Swarm Traps and Bait Hives, The Easy Way to get Bees for Free

Many of you that follow my blog have seen that I have been working towards becoming a beekeeper. I feel that as many of us as possible should either become beekeepers or at least set up a bee box as a natural home for bees just to help them survive. They are having a hard time making it right now and a large amount of our food is pollinated by the bees. I have assembled two hives and am preparing to obtain bees this coming spring. One thing that a beginning beekeeper becomes painfully aware of is the expense of getting into beekeeping. Hives are expensive, equipment is expensive and bees are real expensive if you buy them. When I say expensive they start at around $70.00 plus shipping for just a small package of bees and queens are around $20.00 each and up. I have had several people that wanted to help me get started offer me bees for $125.00 to $250.00 here in the Central Texas area. I was not quite sure how much they really wanted to help me get started or if they just wanted to sell me bees. One real friend generously offered to give me a split off of one of his hives this spring, but the drought may make sure there are not enough bees to split off of many hives.


I have been hearing about people that trap wild bees and set them up in hives but it sounds like a hit and miss chance of trapping a swarm and it must be at just the right time, just the right trap and you need to use these special expensive pheromone baits etc. Some have tried to be very helpful with information and others have acted like it was some sort of black magic and that only special people should know the secrets.  I have been reading all sorts of books trying to learn everything I can before I get my own bees and also trying to find out how all this really works and why this hobby can be so expensive. I was at our recent Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association Meeting and heard this guy talking about a new book he had written about trapping bees. I did not get a chance to talk with him as there were around 120 people there and I had to be elsewhere, so I filed the information in the back of mind. Later I contacted McCartney Taylor by email and inquired about doing a book review of his new book. McCartney graciously supplied me an eBook copy to review and I found the answers to inexpensive bees are right there in the pages along with the facts and secrets to make sure one is successful in obtaining a wild swarm. In fact McCartney calls it “The Easy Way to get Bees for Free”. They might not be totally free but it is as close as you will ever come to free bees. The book covers the how-to of building your own swarm traps, where to put them, what to bait them with and what time of year to have them set and in place. The book even covers just setting the bees up to pollinate your gardens and flowers if you do not wish to be an involved beekeeper. Below is a copy of the Contents of the book and gives you an idea of how complete and involved is the information included in the pages of this book. I would class this as a must have book for both the amateur and professional beekeeper.

The book is available in EBook or a printed version and can be purchased at the following links. Tell McCartney that Wild Ed sent you.

Printed Version

https://www.createspace.com/3631331


EBook

http://learningbeekeeping.com/beekeeping-articles/beekeeping-books/swarm-trapping-bait-hives/


Both available here http://learningbeekeeping.com/swarm-trap-book-done/

The book can also be purchased through Amazon.com and other book stores.


Table of Contents

Copyright

Foreword

   What Is in It for You?

1. Why Trap Swarms?

2. Trees

3. Biology of Swarming

4. Swarm Names

5. History

6. Alternatives to Traps — Catching Swarms

7. Building a Swarm Trap — The Hanging Box Type

   Dimensions

   Buy an 8 Frame Deep

   Bonus Nuc

   Scrap Wood Option

   Re-purpose Broken Equipment

   Safety

   Top Bar Hive Option

8. Baiting a Swarm Trap

   Lemon Grass Oil: Our Secret Weapon

   Commercial Swarm Lures

   Use Old Comb

   QMP

9. A Note for Non-Beekeepers: The Hands-Free Beekeeping Method

10. Times for Swarms .

   When to Build Your Traps

   When to Deploy Your Swarm Traps

   How to Hang Swarm Traps



11. Safety 3

   Africanized Bees

   Ladders

   Checking Swarm Traps

   Pests

   Removal Methods

12. Using GPS

13. Legality

   Trespassing

   Ownership

14. Disease

15. Location, Location, Location!

   Sun Is Bad

   Fence Lines

   Lone Trees

   Building Roofs

   Tree Lines

   Deep in Forests

   Urban Terrain

   Abandoned Houses

   Adapt

17. All Good Things Must End

18. GUTS!

19. Advanced Topic: A Business Model

20. Swarm Trapping for Public Service

21. Questions and Answers

22. Feedback!

   Want to Be in My Upcoming Swarm Trapping DVD?

23. Disclaimer


For those of you that have made it this far I have a special surprise. McCartney Taylor also has a website and blog with tons of free information on beekeeping. Stop by and take a look it will be worth your while. The information available there would take many years of experience to obtain so take advantage of McCartney’s hard work. You can even sign up to have beekeeping videos sent to your email for free.

http://learningbeekeeping.com/

McCartney also has numerous YouTube videos for the beginning beekeeper that will put you way ahead on your knowledge as a beekeeper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO7Ob86lX7c&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_273426

Texas Drought Hard on Bees Too

A lot of what I think are feral bees have been mobbing our humming bird feeders in the back yard so I decided to put out a feeder just for the bees. They have been hitting the sugar syrup like nobody's business. I guess this drought is extremely hard on all creatures. If you have the chance to help out until it rains with food or water do what you can. Here are some pictures of the bees you might like. I put out a small hive just in case they decide they need a new home. Wild Ed

 

Texas Dove Opener Right around the Corner

The question this year is will we even have any dove in our area to hunt? If it does not rain there will not be any stock ponds to hunt over. There are very few grain or sunflower patches that have enough seed to draw in the birds. It almost always rains just before the opener or the first week and scatters the birds. Let us hope it rains and maybe, just maybe it will draw some birds. If not, remember that the best part of dove hunting is the chance to get together with friends and share the outdoors. Don’t let the drought stop that tradition, just get a few clay birds, a thrower and have a shoot. I promise the fun will still be there and you can still sit around, tell stories and have a cook out whether there are dove are not.  In fact it is a whole lot harder to say how many shells it took you to hit a bird when you're shooting clays in front of everybody.  To all my hunting buddies across this great State of Texas, remember shoot to miss in front and stay focused.  If you miss, do something different.




I spent many years shooting competitive Sporting Clays and also as a National Sporting Clays Association Level II gunning instructor teaching others to hit more targets. I have helped lots of shooters to improve their shooting skills. In this article I want to give you some tips to make you a better wing shot and to help you have more fun in the field. Dove hunts in Texas are often a social event and a chance to be among friends. It is always more fun if you can out shoot your buddies. Here are a few ways that can help you drop more dove with fewer shells fired.


1. Practice: Do not just go out and blast away, have someone that is a better shooter than you watch your style and help you along. A professional lesson or two are well worth the investment. If you have no one to help you, get a good video or book to help you along. Practice your mount in front of a mirror until you become smooth and fluid. Always remember speed is not fast, smooth is fast.


2. Focus: Learn to focus on the eye of the bird or front of the target. Too many people focus on the whole target or on bird’s tails as they are easily seen. Have you ever shot at a bird and it leaves a trail of floating tail feathers. I wonder why? Focus on the head or eye of the bird; I have had people call me when they see a dove blink for the first time. It will happen if you focus on the eyes or beak of the bird and you will be amazed as your bird count goes up.


3. Mount on the target or just in front: Many people practice the old style of pass through shooting where they come from behind the target and try to brush it out of the sky. No one with this method wins major competitions anymore. Your shot string is approximately six foot long, if the first pellet in the string goes behind the target guess where the rest of them go? If half of the shot string goes in front of the target you still get a kill. What does all this mean? It means you should always mount in front of the target and never get behind it in your swing and follow through. Shoot to miss in front of the bird and watch the dove hit the ground.


4. Move, Mount, Shoot: This phrase should be engraved in your mind. Move with the flight of the bird. This means move the gun with the flight of the bird in the ready to mount position (NOT MOUNTED) when the bird reaches the area where you wish to shoot simply mount the gun on the front of the target pull out in front of the target and pull the trigger. I see hunters every year that spot a dove coming in from a long way off and mount the gun and track the bird, shoot and miss. Yet when someone yells BIRD and they look up, see the bird and shoot, they crush it. If you track the bird you will almost always try to aim and miss the bird.


5. Do Not Aim: The bead on a shotgun is not to aim with unless you hunt turkeys or shoot slugs. Compare it to the hood ornament on a car; it is simply there for your subconscious to know you are on target. Focus only on the target so you can swing smoothly and stay in front of the target. If you feel like your swing is jerky in movement it means you are changing focus from the target to the front bead and back to the target. A shotgun swing is not jerky, only your focus back and forth. This is one of the most important tips I can give you. Consider the shotgun bead the "miss me bead" and stay focused on the bird.


Remember that most misses are behind so increase your lead if you are not connecting on previous shots. If you are missing don't keep shooting the same way. Change the amount of lead, choke or swing but change something. If you miss the first shot and do the same thing on the second shot you will miss it also.


All of the above tips will help you be a better shot but there are also other tools and methods that you can use to bring the dove in closer to you and that will help you get more shots at those flighty dove.


Clothing: White or bright clothing is definitely out as it will scare the birds. Camo or dark earth tones that will match the terrain you are hunting in. As it is super hot this time of year remember to keep the clothing light in weight for coolness. Put on a good insect repellent as ticks and chiggers are out in force this time of year.


Decoys: I often carry a few plastic decoys that clip on to tree limbs or barbwire fences. It is amazing how many dove coming down a field will fly by and check the decoys. The new decoys with the moving wings are very effective in drawing dove within range.


Eye Wear: During the early and late shooting hours I like to wear amber shooting lenses as the contrast gives me better target acquisition. During the bright part of the day I wear brown, green or smoke lens colors to kill the glare.


Choke Choice: Unless you are shooting high flying pass over doves you should leave the modified and full chokes in the case. Improved cylinder will help most hunters increase the number of birds in the game bag. If I am sitting at a small tank or a feeding area I will shoot a skeet or cylinder choke for the more open pattern.


Shot size: I carry two sizes with me to change the density and distance. I mostly shoot 8 shot as it has good distance and a dense pattern without many holes. If I need to extend my distance just a bit I will use 7 ½ shot. The pattern has a few more holes in it but it will get me another 10 yards of kill distance.


Barrel length: I am a fan of longer shotgun barrels as I find it is harder to mess up a good swing and follow through with a long barrel. A short barrel tends to increase poking or spot shooting. Remember to insert the barrel in front of the bird pull out and shoot while keeping the gun moving until the target falls. Follow through is very important and hard to maintain with short barrels.


Hydration: The temperatures this time of year can be extremely hot so drink lots of water or sport drinks. Keep the alcoholic beverages locked away until after the guns are cased for the day. Don’t forget to keep fluids in your canine buddy as dogs can get heat stressed easily this time of year.


I don’t want to be a person that harps about safety, but in teaching Shotgunning classes in the last year I have seen two shotguns discharged accidentally. Both were mechanical failures and not caused by the shooter. In both cases no one was hurt because those involved were safe gun handlers and always made sure their guns were pointed in a safe direction. These two instances have let me know just how quick a life could be taken. Just a reminder to always point your firearm in a safe direction and never bet your life on a mechanical device.


Be safe and have a great hunt, Wild Ed



DOVE ZONES AND BAG LIMITS

North Zone

That portion of the state north of a line beginning at the International Bridge south of Fort Hancock; thence north along FM 1088 to State Highway 20; thence west along State Highway 20 to State Highway 148; thence north along State Highway 148 to Interstate Highway 10 at Fort Hancock; thence east along Interstate Highway 10 to Interstate Highway 20; thence northeast along Interstate Highway 20 to Interstate Highway 30 at Fort Worth; thence northeast along Interstate Highway 30 to the Texas-Arkansas state line.

Central Zone

That portion of the state between the North Zone and the South Zone.

South Zone

That portion of the state south of a line beginning at the International Toll Bridge in Del Rio; thence northeast along U.S. Highway 277 Spur to U.S. Highway 90 in Del Rio; thence east along U.S. Highway 90 to State Loop 1604; thence following Loop 1604 south and east, then north, to Interstate Highway 10; thence east along Interstate Highway 10 to the Texas-Louisiana Line.

Special white-winged dove area

That portion of the state south and west of a line beginning at the International Toll Bridge in Del Rio; thence northeast along U.S. Highway 277 Spur to U.S. Highway 90 in Del Rio, thence east along U.S. Highway 90 to State Loop 1604 in Bexar County; thence south and east along Loop 1604 to Interstate Highway 35; thence south along IH 35 to State Highway 44; thence east along State Highway 44 to State Highway 16 at Freer; thence south along State Highway 16 to FM 649 at Randado; thence south along FM 649 to FM 2686; thence east along FM 2686 to FM 1017 at La Gloria; thence east along FM 1017 to State Highway 186 at Linn; thence east along State Highway 186 to the Mansfield Channel at Port Mansfield; thence east along the Mansfield Channel to the Gulf of Mexico.


North Zone:


Regular

Daily Bag Limit: 15*

Possession Limit: 30

Falconry

Daily Bag Limit: 3

Possession Limit: 6



Central Zone:

Regular

Daily Bag Limit: 15*

Possession Limit: 30

Falconry

Daily Bag Limit: 3

Possession Limit: 6



South Zone:

Regular

Daily Bag Limit: 15*

Possession Limit: 30

Falconry

Daily Bag Limit: 3

Possession Limit: 6



Special White-winged Dove Area

Special Season(Shooting hours: noon to sunset):

Daily Bag Limit: 15 white-winged, mourning and white-tipped doves in the aggregate, to include no more than 4 mourning doves and 2 white-tipped (white-fronted doves).

Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag limit.

Regular Season:

Daily Bag Limit 15*

Possession Limit 30

Falconry Season (Statewide) - Dove:

Daily Bag Limit: 3

Possession Limit: 6

*In all zones, the daily bag limit can include no more than 2 white-tipped (white-fronted doves). The possession limit on white-tipped doves is twice the daily bag limit.

Texas Alligator Gar Being Studied

One of the most controversial topics around these days is the limits placed on Alligator gar by Texas Parks and Wildlife department. The limit has no effect upon the catch and release fisherman but it does keep bow fisherman from killing more than one of the big gars per day. Many including myself believe that gar over 4 feet should even have stricter limits placed on them until TPWD can determine for sure what it needed to preserve the population. Some believe there are plenty of the big fish just as fisherman in other states did before their populations were decimated by loss of habitat and over harvest. Here is a link to my first article on the Alligator gar which drew lots of response and email.

http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2010/08/texas-alligator-gar-deserve-better.html



The following is an update by Texas Parks and Wildlife. I hope that in the future we will see more protection for this great Texas Game fish. Wild Ed


Alligator Gar Research in Texas Helps Protect Trophy Fishery


ATHENS — Despite being one of the largest freshwater fish species in North America, scientists knew little about alligator gar until relatively recently. In the last two decades, knowledge about the species has grown tremendously in response to evidence that alligator gar populations are declining in many areas.

The primary reasons alligator gar have declined throughout much of their historic 14-state range are loss of floodplain habitats necessary for reproduction (from reservoir construction and river channelization) and overfishing. As a result, the American Fisheries Society has considered alligator gar “at risk of imperilment” since 2008.

Texas is fortunate to still have many of the best populations of large alligator gar in the world. The Trinity River has become one of the most popular locations to fish for the species. Susceptibility to habitat loss, coupled with increased fishing pressure, prompted Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to adopt a one-fish per day bag limit on September 1, 2009. This made Texas the eighth state to adopt harvest regulations for alligator gar.

Alligator gar longer than six feet are considered to be more vulnerable to angler harvest due to their more desirable “trophy” size. Although alligator gar may reach three feet in length in three years, their growth rate slows with age, and the fish may take 20 to 30 years to reach a length of six feet.

Biologists have discovered that alligator gar can live more than 50 years and take about a decade to become sexually mature. It could take several decades to restore their numbers if depleted. Many states are already in the process of stocking and attempting to reestablish alligator gar populations. By setting a one-fish per day regulation, Texas inland fisheries biologists hope to prevent the decline in alligator gar populations seen in other areas.

A number of research initiatives have been completed or are underway to better understand gar populations throughout Texas. TPWD biologists have conducted studies to evaluate growth rates and life span, understand their reproduction, and track the seasonal movement of alligator gar. Biologists have also conducted studies to evaluate angler harvest rates of alligator gar and estimate population sizes.

Efforts to increase age data for alligator gar from waters throughout the state are underway by collecting otoliths from angler-caught alligator gar. Otoliths are pairs of small bones in the inner ears of fish which contain annual growth rings similar to the rings in a tree. Age data make it possible to determine how fast fish grow, how long they are capable of living, and compare historical river conditions to the year the fish were hatched.

By comparing age data with historical water levels, biologists observed high river flows during late spring can result in strong alligator gar reproductive success. For example, high river flows in 2007 resulted in a very strong year-class of alligator gar in the Trinity River. In the current drought year, alligator gar may produce few to no offspring at all. Knowledge about which environmental conditions produced the most fish will allow biologists to better predict strong and weak year classes. Biologists may also be able to work with river and reservoir controlling authorities to help provide the conditions necessary for successful reproduction.

From October 2008 through July 2010, a study on the Trinity River used acoustic tags to track the movements of alligator gar between Lake Livingston and Trinity Bay. Biologists found alligator gar were concentrated in deep pools in the main river channel for most of the year but moved to tributaries and protected backwaters during flooding. Biologists also found that although some fish moved more than 100 miles, most of the alligator gar remained within 15 miles of their tagging locations. There was little interaction between fish tagged in different parts of the river, suggesting that alligator gar near Trinity Bay may be a separate population than alligator gar near Lake Livingston Dam. Further research is needed to determine if these populations should be managed separately.

A mark-recapture study in the river between Dallas and Lake Livingston (about 200 river miles) was also conducted with the help of fishing guide Kirk Kirkland. Captain Kirkland tagged alligator gar, and TPWD recorded the number of tagged fish he and other anglers caught.

With these data, biologists estimated that this portion of the river contained about 9,200 alligator gar 42 inches long or longer and about 1,400 fish 78 inches or longer. It was determined that about three to four percent of these alligator gar were harvested annually with most (73 percent) of the harvest occurring between April and July of each year. Biologists also estimated that only about 5 percent, or 400 fish 42 inches or longer, could be harvested each year from this portion of the river and still sustain this trophy fishery.

Since 2009, 130 harvested alligator gar have been collected and aged from anglers at Trinity River bowfishing tournaments. Using information obtained from tournaments, biologists were also able to estimate harvest rates of alligator gar at the events. Only about one alligator gar was harvested for every four bowfishers at the Trinity River tournaments, and it took an average of 50 angler-hours to harvest an alligator gar at a tournament. Angers harvested an average of 21 fish each year 42 inches or longer during the three studied tournaments, or about 5 percent of the sustainable annual harvest of 400 fish. This level of harvest from tournaments alone is well below estimated sustainable levels; however, biologists still need more information to determine what total percentage of alligator gar are harvested annually outside of bow fishing tournaments and using other methods like rod and reel.

While the Trinity River is a well-known stronghold for alligator gar in the state, many Texas reservoirs, such as Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Amistad, also support healthy populations. TPWD began a tagging study of alligator gar in Choke Canyon Reservoir in 2011. Tags returned by anglers will provide biologists with information on harvest, abundance, size structure, and survival. In addition, recaptures of tagged fish during the spawning season will provide clues to number of spawning locations, how often fish spawn in the reservoir, and if fish return to the same locations to spawn each year.

Through the various research projects throughout the state, biologists plan to refine management objectives specific to certain rivers and reservoirs around the state to better maintain or enhance the alligator gar fisheries. Future research needs will involve further assessments of alligator gar populations around Texas to better understand fishing pressure and harvest. A population study of alligator gar in the Brazos River below Waco is currently in the planning stages. TPWD’s goal is to study and manage Texas alligator gar populations to sustain excellent fishing opportunities for this species for present and future generations to enjoy.

Texas Heat Fries Game Cameras

The last week has been straight 100 degree plus temperatures with no cloud cover and no rain in sight. My brother and I have kept game cameras going at the feeders to see how the wildlife are handling the drought and heat. We usually have several hundred game camera pictures to sort through with three cameras deployed around the place. This trip my Bushnell Trophy Camera and my Tasco 5mp camera had no pictures. They simply just had not functioned in the extreme heat. My brother's Primos however kept on taking pictures but did so with large gaps of skipped time. It took one picture where dog food Mike puts out for the grey foxes and other predators was still on the ground and the next picture taken a day later was all gone and nothing had set the camera off. We were having a hard time figuring out what was wrong until we noticed the temperature readings that the primos takes and prints on the bottom of each picture. The temperature in the camera box reached a high of 147 degrees Fahrenheit. The camera box is on a stump in a bare caliche flat with no shade right out in the direct sun most of the day. My Bushnell and Tasco were on oak trees with shade so the Primos has performed the best for us but still had problems. We plan to build a shade to put around the Primos for the future. As you can see the cameras are having a hard time performing at all in this heat. Stay cool, Wild Ed

Wildlife Pictures from the Last Few Weeks

I thought you guys might enjoy some pictures taken from my brother Mike's game camera. A few shots of a hummingbird I took at our camp site along with some wildlife pictures sent to me by my nephew, Nathan. Have a great week and get outdoors, Wild Ed