How we bait and place bee hives to attract hundreds of swarms every year

Making a hive attractive to honeybees is really easy. You just need to know what to bait with and how to place your hive. We have attracted hundreds of swarms every year to our hives by using this simple method. The best part is that in the process we are creating safe nesting sites for honeybees and allowing them to keep multiplying which is beneficial for the environment. Here's a video of when we checked a few baited hives a few days later: • Checking baited bee hi...

[@MrJim5280]

Great video. I like to put some old brood comb in my traps, just a frame or two. I put wax starter strips on the remaining frames. My traps are essentially a deep and a medium nuc box that I build, but I only use deep frames. Greetings from Texas!

[@beewagyu]

Where are you. I’m in East Texas.??

[@kingdombees_kzn]

We are in Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa.@@beewagyu

[@byjamie-hillierrubis]

Old brood frames to keep the swarm interested is a great tip I learned the hard way but they must be steralized. 🍀 💝🙏💫

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

Hi there. Here in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 any time a Queen needs replacing, (She is carefully removed & mashed in your Fingers. 🤭) This Ex-Majesty : gets to Rule in a Dark Glass Bottle ! (Of eg Rubbing Alcohol.) And if any other Queen is found dead : add her to the same Bottle too. Over a few weeks the 'Pheremones' of these Queens will seep into the alcohol : And this is your DIY Swarm Lure. 👍 Add a piece of Cotton Wool with a dash of QMP Juice on it, into a small Sandwhich Bag. Poke a few Holes so the Queens essence can slowly waft about the Box. . . This must be a minimum of x41 Litres (think the depth of x2 Nuc Boxes Stacked) are what Bees think as a perfect 'Tree Cavity' 🌳 Also place it in a Sheltered Area, with possibly some midday to afternoon Sun will lay on its South Side (UK, EU, US. The opposite for Aus,NZ.) And in a while you will 'Catch' a Swarm. Here in the UK we have a saying : A Swarm in May is worth Hay. A Swarm in June is worth a Silver Spoon. A Swarm in July is only worth a Fly ! 🤭 My best incoming Swarm was actually via the Washing Line, they then flew a short distance, right into an existing Hive Stack of x4 Boxes ! (A Deadout : Colony didnt last the Winter !) But all that lovely 'Bee Smell' the Comb and some left over Honey: made it 'Home Sweet Home' ! A Win, win getting some eg x45,000 Bees give or take. 😁 Baiting Bees really helps the local Environment too. Better to capture the 'Swarm' and Hive it. Than that Swarm hasseling say Kids in a School as it hangs off a 'Tree'. Or maybe Elder Folk finding Bees are in their Roof Space or Chimney. Give it a try. If nothing else. A DIY Hive looks nice amongst the Garden Flowers and Plants too. A passing 'Scout Bee' might see your efforts and Call her Sisters in: to say Here is a lovely Home awaiting us ! ❤ 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2024 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 QMP Is a Beekeeping term 'Queen Mandibular Phremone : aka the 'Essence' of a Queen Ruling a Hive of Bees. Each bee passes 'the signal of QMP' onto the next bee. . . And this in turn 'means everything is OK'. When there is 'no Queen' the Bees kind of 'Hum, even 'Roar' in sound : thats because their is no QMP in the Colony. Bees either 'make' a new Queen, or a Beekeeper will add a new Queen in, from another Hive, or brought in from a Breeder etc. Bees are very clever and very sensitive to 'changes'. Almost as busy as a Bee ! 🤭

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

Ps. At "6.08" you had a "Bee" finding 'you' (at the Front Entrance Holes : not in initial shown footage, only a while later, as you turned it around.) Of the Box in its 'Good to Go' finished with Knots etc. 😁 (Seen : View Right !) As you were Wiring up that Roof ! Funny : She must of smelt that heated up Propolis & Wax... 😁 Bees are so inquistitive in their comings and goings. Just love their cleaver ways. Tip : I would also add at least x3 Frames (Static: Nails spaced as Frame notches, keep them still.) into your Bait Hives. Otherwise you will have so much 'Wild Random Wax Comb and Associated Honey to Cut off your Roofs. That's a real sticky mess to deal with. Just saying. . . 🙃

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Good information, thanks! We put all the frames in a hive after baiting and before strapping. I do mention that on the video.

[@wesleybryant7839]

This makes good sense. I will try it. Thankyou.

[@Caseyfalkengren]

Gonna bee knew to the 🐝 game this year. Thanks for the tips.

[@TeaTephiTrumpet777]

Learn they are some amount of care. Local beekeepers help you understand what you are up against for keeping them healthy and happy.

[@kabeloledingoane1203]

I saw some traps on Gra**m road today... and one with bees. super sweet to see them in real life.

[@NaturalBeekeeping.]

Nice information sir, thanks for sharing ❤

[@steveroper8463]

Great advice!

[@antonhuman8446]

Super practical. Thanks!

[@user-dy5gy2rp6h]

Thank you 🦋🪻🌻 Absolutely awesome educational ⭐🎥👍 Very excellent

[@annaspeakse]

Great video

[@lexk3170]

Thank you this video is awesome.

[@kaf2303]

Thanks for sharing!

[@inekestoffberg9211]

Great video! Thanks for sharing

[@Brianbeesandbikes]

I fill a 10 frame deep lang w frames that have a 'memory strip' of old comb attached to the top bar as a guide to prevent cross-combing either from when culling out old brood frames or hot wax melting strips to the under-side of new frames. Reduces to schedule rate of revisiting bait hives.

[@bushveldbees]

Fantastic well done 👏 🎉

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Video update... We went to check the trap hives at one of our swarm trapping locations to find a 100% trap rate. Here's the link to the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpPdcqiVpdpjiqM

[@user-ch5tb4zl4h]

Wow that's amazing neh❤

[@byjamie-hillierrubis]

Fascinating, thank you! One question. I see you use plywood. I've been told bees don't like the smell of plywood glue so it needs to be completely painted with beeswax. Do you have any issues with this? Your bees certainly don't seem to mind or has it been pre-soaked. Blessings from Ireland and our little black bees. 💝🙏💫

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Our bees love the hives. We hot-dip our hives in Waxol to protect them from moisture, termites, borer mite etc. We manage just over 900 colonies in the hives we build. What species of honeybee do you have in Ireland?

[@subedi-bee-keeping]

very good.

[@markwelsch940]

Baiting the swarm traps with that mixture makes a lot of sense! What kind and how many frames do you put inside the swarm traps? Do you use drawn comb, plastic foundation, wax foundation, half sheets or starter strips of foundation to leave lots of empty room for them to gather and draw out brand new comb, etc?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. We always fill the box/hive with frames. Otherwise they build from the lid and transferring to new hives becomes a hassle. Beeswax starter strips are essential to avoid cross-building. If you have starter strips then there is no need for drawn comb. New swarms consist of mostly young worker bees which are in the phase of wax secretion so they want to build comb. Old comb can also contain hive beetle, wax moth and varroa mite so we avoid it. Its better to melt excess comb and make foundation sheets. It's not necessarily the "right" way to do it but its the way we do it and it works.

[@melvingray2690]

Like the plan

[@vincerieger6143]

Good job

[@morgsvdm]

Thank You!👍

[@beewagyu]

What is your double hole trap size? Mine is a deep with about 5 “ deeper than the normal deep. Put out 12. In a week using your metes propolis and wax inside and on the face and entrance they are jumping in it. Need to make more traps. Mine have hinges etc. thx

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. The entrance hole size on our hives is 30mm. It's the exact size of a coke bottle cap so we use caps with 3mm holes in them to plug the hives when we move them at night. Quick and easy to open and close and the bees get lots of air but can't get out during transport. Thats awesome! Hope you get many swarms. Where are you situated?

[@beewagyu]

I am in Grapeland Texas. Thanks for that I will be using a circular closure or something like that I can rotate at night to close them that also gives a vent. I like your double hole design. If I could attach a video of a swarm I caught in my hives I would. Your video and the propolis is the best advice out there. Thanks. Caught three in a week.

[@kingdombees_kzn]

@@beewagyu That's awesome! Well done🏆

[@francorenda8700]

Thanks for a great video and tips. What months /season do you trap.

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. We get the most swarms in the eucalyptus flow in February and the macadamia flow in July.

[@teufelskueche1]

Nice one.I give it a dry this sommer.One question.What you ust to cover your hives,is this aluminium?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Yes we use 0.5mm aluminium sheeting.

[@teufelskueche1]

@@kingdombees_kzn thank you 👍

[@victorkulynycz1397]

Freat video, Where are you located, I'm on eastern shore of MD and enjoy swarm trapping but success way less than yours. Put out 9 traps last year with 15 swarms caught. I put dry propolis in a previously inhabited 10 frame langstroth deep with a frame or 2 of old brood comb then rest empty wired frames. Use a drop or 2 of swarm lure (i use swarm commander) as seen on Tom Seeleys videos. I will try to melt some wax with propolis and smear on inside. I also hang my swarm traps in a hang on tree stand chest level from bed of my pickup as to make it easy to take down when successful. It's almost swarm season here so getting excited!

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Thanks for that info. We are in South Africa in Kwa-Zulu Natal province.

[@sandorkocsis8595]

Thanks for video , it is what i started using last year. My question to you is the round holes in front of hive , what size and how far up . I notice my cement hives are getting robbed as the openings are to big, when they are put in .( young swarms ) Any advice would be great .Western cape hobby beekeeper.

[@kingdombees_kzn]

We use 30mm diameter holes as our hive entrances. It's the same size a bottle cap (coke, sprite etc.) so its super easy to close up when moving hives for whatever reason. You just plug and go. No bees get out. The bees reduce the entrance size with propolis if they want.

[@danzielinski672]

Are there frames in the traps? And is there a queen in the swarms? Cheers

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Yes, there are frames in the trap boxes so transferring into hives is easy. Yes, most swarms have a queen with them. Occasionally we get queenless swarms.

[@hosocat1410]

Should I fully load the trap hive with empty frames, or just a few frames? Thanks for your tips!

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Put in all the frames to avoid cross-building. Also, adding frames later can cause unnecessary disruption for the colony.

[@hosocat1410]

@@kingdombees_kzn thanks!

[@christopherreed8263]

One thing that concerns me about your bait hives is that they have no ventilation after you plug the entrance holes with the swarm inside. The swarm could die if you keep then inside the box too long, especially when it is hot.

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. The plugs we use have multiple 3mm holes in them so there is ample ventilation but the bees can't get out. We only move hives at night so its cooler. Also, the apiaries are within a 15min drive from the swarm trapping sites so they don't overheat.

[@TheCompanion-gx5bz]

Great vid. What would be the effect of adding a couple of frames of comb?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. I know a lot of beekeepers use combs in their trap hives to attract bees. It just depends on your area. If we put combs in an empty hive it gets wax moth infestation very quickly. Propolis and beeswax works best for us. What area are you from?

[@TheCompanion-gx5bz]

I'm in northern New England, USA.@@kingdombees_kzn

[@sandorkocsis8595]

I see you using shutter ply . What thickness do you use and on average how long do they last?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. We use 18mm shutter ply which we hot-dip in Waksol. Some hives are now 12 years old and they are still perfect.

[@sandorkocsis8595]

Thanks for that. Starting off it is difficult to guess what will work and how long things will last if you are new to bees. This info will push me in the right direction. Thanks@@kingdombees_kzn

[@MugeriThakhani]

What do I do when I want to put them in my bee hive

[@olusegunadebayo5306]

Was this done, during swarming season or this year 2024? I just did 200 swarm traps and yet to check them out.

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Its was done now, February 2024. Our swarming seasons are in January/February and again in July/August.

[@kingdombees_kzn]

How do you place your swarm traps? Hang in trees?

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

No brood comb. Interesting. I don't know about the other oils but we have good luck with only,,, several drops of lemon grass. It seems to attract scouts.

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. If we put comb in an empty hive the wax moths usually get there first. Do you have wax moth there?

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

@@kingdombees_kzn that has always bothered me. We do have wax moths but for some reason they don't seem to want to go in with any numbers. One has to wonder if a bit of the lemongrass oil makes it less alluring for the moths?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

@@MinnesotaBeekeeper I googled it and apparently lemongrass oil repels moths. Good to know!

[@gavinknox2168]

Is the bait available to purchase and uf so, where?, im in Durban and are keen to start bee keeping again.

[@kingdombees_kzn]

We come to Durban almost every week so I'll bring for you. WhatsApp [phone].

[@Fly-SanDiego]

What do you do with the African bees after catching them?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Our primary business is pollination on macadamia nut trees so when swarms are trapped we move them to apiaries near the orchards and start managing them for pollination.

[@chicken6946]

A lot of people are catching they're own bees and call it catching swarms

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. Yes, when a nest of honeybees becomes overcrowded(especially when there is an abundance of food in the area) they will swarm. The old queen leaves the nest with a large portion of the colony and they move to a new nesting site like the baited hive boxes we place for them:) They are not actually "trapped" at all, but chose to move there. We are simply creating more nesting space for the bees.

[@beewagyu]

Hey. Excellent video and info. But. You didn’t show the frames. What type etc. I just made 15 bait hives. Thx

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. We use Langstroth type brood frames with stainless wiring in a cross formation and beeswax foundation strips with about 6mm projection. As long as the hive is standing or hanging level then the bees draw out the comb perfectly within the frame. We will make a video on that. Thanks for the heads-up.

[@beewagyu]

Excellent. Also I have changed my strategy based on your strategy. Using propolis makes complete sense. Wish I had more. I got grid of a bunch and now wish I had it back. Lol

[@beewagyu]

What about old black frames or such melted down and using that similarly. Thx

[@GatheringJacob]

So for a first time guy where do you get the bait (propolus) you discussed in this video? Can I buy it?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Hi. I suggest contacting a beekeeper in your area to find out if they sell propolis and/or beeswax. Wherea are you situated?

[@GatheringJacob]

@@kingdombees_kzn I am in USA NJ. after the bees come to the box what’s the next step? Do you just let them propagate the box with there own hive, or do you install dividers of some sort?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

@@GatheringJacob Yes, all the baited trap box/hives have frames in them. Each frame has a strip of beeswax along the top of it to act as a guideline so the bees build their combs along each frame and not across several frames. This makes it possible for the beekeeper to remove individual frames for brood management, frames changes, honey harvesting etc. We will post a video explaining this week.

[@GatheringJacob]

@@kingdombees_kzn thank you for interacting with me. I will watch out for the video. Just wondering, can I make simple empty/ open frames to put in the box? Or do the frames need some kind of center panel for them to build there comb to?

[@kingdombees_kzn]

@@GatheringJacob You can make you hives and frames any way you want. A lot of the "guru's" in the beekeeping space will tell you that something has to be done a certain way. Nonsense. Do what works for you. You can use empty frames. The problem is comes when the bees build across the frames and join them all together and you can't remove them individually. As long as you have a foundation strip along each frame they should build straight. I will post a video on frames today!

[@richardrbrynerjr.7912]

Yummy carcinogens for the bees to clean up, bees wax that has not been overheated works better, please practice better bee hygiene people!

[@kingdombees_kzn]

Please elaborate on what "better practices" would be?

[@richardrbrynerjr.7912]

We are faced with much higher level of toxins today which build up in comb, rotate out old comb , only use for candles. Healthier bees make better honey and more of it

[@WebberAerialImaging]

​@@kingdombees_kzn Like most beekeepers, it's probably what they believe is right 😂