Anticipating a Swarm

The last time we checked the hive at Clarence Brown's, it was clear the bees have decided to swarm. But, like the time before, they have built the swarm cells in a way that is not going to make it possible to split the hive. My strategy is to ready a new hive and then to either catch the swarm if Clarence sees them.

I spent the day cleaning an old hive body. I scraped the insides to clean out bugs and propolis. I scrubbed the insides with a mixture of diluted chlorine bleach then hosed it out. It needed a new coat of paint. It's not my favorite hive body, but it's the only one I have left. Brushy Mountain is out of stock for hive bodies and bottom boards. I put it next to the other hive at Clarence's.



I have a Plan B if Clarence doesn't catch sight of the swarm when it leaves the hive or see it when it land on its temporary perch. I had checked out Brushy Mountain, but they are way behind on shipping and couldn't guarantee that I would get a trap and lure in time. There were other bee supply outfits in Florida and Minnesota, but the cost was going to just be too much.

I starting thinking and came to the conclusion that a swarm trap is just a box where bees would feel comfortable. Doug Greene had bought some pheromone lure for swarms, so I bought a vial off him.
Evidently the way this works is you just put the lure in the box. You don't uncork it. At least that's what the instructions I read online said. I'll take them at the word.

I put the vial in a cardboard nuc box with six frames in it. (I cross-wired some frames I got from Doug Shaw this morning.) Clarence and I discussed where to put the nuc box. It is waxed and would probably repel water, but I would just as soon keep it dry; rain is forecast for the next week and I'll be out of town attending a conference. We ended up putting it in his wood shed. It is rather close to the existing hives, but they may find it easy enough. If we spot them in a tree on in a bush, we will use the nuc box to catch them. At least that's the plan. Things never go as you anticipate.