There are several ways to hive a swarm. Here’s how to do it the traditional way with a ramp and a sheet. It’s probably the slowest method but well worth doing at least once for the spectacle!
Materials
- The hive stand
- The hive complete with frames preferably a couple of drawn frames and a couple of stores. The rest can be foundation
- A rapid feeder – Ashforth or Miller type
- Heavy 2:1 syrup
- A lowish hive stand or box
- A board which can be set against the hive at a gentle angle
- A white sheet
Method
- Do this at dusk or late in the afternoon
- Put the two drawn frames into the middle and the two frames of stores at the edges
- Set the hive ‘the cold way’ ie with frames perpendicular to the entrance. The drawn frames will have a bee-ish smell and set the cold way and with these in the middle the bees will notice more quickly and be drawn in
- Remove the entrance block
- Put the feeder on
- Fill with syrup and prime it i.e. slop some syrup over the feeding slot and onto the frames below
- Set the board so that it is propped against the floor just below the entrance at a low angle (about 30 degrees) and secure with a brick or some such so it won’t slide
- Spread the white sheet over the board, tuck it in and smooth out the wrinkles
- Get your skep and tip the bees onto the sheet-covered ramp
- Settle down and watch
- If they won’t get moving give the tail end a few gentle puffs of smoke
- Keep an eye out for the queen
- If there is more than one there could be a scrap – they go at it like Jack Russel terriers or so I am told
- The bees will start to walk up the ramp slowly at first
- Once the queen has gone in they will speed up – sometimes this can be really fast
Click here for general information on hiving a swarm
Click here for the Easy Way to Hive a Swarm
Click here for the No-Frills Way to Hive a Swarm
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