Honeybees communicate in several quite sophisticated ways. One of these is with pheromones — scents that bees secrete to inform others where to go. If you want to catch a swarm of honeybees, pheromones in the swarm trap greatly increase your chance of success. Bees interpret the pheromones as a recommendation of the place by other bees. Beekeeping suppliers sell vials of honeybee pheromones but you can make an approximation yourself with essential oils. The key is citral which is found in lemongrass, lemon and lime essential oil. By itself or combined with geronial, which is found in rose, lemon and geranium oils, citral has a powerful effect on bees.
- Lemongrass, geranium and lemon essential oils
- Cotton Wool
- Glass or plastic vial or other small container
- Swarm trap
- Bowl
- Teaspoon
Experiment with different recipes if your first attempt doesn’t work. Some beekeepers use lemongrass essential oil by itself; others try various combinations of citral- and geronial-containing oils.
Fill a vial or other small glass or plastic container with cotton wool.
Combine 10 drops of lemongrass essential oil with 5 drops of geranium and one drop of lemon or lime in a bowl and stir.
Drip the mixture into the vial. You can use a bit of cotton wool to soak up the last traces. Seal the vial if you do not plan to use it immediately.
Place the vial in the back of a swarm trap, removing the seal if necessary.
Things You'll Need
Tips
References
Tips
- Experiment with different recipes if your first attempt doesn't work. Some beekeepers use lemongrass essential oil by itself; others try various combinations of citral- and geronial-containing oils.
About the Author
Judith Willson has been writing since 2009, specializing in environmental and scientific topics. She has written content for school websites and worked for a Glasgow newspaper. Willson has a Master of Arts in English from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Photo Credits
bee bees apises beehive hive insect image by Pali A from Fotolia.com