They had drawn out 7 of the 8 top bars, most of them to full depth. Fortunately I had supplied one bar with a 1 inch starter strip of drawn comb so all the comb was lined up nicely on the bars. The top bars are 17" long, so in order to fit it into the langstroth I had make extensions. I used deck screws screwed into one end of each top bar. That leaves a 2 inch gap along most of the back of the box. There was room for one regular frame each on either side.

Now I am interested in what will happen if I try to put a super on top of this setup?


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