I think the biggest trick in any attempt to lure a swarm is to get the
trap, hive, or whatever in place weeks *before* the swarm issues.
 
Bees seem to ignore anything that has been moved in in recent days when
they are swarming.  They have to be trained to a site in advance.  If they
have previously robbed out a hive, they may be inclined to move into it
later.  Try stacking some brood boxes from a deadout in a beeyard in the
spring.  Odds are they will attract a swarm, if there is one, and if
there is an entrance.
 
I don't really know if bees care how far the new hive is from the
present location -- if there is adequate forage nearby.  They often
move in very close by and have been known to go into a neighbouring
hive or stay under a pallet.  However if they have been foraging at a long
distance due to poor conditions locally, they may tend to go that same
direction.
 
> I did not expect to attract any swarms from my own apiary because of
> the reluctance I seem to see to settling close to the parent colony.
 
> >I too tried the Brushy Mountain lure and at least four swarms passed it
> >up.  I caught two of them in trees later, with no help from the lure.
 
> >I set the trap with the lure in a tree near a large wild colony.  The
> >bees completely ignored it when they swarmed as they do every spring.
> >Later, I set a trap with a lure in it near a swarm from one of my own
> >colonies.  This was ignored too.  I'm not going to buy any more of
> >these.
 
Allen Dick                                  VE6CFK
Rural Route One, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
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