Beekeeping myths

[Neils]

Thanks Jon for reminding me...

Absolutely anything said about bait hives
I've had swarms take residence in a Nuc (too small), in between two bustling 14x12s (they wont settle in an existing apiary), that had no frames in it (they like old dark comb) and was on the ground (they like to go 15ft+ up).

Ley lines too for completeness.

If there are bees around you in addition to your own and you stick a couple of bait hives out you might get lucky.

I do believe that swarms tend to settle in the same places because I've heard about it from too many people, including non beekeepers who get swarms turn up in the same tree (branch) year in, year out. so sticking a bait hive around there wont hurt.

Everything else may or may not make the slightest bit of difference based on what I've seen so far.

[Jon]

Good stuff. There is certainly an entire chapter which could be based around the bait hive myths. Bees definitely do settle on the same place time after time but that is easily explained by the pheromone trace left by an alighting queen. I had about 10 queens land on the same post last summer - not swarms, rather queens on mating flights.
I had to collect them by placing the empty apidea beside the cluster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4mNK...3&feature=plcp

[Trog]

Did I ever mention the year (a couple of summers ago) I saw a swarm fly straight past the lovely bait hive at the 'corrrect' height and orientation, complete with clean foundation and a phermone capsule ... into a pile of supers and old boxes that I'd not finished sorting/cleaning? Took me another year to get them off the super frames they'd colonised and to move them away from the paddock but I still have that colony. AMM and not always sweet-natured but that probably depends on the whereabouts of the moon pluto and venus at the time (since this is a beekeeping myths thread) and woe betide us if mars is anywhere to be seen! [ironic smiley]

[Neils]

Not necessarily within a close time period (the venerable Mr Hoskins uses one post to cull all his queens and the majority of swarms settle there apparently), but year after year. I was talking to someone a few years ago who reckons that every year they get at least one swarm settle in the tree in their garden

[gavin]

Speaking of which, did you ever hear the myth that when Jupiter and Venus align, the brilliant beekeeping spring will carry on into the most productive beekeeping year in living memory?

It is about time I invented my own myth.

[Jon]

Hi Trog. I have heard of that happening a couple of times. My brother had a few old supers in a shed and he got a swarm take up residence in them through a broken window.

re. that video clip I posted in post 22, if you scroll to about 2:20 there is a great shot of a dopey drone on the front of the apidea being picked off by a wasp. Look at the number of drones in that little cluster on the post. None of them came from the apidea and they must all have been sucked into the mating swarm - something which is also considered to be a myth in some quarters but I have it on video!

[Trog]

Well, Gavin, if it's predictions you're after, I predict the midges will start biting much earlier this year.

[Adam]

Ref Mr Hoskins, I have a few queens that I have been collecting in the freezer. I'll be squeezing them onto something quite soon with the hope of catching a swarm. Maybe a removeable 'false' branch so I can eaily shake bees off it. I'll let you know if I get anything. I clip my queens but pound to a penny I'll leave two queen cells in somewhere and get a caste.

[Trog]

Hmm, that's an interesting idea, Adam. I'll maybe try that trick!

[Neils]

Foul Brood can (always) be identified by the smell
Another one that sprang to mind while reviewing some of the module 3 stuff and that seems to do the rounds from time to time.

If it's present, the odour of basically rotting brood is difficult to miss but I wouldn't personally include it in the list of warning signs that a colony might have Foul Brood. i.e. if I was concerned I wouldn't be thinking "Something's not right but at least it doesn't smell so it can't be foulbrood"