Hunting the Wild Honey Tree

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It may, of course, take the insects a while to discover the bait, particularly if only a few are working your area. If that proves to be the case, you can announce your offering by the use of such scents as anise, sweet clover, or bergamot . . . which you might be able to purchase in your drugstore. (Anise oil—for one—has a very strong aroma, though, so it's best to dilute your supply by mixing together two ounces of alcohol, two ounces of water, and one dram of anise oil and shaking them vigorously.) Don't, however, add the scents to the nectar itself, as they might be harmful to any bees that eat them. Instead, put a few drops on a handkerchief, or on a twig full of leaves, which you can wave about in the air and then place near the sugar-water supply to attract your prey. (Plastic "backpacking" bottles with attached caps are ideal for carrying both bait and scent.)

A quick method of collecting bees involves the use of a bait box. Traditionally, these are flat and look much like cigar boxes, but I've developed a vertical design—shaped more like a milk carton—that I think is easier to use (especially when bees are working such low-lying plants as white clover and dandelions).

The box can be made of almost any kind of scrap wood that you might have around, although I favor 3/8" plywood. Its outside dimensions are roughly 4" X 4" X 9", and there are two inside compartments. The lower chamber is approximately 6" high, and is connected to the upper room by a 3/8"-wide slit. The bee trap is left open on the bottom, and its upper side is fitted with a glass- or plastic-covered exit, which allows light to enter and attract the bees into the top section. (See the accompanying black-and-white cutaway photo for construction details.)

After the bee-catcher has been assembled, paint the outside white to make it more visible to returnees, but don't coat the interior, since the insects seem to prefer the texture and smell of unfinished wood.

When you're ready to hunt down some winged foragers, put a piece of honeycomb (buy it from an apiary supply company or a beekeeper) sprinkled with sugar water in the upper chamber, and cover the top opening with a piece of clear glass or plastic held in place with a rubber band. Then find some bees that are working low-lying flowers . . . place the bait box over a blossom with a bee in it . . . and press the container against the ground, trapping the bee in the lower chamber. Allow about 15 seconds for the insect to be lured to the light coming from the upper chamber, then pick up the box and trap another bee. Once you have 10 or 20 workers in the box's second story, cover the "window" with some opaque material and let your trap sit for five minutes . . . to give the bees time to settle down and start feeding. That done, remove both covers from the upper section and allow one (or several) of your well-fed captives to emerge.

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