Swarming occurs when an old queen leaves the hive with half the worker bees to find a new home. Scouts are sent out to locate suitable sites while the swarm clusters nearby from 30 minutes to 3 days. To catch a swarm, locate the clustered bees and shake or cut the branch they are on to dislodge them into a bee box or bucket on a stick. Bait hives, which are empty hives placed in visible but shady locations, can also attract swarms looking for a new home. The ideal bait hive is about 10-15 feet off the ground, has a 1-1/2 to 2 inch entrance, and smells like an old beehive to attract scouts. If a

1. Catching
Swarms
Presented by: Rick Bledsoe

4. Swarming
- bees fill up on honey
- old queen and half of bees leave,
settle nearby, send out scouts
- usually mid to late morning (can
be early afternoon)
- may stay 30 minutes to 3 days

5. Catching swarm
- Find them while they are clustered
--depends on luck
--may be there a few minutes to a day
--often in an inaccessible location
- Shake bees or cut branch if in tree or bush
- bump or brush them if on solid object
- bee vac, box, bucket on stick
*most bees will stay with queen, some will return to
swarm location

11. Some swarms aren't worth the risk.

14. Bait Hives (swarm traps)
Let the bees come to you

16. Check once a week, replenish LGO every 2 weeks

17. A good bait hive:
– about 10-15 feet above ground
– in a shady area, but visible to bees
– entrance size 1-1/2” - 2” square inches
– 1.4 cubic feet (40 liters) – about the size of a 10 frame deep
– dry, weather-tight
– should smell like an old hive; avoid new lumber and paint
Note: shape of entrance, direction entrance faces, and
shape of box do not matter to the bees

18. Location?

19. This nuc in a sunny
location caught a
swarm.
Bees don't always
follow the rules . . . .

20. If you catch swarm
-- leave there (don't open for at least 1 week) to let
it get established before moving to your apiary
-- remove frames from bait trap and put in regular
hive, and return trap to same location