Fishing for swarms: advice from experienced beekeepers

Modern technologies and means for organizing the life of honey bees make it possible to achieve optimal results in the breeding of their families. Part of the revolutionary method was the construction of frame hives. However, in earlier times, the breeding of colonies was carried out by swarming. That is, the apiary expanded due to the settling of wild animals into dwellings. Nowadays catching swarms as a way of breeding families is not so urgent, however its effectiveness has not been canceled.

Of course, this technique carries some risks, but provided that certain rules developed by experienced beekeepers are met, considerable benefits can be derived from it. It is important to determine the goals of "hunting", because stray bees require a special approach in their further maintenance.

Than to catch a swarm of bees?

The whole process of fishing consists of two components - attraction and domestication of insects. The main tool of this event is the house for the bee - most often the frame construction is used, although there are other options. But if such housing in providing home breeding can be used in a completely new, uninhabited form, then it is preferable to use a trap for bees to work with stray individuals . You can also make a new house with your own hands, but in this case you will have to make a lot of efforts to make it really attractive to the swarm.

The presence of smoke, facial mesh and other devices is only part of the conditions that can increase the chances of successful fishing. Now it is worthwhile to consider in more detail the methodology for creating a trap recommended by experienced beekeepers.

Making traps for bees

A typical scheme involves the use of four honeycomb frames, which form the basis of the hive. The gaps between them are usually of the order of 12-13 mm. Scraped frame with the use of bars and nails. Again, the standard format of the bar is 1x2x14 cm. If you properly compose the elements of the construction, you will get a reliable and strong trap for bees. It is not difficult to make it with your own hands - ready frames should be nailed by means of bars to the basis of the future hive. The third bar will act as an element of rigidity - it should be nailed obliquely in relation to the frame. The central parts of the extreme bars are recommended to be additionally connected with a cord, which will also give the house strength.

How to equip hives for bees?

Stray bees, like their home relatives, are very sensitive to nutrition. Therefore, the internal filling of the house is a responsible task. And it is for this reason that many experts advise using habitable hive for "hunting". But not every beginner beekeeper has such a tooling. Accordingly, in most cases catching swarms is carried out using new houses, which should be properly provided with food and additional equipment.

Without fail, each new hive is equipped with frames with honeycombs, food and honey. Select the volume of the filling should be depending on the size of the tap. After the insects fill the free surfaces of the frames, it will be possible to review the provision of the trap. It should also be noted that fishing for swarms involves fumigation with smoke. By the way, the absence of habitable hives does not at all abolish the possibility of placing a new frame with the existing brood. In addition, if there is no aft frame, then under the canvas you can give honey satiety in a bag of cellophane.

Where to place the trap?

The best option, if initially there will be an approximate idea of the behavior of local bees, as well as their possible routes. Do not think that the swarm behaves unpredictably. Even wild animals often develop their own habits, conditioned also by weather conditions. To place the hive follows where the bee swarm is usually flying, or even its delays occur. As noted by experienced beekeepers, honey insects avoid open windy zones, but they like gullies, forest edges, beams, glades and other places devoid of strong wind gusts.

Direct installation of trap houses should be carried out on trees. In this case, it is not necessary to leave the summer open. Excessive demonstration of the trap in this case is useless. Moreover, catching swarms shows the greatest success in cases of using masked hives. Also, you should think over and secure the fixation of the structure, since the slightest vibrations and vibrations of the house can scare away the bees. As for the fixing methods, it is desirable to use soft straps without nails and other hardware that are easily removed without disturbing the bees.

The optimal timing of the trap

The best conditions for hunting are from May to August. Therefore, prepare for the event should already be in the middle of spring. The full cycle usually takes 2-3 months, but the specific time depends on the success of catching and the requirements of the beekeeper. For example, connoisseurs of this case can produce several migrations of captured families within a month. After each withdrawal, the chances of success continue to increase, as beehives for bees become more populous with the settlement for new "vagrants".

For regular updates, it is necessary to monitor the appearance of new swarms in a timely manner. It is not necessary to hope that bees will stay in the house for a long time - it is extremely important to detect exactly the moments of settlement of the hives.

Number of traps

This figure is determined by the requests of a particular farm and the time that the beekeeper can devote to monitoring traps. And not always a large number of fliers is established in order to attract the appropriate number of bees. Often in this way, promising from the point of view of "hunting" are checked, which further simplifies this process. It happens that catching stray swarms with the help of a dozen hives does not give any result, and sometimes with a competent choice of location and one house will enrich the apiary for several families per season. That is, in fact, the number of hives does not matter if the beekeeper correctly controls the trap set in the right place.

How to properly remove the trap?

To understand that the flock is inhabited by wild bees will not be difficult - it will be visible even from a distance of several meters. In extreme cases, you can listen to the house and find out whether the insects have settled there. If this happens, it is necessary to start the procedure for removing the hive. It is recommended to take pictures in the evening, after the sun has left behind clouds. Then the trap falls to the ground and moves to the apiary.

The subsequent actions depend on the purpose for which the swarms of bees were harvested in their natural habitat. As a rule, new families are being formed in the apiary of newly arrived individuals. But it is also possible to add a swarm to the existing brood. It is equally important to decide on the further use of the hive-trap. It can also be used as a tap for trapped bees or again set in place of "hunting".

Conclusion

Despite the delicacy of the fishing process and its unpredictability, success in the form of catching at least one swarm is quite possible even for the beginner. In this case, much depends on the surrounding conditions and unforeseen circumstances. It should also be understood that catching swarms as a trap is only one of the steps in achieving the main goal of enriching the apiary and strengthening existing families.

The question of how much the caught swarm can meet the expectations assigned to it is very important. After all, there are situations when new bees bring illnesses or simply fly away. In such manifestations, there are dangers, which cover the fishing of swarms in wild conditions. But for the sake of justice, we can say that breeding families at home is not spared such risks, although, of course, in a completely different degree.