Current apicultural research - Cardboard bait hives: A practicable alternative to capturing swarms

Professor Ademilson Espencer Egea Soares from the Department of Genetics, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil is well known for work on the genetic mutation which causes a split sting in Apis mellifera. He made this discovery while studying with the famous geneticist Professor Warwick Estevam Kerr. His research on cardboard bait hives has been enthusiastically received by Brazilian beekeepers, many of whom are putting his discoveries into practice. The following article is a translation of some of the major points of an article to be published in the Brazilian beekeeping journal: Correro do Apicultor, in 1985.

Cardboard bait hives: A practicable alternative to capturing swarms

by Ademilson Espencer Egea Soares, Depto do Genética, Faculdade de Medicina, University of Sado Paulo, 14.100 Ribeirao Preto-SP, Brazil.

Since ancient times, bait hives have been used for attracting swarms. Beekeepers in Brazil currently use a variety of methods; a commonly used technique is to place Stacked boxes containing newly extracted combs on stands, and another method is to hang in a tree a box containing 4 frames with strips of foundation covering a third of half of the frame: old fruit boxes and other cheap or freely available wooden boxes are also used.

Beekeepers often use strong smelling Substances smeared on to the entrance or inner walls of the bait hives with the aim to increase the hives attractiveness to swarms. The substances used include pure propolis, alcohol extract of propolis, alcohol extract of material from old comb and lemon grass. The Lemon Grass (erva Cidreira, Cymbopogon citratus) is a traditional alternative to the swarm lures developed by Dr John Free at Rothamsted, England (see Newsletter 5 page 3). We are currently testing the preference of swarms for the swarm hives at the Department of Genetics, Ribeirao Preto.

Problems of swarming with the Africanized honeybee and the capture of swarms using bait hives caused us to carry out basic research on colour preferences and to determine the annual peaks of the swarming season in Brazil. Research in central New York State, USA (Seeley, T. D. and Morse, R. A. 1982 Bait hives for honeybees—Cornell Cooperative Extension Publication No. 187) found that European honeybees prefer the following characteristics:

1. height about 15 feet above the ground

2. well shaded, but highly visible

3. entrance size of about 10 cm²

4. entrance positioned near the floor of the hive

5. cavity volume of 40 litres

6. dry and draught-free, especially at the top.

Distance from parent nest, entrance shape, cavity shape and entrance direction were found not to be important. The results showed that bait hives painted in light colours (white or yellow) were 1-5 times more attractive to swarms than those painted in dark colours (leaf green, sea blue and black). In Brazil there are two major swarming seasons a year between March/May and August/October, when 28% and 62% respectively of the annual total of swarms were collected. Swarms show differences between the two seasons.

In March to May, following the rainy season of December—February, swarms were small, usually without drones (the presence of drones indicated that the swarm originated from a strong, well-fed colony) and they were therefore mainly absconding or migratory swarms leaving an area of limited forage to look for an area of richer forage. In August to October captured swarms were large, with drones present, and were therefore most likely reproductive swarms.

The research demonstrated the economic value of swarm boxes, for with just 25 boxes, 120 swarms were captured in a year.

Following discussion with a local beekeeper who had observed that swarms in towns chose cardboard boxes, we studied swarm preferences for the material of the bait hive. Testing a cardboard box sold by the Brazilian post office against a normal 4 frame nucleus and a 10 frame Langstroth box, the cardboard box was 10 times more efficient.

The cardboard post office boxes have the same width as Langstroth hives and 5 normal frames (with 3 was foundation) can be placed inside. Support for the frames is provided by 2 wooden batons on the inside secured opposite 2 wooden batons on the outside of the box. Nails on either side of the outer wooden baton enable the bait hive to be hung at 25 m above ground by wire from a nail in the trunk of a tree. 100 litre plastic wastepaper bags cover and protect the cardboard bait hives from rain and dew, and an entrance of 10 cm² is made in the front of the box.

The cardboard hive is used only to capture swarms and not as a hive for productive colonies. Swarms can be left up to 2 months although the combs can be transferred to a Langstroth hive as soon as there are unsealed larvae. If combs are transferred before this there is a greater possibility that the swarm will abscond.

The cardboard bait hive is a cheap and excellent way for rapid increase in apiary size. In Brazil the maximum cost is just US$2. Other types of cardboard boxes can be used, and if the dimensions are not correct for a Langstroth frame use a top bar with a bead of melted wax or attached foundation.

Introduction and translation by Margaret Nixon.