Author Topic: Will a trap out work?  (Read 1792 times)

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Offline Wandering Man

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Will a trap out work?
« on: February 25, 2017, 09:16:17 pm »
A friend of a friend called yesterday about removing a swarm of bees from their house. I referred them to a pro, after hearing there was comb.

They called back this morning, pleading their case: $250 was too much for a small swarm half the size of a basketball.

I agreed to look. The bees were behind some rotting facia boards. There were only five small white combs, so I agreed to try.

The homeowner enlarged the entrance. I pulled out the comb.  3Reds rubber banded the comb and placed it in a nuc.

There was a dab of honey, and some brood in the comb. I pulled out a handful of bees and then peeked into the darkness.

There were not a large number of bees, but they were beyond my reach. 3Reds and I went home to fetch my homemade bee vacuum.

It took several attempts, but we eventually had all of the visible bees sucked up. We dumped them into the nuc.

Three times.

That's how I know I never caught the queen.

I was thinking a better vacuum or more powerful motor might help. But I hate to keep beating up those poor bees.

When we left, we left the nuc on top of the ladder with the comb, a very few number of bees, a squirt of swarm commander, and a hope that the bees might find their own way into the nuc, after all the harassment they suffered today.

This evening I remembered about trap outs.

If the bees are still there tomorrow, and not in the nuc, do you think a trap out might work. With no comb or brood, would the queen leave and go into the nuc?

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Offline robo

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Re: Will a trap out work?
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2017, 08:02:57 am »
Hard to say now.    How do you know the queen didn't get killed in the process, in which case the bees will return to where she last let her scent.  There is however the chance you just drove her back in further.  In which case I would put a small piece of comb back in that you can easily reach and give her time to find it.   The just grab the comb without using the vac and you have a pretty good shot getting her.   I use this method when I have removed all the comb and not found the queen.   Just hang a small section back in the cavity while I clean and pack up my stuff.  Works quite well.

I can say that I have had really good luck doing quick trap outs if the colony has been in the cavity less than 5 days.   Usually they abscond and don't take up residence in the nuc though.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison


Offline Wandering Man

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Re: Will a trap out work?
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2017, 07:42:08 pm »
I went ahead and tried the trapout method.  If we can get the bees out of the house, we'll be happy.  If we actually end up with a nuc full of bees, I'll be even happier.

Using Steel Wool to cover the gaps was 3Reds idea.  Obviously, she's the brains of the bunch.





This one may not be ready just yet:


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Offline Perry

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Re: Will a trap out work?
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2017, 08:03:01 pm »
It will be interesting to see if this works or not. One thing I notice is that your cone is not near long enough, Normally you try and have the entrance to your catcher box as close as possible to the base of the cone, with the tip further out. Looking at the conditions where you are having to work it looks like that may not have been possible.
Returning bees will almost always go to the base of the cone to get back in, not the tip where they have left from.
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Offline Wandering Man

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Re: Will a trap out work?
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2017, 08:27:52 pm »
So much to learn!

Including how to take a video.  I was trying to take photos, rather than Video during that last video.   ;D  Having to learn about both bees AND smart phones may be too much for my old brain to handle.

Thanks Perry.  Now that you mentioned it, I do recall reading that.  I put the trap out together in my work shop with scraps and memories. I feel lucky I didn't have to abandon the project and start all over.  No real measurements were taken.

Anyway, I'll check on the hive in a week and see what's happened.
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Offline Perry

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Re: Will a trap out work?
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2017, 08:36:07 pm »
The best way to learn is by doing, and that you are. ;)
No fear in you, and that will pay dividends in the future. Great discoveries are made by trying something you haven't before.
With things like cut-outs and trap-outs, you really can't lose, the bees would eventually get sprayed or something in most cases anyways. :goodjob:
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Will a trap out work?
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2017, 09:01:43 pm »
"So much to learn!
Including how to take a video.  I was trying to take photos, rather than Video during that last video.   ;D  Having to learn about both bees AND smart phones may be too much for my old brain to handle."


........... :D
wm see this post below.......every phone is different, and smarter than most of us.......i don't even own one! 
pictures and videos really do look best if they are captured horizontally rather than vertically.  also, just getting used to pushing the onscreen button for photo/video and your specific phone's capabilites for zooming in or out:

Smart Phone Pictures and Videos

thanks for the videos and sharing and GOOD LUCK!  keep us posted!
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