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How to catch a swarm
How to transfer a swarm to your Beehaus
To catch a swarm you will need some essential bits of equipment:
• A skep or cardboard box
• Hessian sack
• White cotton sheet
• Smokers
• Protective clothing
• Saw and secateurs
• A bee brush or goose wing
• Some old brood comb or wax
After you have gathered your
equipment, you should access the
swarm. Sometimes the swarm may
be high up a branch or on a roof. If
there are onlookers that are not in
protective clothing, then you should advise them to leave the area or go
indoors. The aim is to get the bees into your skep or box as smoothly as
possible without annoying them too much.
First lightly smoke the bees and then spread a white cloth below the
swarm to catch any falling bees. You should then place the collection
box or skep directly below the cluster. If the cluster is located in a
bush, you may sometimes need to clip branches to make space for the
collection box.
A skep.
Then with a sharp jerk of the branch
the swarm drops into the box. The
box should then be turned over and
placed on the ground where the
stragglers can find it. You can use a
stick to raise one side of the box to
make an entrance. A few flying bees
may return to the branch but they will
soon disperse and join the rest of the
swarm in the collection box or return
to their original hive.
Using a cloth makes it much easier
to see the bees.
A captured swarm covered with
a sheet.
Transporting a swarm
Once the swarm is secure within the
box, you can seal the box or skep with
a sheet. You may need to wait until
sunset for all the bees to go inside. Do
not move the bees in the middle of the
day, as stragglers will create problems
for the public. You must ensure that
box has air ventilation and is kept
cool. Most beekeepers like to hive the
swarm in the evening that they have
caught the swarm. You can keep the
swarm wrapped up in a sheet for up
to 3 days if necessary but only if it is
kept cool.
Using the lid of the Beehaus as a
ramp for the bees to walk up.
There are two ways of transferring the bees to their new home.
1. Shake the bees straight in
It is common practice for beekeepers
to dump a swarm straight onto the top
bars of the new hive. Although this
is quick, it gives no opportunity for a
controlled entry and the formation of
a structured cluster.
2. Walking bees into the Beehaus
An alternative is to shake them onto
a sloping surface leading up to the
entrance. It is amazing to watch as
the queen naturally crawls upwards
and her colony follow her in.
Registering your interest in swarms
If you are interested in catching
a swarm of bees then you should
either register your interest on www.
swarmofbees.co.uk or tell your local
Beekeeping
Association
Swarm
Officer. If someone finds a swarm of
bees, they will most likely contact the
Beekeeping Association or register
it on swarmofbees.co.uk. In turn you
will be contacted and asked if you
are interested in catching the swarm.
Swarms are most likely to occur between
May and July. It is worth keeping your
swarm catching equipment prepared at
all times.
How to move the hive
The best time to move the hive is in winter because the bees are not
flying. However, if you have to, you can move the bees in flying season
and here are some simple rules:
1. Wait until dusk when all the bees are in the colony.
2. Block the entrance with your entrance adapter so that the word
‘closed’ is showing.
3. Make sure that the lid and cover boards are secured with a ratchet
strap, then gently lift and move the hive to its new location.
4. Once in their new location, wait fifteen minutes for the bees to settle
and then open the entrance block.
5. Turn the entrance block round and put it back in to the entrance with
the word ‘wasp’ now showing on the outside. The reduced entrance
will slow the bees down as they try to exit the hive and make them
consider that something has changed. After no more than a week
remove the entrance block entirely.
Moving your Beehaus
Sometimes you may want to move your bees to a different location. For
example, if you are moving house or rearranging the garden. The simple
rule for moving bees is:
you should move a beehive less that 3ft or over
3 miles
.
The reason for this is quite simple: bees learn their local area by sight very
accurately. If you move the hive over three feet, the flying bees will fly
back to the original site, not find the hive and die. However, if you move
the hive over 3 miles, the bees will not recognise any of the surrounding
area and will learn their new location.
Preparing your Beehaus
You will need to secure your Beehaus
before moving it. We recommend
using a ratchet strap to secure your
Beehaus whilst moving it over a
long distance. You should put the
entrance blocker in and tape it
securely in place. The mesh floor will
provide enough ventilation for your
bees. You can remove the legs by
unscrewing them if it makes it easier
to transport the Beehaus.
Beehaus with the lid strapped down
and entrance adapter taped in position.
Lifting the hive. One person at
either side.
Two people should always lift the hive.
A swarm of bees hanging in a tree.