To attract bees to a hive box, you must make the box smell and feel like a safe, established home. The most effective methods involve coating the interior with beeswax, using old frames that contain the scent of a previous colony, and adding a lure that mimics the queen's "come here" pheromone, such as lemongrass oil. This strategy targets scout bees from a nearby swarm who are searching for a new nest.
The core principle is scent. Bees operate in a world of chemical signals, and a new, sterile box is unattractive. Your goal is to trick a swarm's scout bees into believing your hive box is a proven, resource-rich, and secure cavity that a colony has successfully occupied before.
Understanding Your Goal: Attracting vs. Expanding
Before you begin, it's crucial to identify your specific objective. The techniques for attracting a wild swarm into an empty "bait hive" are different from those used to encourage an existing colony to expand into a new box (a "super").
Scenario 1: Attracting a Wild Swarm to a Bait Hive
A swarm is a group of bees that has left its original hive to find a new home. Your goal is to convince the swarm's scouts that your bait hive is the best available option.
The Power of Scent
Bees are drawn to the smell of other bees, wax, and honey. This is your primary tool. Coat the inside of the empty hive box and the entrance with melted beeswax. If you have it, rubbing propolis (a resinous material bees use as glue) inside the box is also highly effective.
Use "Dirty" Frames
The single best attractant is a frame of old, dark, drawn-out comb from a previous hive. The residual scents of beeswax, honey, pollen, and bee life are an almost irresistible signal to scout bees. One or two such frames are sufficient.
Add a Pheromone Lure
Bees use a chemical signal called the Nasonov pheromone to orient returning foragers and guide swarms to a new home. You can mimic this attractant with a commercial swarm lure or a few drops of lemongrass essential oil placed on a cotton ball inside the hive.
Strategic Placement is Key
Where you put the bait hive is just as important as what's inside it. Swarms tend to prefer locations that are 10-15 feet off the ground, visible but not in direct, all-day sun, and have a clear flight path to the entrance.
Scenario 2: Encouraging Your Bees to Occupy a New Box
If you have an established hive and want the colony to expand upward into a new super, your challenge is to get them to cross the empty space.
The Brood Frame Bait
Bees, particularly nurse bees, will not abandon their young. The most effective way to draw a colony upward is to pull one frame of open brood (containing eggs and young larvae) from the lower box and place it in the center of the new, upper box.
Creating a "Honey Bridge"
By placing a brood frame in the new super, you force nurse bees to move up to care for the young. This traffic encourages the rest of the colony to follow, begin building comb in the adjacent empty frames, and start storing nectar, creating a "bridge" between the two boxes.
Understanding the Trade-offs and Common Pitfalls
While these methods are effective, you must be aware of the potential risks and realities of working with bees.
The Risk of Old Comb
While old comb is a powerful attractant, it can also harbor dormant diseases (like American Foulbrood spores) or pests (like wax moth eggs). Never use old comb from a hive that died from an unknown cause. Only use frames from hives you know were healthy.
Attracting Unwanted Guests
A baited hive box smells sweet and inviting, not just to honeybees. It can easily attract ants, wasps, spiders, or other creatures. Check your bait hives periodically to ensure they haven't been claimed by pests.
The Need for Reorientation
An obstruction like a leafy branch placed in front of the entrance is not for attracting bees. This technique is used after you have installed a package of bees or moved a hive. It forces the bees to perform new orientation flights, memorizing the location of their new home so they don't get lost.
The Importance of Feeding a New Colony
A newly captured swarm or installed package has no stored food. To give them the energy required to build wax comb, you must feed them a 1:1 sugar water solution continuously until they have drawn out several frames of comb and are actively bringing in their own nectar.
Making the Right Choice for Your Goal
Your strategy depends entirely on what you are trying to accomplish.
- If your primary focus is capturing a wild swarm: Use old, dark comb and a lemongrass oil lure in a bait hive placed in a high, visible location.
- If your primary focus is expanding an existing colony: Move a single frame of open brood from the lower box into the center of the new super.
- If your primary focus is establishing a newly housed swarm or package: Provide a continuous feed of 1:1 sugar water to fuel crucial comb construction.
Ultimately, working successfully with bees means understanding their biological imperatives and using that knowledge to guide them.
Summary Table:
| Goal | Primary Method | Key Attractant | Placement Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attract a Wild Swarm | Use a bait hive | Old comb, beeswax, lemongrass oil | 10-15 ft high, partial shade |
| Expand an Existing Colony | Add a new super | Frame of open brood from lower box | Directly above the brood box |
| Establish a New Hive | Provide continuous feeding | 1:1 sugar water solution | After installing a swarm/package |
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