# scout bees cleaning out a (potential) new site¿



## sweettooth (Jul 14, 2012)

hi there, the bees are going wild here, time to house a swarm. there is plenty of activity around 2 of a bunch of empty hives here in the garden. i read when about 15 scouts start to keep hanging out around a hive it usually means the decision it made to move into this one. one of the sniffed out hives has about 50 hanging out, and much coming and going. yesterday i was watching them for some time and it seems they were carrying pieces on their way out. i opened the hive and realized there were another 100 or so bees inside frantically buzzing about some wax moth.... - all that made me thinkg: do scout bees ever prep a hive (house cleaning etc) before the cloud comes¿ cheers, and have a sweet day, peter de los picos


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## Adam Foster Collins (Nov 4, 2009)

Yes, they do. I've maintained swarm traps on my front porch in Halifax for 5 summers now. I have observed bees working and cleaning old combs in a swarm trap for up to 2 weeks before a swarm is issued. Also, I have seen many more than 15 bees at a trap and no swarm arrives. And by that I mean dozens - maybe as many as 100 or more actively moving in and out of a trap for many days. As Odfrank pointed out a while back, bees killing each other is also observed now and then, as they will identify and then try to defend and maintain a viable home against other scouts from other colonies. 

Adam


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## Northwest PA Beekeeper (Mar 28, 2012)

You just never know for sure if a swarm will take a up new home - until they actually do it.

I've been tricked a couple of times thinking "Lot's of bees are checking it out, it won't be long soon." 

The one year there were scouts around my sister's old house looking at all the cracks and crevices. I put up two hives, and they started looking at them. Some days there would be alot of bees looking, the next day there would only be a few - or none - so you think they've decided on another place. It took 2 weeks before a swarm actually flew in.

I have 3 bait hives set up near an old abandoned house that has bees in the wall. I stopped by last night and the one hive had 4 or 5 bees flying around and in and out, one hive had ONE single bee that was looking at it, and the last hive had all kinds of activity - so much that I felt sure a swarm must already be in it. So I lifted the lid - no swarm - just bees checking it out.

I'm quite hopeful as many bees as I saw that they will move in - but you just never know.


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## sweettooth (Jul 14, 2012)

thanks for the feedback. the before-mentioned hive is actually still on the market. a day or two after so much buzz there a swarm checked into another empty hive about 50 meters away. i lucked out, watched two swarms coming outta nowhere this spring yet. the hive where the house-cleaning seems to be having taken place has been quiet ever since ths swarm settled in the box nearby. just a few bees here and there dancing about it a tic. maybe if i sing some more will (not) come.


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## Northwest PA Beekeeper (Mar 28, 2012)

Congratulations! My bait hive that was busy with bees had a swarm move in to it yesterday. Oddly enough, there are still bees checking out the first hive so fingers crossed.

Make sure you replace your now "off the market" hive with a new bait hive. The swarm you just got could throw off a secondary swarm.


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## sweettooth (Jul 14, 2012)

good morning northwest

"Make sure you replace your now "off the market" hive with a new bait hive." 
--- not quite sure what you mean. the "bait"-hives i got are langstroth boxes, with frames, and i leave about a 6 cm hole at the entrance-slot. i got about 4 empty boxes set up... i figure some are more inviting than others, due to placing, interiors, etc


" The swarm you just got could throw off a secondary swarm. "
--- wouldnt the after-swarm be cast the (old) "mother"-hive¿ (guess the 2 swarms that settled in my garden came from a neighbor-village... all the hives i got here are pretty much in spitting distance from my cabin here... and thusly i have a fairly good idea whats going on)

cheers


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## Northwest PA Beekeeper (Mar 28, 2012)

sweettooth, what I meant is if you don't have any other swarm bait hives in the area where you caught this one, make sure you put another one up. You could get a secondary swarm from the original swarm you already caught, or another swarm may take up residence.

But it sounds like you have multiple traps in the same area - so that is good.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

A well baited bait hive will get checked out regularly by any forager who happens by. It's when you see a lot of them that seem to be on a mission that they are on the verge of deciding.


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