Swarm box

With the imminent approach of honey bee swarming season in Ireland, we are pleased to offer this swarm box/swarm trap. Year on year we are asked for advice and measures that can be taken to prevent the return of colonies taking residency in people’s homes. Up till now we have advised our clients to contact beekeepers or associations in the area to provide them swarm traps/boxes. To take this idea a step further, we are now offering purpose-built boxes complete with starting frames and pre-drawn comb, courtesy of our bees, to attract incoming swarms.

Reasons

• If you have had bees in your property in the past you are at high risk of this re-occurring. To try and prevent the headache of a removal and associated costs we would strongly recommend you to use one of these boxes. During swarming season these boxes will provide an alternative place for other bee swarms re-occupying your property.
• In areas where swarming is prevalent, wild colonies are present or neighbours of yours have had or still have colonies on their properties it is advisable to use these boxes.
• These boxes would also be perfect for anyone starting out as a beekeeper and wanting to catch a local swarm.
• If the plight of the honey bee concerns you and you would like to help in the preservation of these vital pollinators being relocated instead of being destroyed or becoming a nuisance a swarm box is the first step.

Box details

The boxes are well made and sturdy. Space available inside the box can accommodate for large or small swarms. Entrance is small which is attractive to swarms for security. Pre-drawn comb inside has been frozen and vaped to kill any bugs or mould spores. Mesh floor for ventilation. Roof is fixed in place and aluminium lid on top. Easy to close door.

Dimensions: 440mm x 240mm x 460mm HxWxL

Where to put it

As a rule of thumb, you should put your swarm box high up in a quiet place.

Every property is different so our advice is to think like a bee.

• High

They prefer a spot that would be above our head height so they feel secure from ground predators, for example on the garden shed as long as you make the box level. If you have had a colony in the roof of your house in the past, try to position it directly below that point, but as high as you can get it secured.

• Traffic control

Clear flight path. Bees are work horses and at their peak they have foragers arriving back every few seconds. When they are selecting a new home, they will always look for a nice open run to the entrance of the hive, so don’t direct it towards a wall or fence.

• Sunlight

Bees orientate using the sun but they are also late risers in most cases. Major activity by foraging bees really only starts from 10 am to 11am in the morning, so directing the entrance to have direct sun at that time really makes it appealing for them.

• Quiet

Bees selecting a home don’t generally look at areas with high human or animal activity. A quiet area of the property or garden will help with their selection process.

• Wet

Irish bees are well able to control temperature and handle moisture within their hives but just like us and all living creatures the less work we have to do to maintain things the better. When selecting a location for your box you should consider whether it being away from damp and wet.

After care

In the event you catch a swarm in your box, please be patient. Swarms can be quite intimidating to witness, its like being in a tornado of bees. I can’t promise you won’t get stung but in general bees in a swarm are docile, have very full bellies and are more concerned about building than attacking. Allow them to occupy the box which can take hours. Then get back in touch with us. We can organise the collection and the return of your box.

If you want to know more about honey bee colony removals visit Honey Bee Removal

For videos on what we do please visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi9fYueMdA4Ki9Xck2PhaJQ