>Next question: does having attractive bait hives nearby cause bees >to swarm more than they would if not so tempted, or do they simply >make it more obvious to use that a swarm has issued? IMO, if a bait hive is used near the yard, it is being used in the wrong manner. -bees seldom select a void closer than 300 m (Seeley, Morse) I agree that it may simply make it more obvious that a swarm has issued. >If bait boxes attract interest, it can be so intense that enough bees >arrive to inspect the box(es) to make one wonder if a small swarm >has already arrived and taken possession. This, IMO, indicates that a swarm is in bivouac somewhere nearby, and consensus building is in progress. Frenzy buzzing 15 or more bees and buzz running at the entrance, and inside, suggest to me that the site is among the top candidates and decision is imminent. Advice here, Skip Sunday service and check the yard for swarms. Lures and bait hives are often used incorrectly. I instruct new bees how to best use lures in the following guideline, which separates the stages Colony Founding, and indicates the target. 1. Reconnaissance - A period in the weeks prior to swarming when former forager bees begin advance scouting, interested in house-hunting. (Lindauer) * Here, baited traps are very effective. Traps need be out 3 weeks prior to swarming. The trap will gain valuable advantage in consensus building, with house-hunting scouts having advanced knowledge of its location. -Time of discovery is a key factor in consensus building (Seeley) 2. Issuing - The swarm and queen leave the colony and circle in the air above or for up to 20 minutes. * Here, Nasonov lures are effective as a 'settling pheromone' to entice a swarm to land. Placed within 20 meters; hung directly above at 5 meters with pulley to lower, or nearby suspended at about 2 meters. Traps in the yard which attract swarms may not indicate acceptance, but may simply indicate settling of a swarm in Bivouac. 3. Bivouac - The swarm then settles on a branch or other object, where they remain in bivouac for as little as an hour to as long as several days while scouts search for prospective nest sites. * Obviously the best time to catch a swarm manually. -Here, baited traps best used at 300 m or more. (Seeley) 4. Colony Initiation - After deciding on a new home, the swarm breaks bivouac and flys off to enter the void and initiate a new colony. * Here, the decision has been made, you either WIN or you LOSE. Best Wishes, Joe Waggle http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalHoneybeeArticles/ A farmer in Crawford county, who had a skep of bees about to swarm, wanted to go to church, for it was Sunday. He was in a quandary. He didn't want to miss the sermon, neither did he want to miss the bees, so he caught the queen bee and clipped her wings so she could not fly. Then he went to church. On his way home, he met the swarm in the path some distance from home going it a foot, the queen bee in advance, unable to fly, but manifesting a disposition to 'go it' anyhow. -Crawford county, Ohio, 1879 *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm