Expert Opinion:
Jul 11, 2011
<b> What is bee baiting and colonisation? </b><br>Many beekeepers depend on natural swarming to stock their hives. Rapid colonisation of hives needs plenty of honey bee colonies in the area.
What is bee baiting and colonisation?
Many beekeepers depend on natural swarming to stock their hives. Rapid colonisation of hives needs plenty of honey bee colonies in the area.
Where natural resources are being destroyed or where careless agricultural spraying occurs, the wild colonies that would be the parents of the swarms are easily destroyed.
This not only affects the colonisation of beehives for beekeepers but also farmers’ crop production and bio-diversity in the area.
Positioning and baiting beehives in order to optimize their attractiveness to colonising swarms will vary depending on the environment.
Nonetheless, there are certain principles that will be helpful to all beekeepers who want to establish a colony of bees.
In the first instance, whether it is natural nest sites, or beehives that are to be colonised, if they have previously been colonised by bees then they will be more attractive than something that is new.
This is because the bees will be able to smell the residual odours of previous bees.
The relatively fresh remains of dead bee brood and comb that has been used for raising brood is also very attractive. However, this also carries the danger of disease for the new bees.
Bees are especially attracted by beeswax so plenty of beeswax should be used to bait the hives.
l It has long been noted that traditional hives are more quickly colonised than top-bar or frame hives.
Plastic hives and other man-made materials are often unattractive while some types of wood can have a strong smell which is potentially repellent to bees.
Some indigenous herbs are used as attractants, in particular those smelling of lemon such as lemon grass. People have also tried palm wine, banana skins and cassava flour.
An effective means of swarm catching is to use a special swarm catcher box placed along a known route for swarming or migrating bees.
Many beekeepers depend on natural swarming to stock their hives. Rapid colonisation of hives needs plenty of honey bee colonies in the area.
Where natural resources are being destroyed or where careless agricultural spraying occurs, the wild colonies that would be the parents of the swarms are easily destroyed.
This not only affects the colonisation of beehives for beekeepers but also farmers’ crop production and bio-diversity in the area.
Positioning and baiting beehives in order to optimize their attractiveness to colonising swarms will vary depending on the environment.
Nonetheless, there are certain principles that will be helpful to all beekeepers who want to establish a colony of bees.
In the first instance, whether it is natural nest sites, or beehives that are to be colonised, if they have previously been colonised by bees then they will be more attractive than something that is new.
This is because the bees will be able to smell the residual odours of previous bees.
The relatively fresh remains of dead bee brood and comb that has been used for raising brood is also very attractive. However, this also carries the danger of disease for the new bees.
Bees are especially attracted by beeswax so plenty of beeswax should be used to bait the hives.
l It has long been noted that traditional hives are more quickly colonised than top-bar or frame hives.
Plastic hives and other man-made materials are often unattractive while some types of wood can have a strong smell which is potentially repellent to bees.
Some indigenous herbs are used as attractants, in particular those smelling of lemon such as lemon grass. People have also tried palm wine, banana skins and cassava flour.
An effective means of swarm catching is to use a special swarm catcher box placed along a known route for swarming or migrating bees.