swarm lure

[ducky]

HI----I just made a swarm box and need to know what to use to attract swarms to the box. Your help would be appreciated

Ducky

[stonybrook]

Ducky,

Most of the big bee supply houses sell pheromone swarm lures.

http://www.beeequipment.com/products.asp?srch=swarm+lure&t=a

Some folks simply use lemongrass oil.

Others save thier old queens, keeping them in a jar of alcohol, and place a few drops of the "queen odoured" alcohol in the swarm trap.
(the alcohol quickly evapourates, leaving the 'pure' queen pheromone in the trap).

I have used plain lemongrass oil, and the lures (which seem to be mainly composed of lemongrass oil from thier smell smile.gif - and have had reasonable luck with both.

I haven't tried the queen/alcohol broth, but I am starting to save my old queens in alcohol and will be trying it.

cheers

-todd

[JohnBeeMan]

I have been using a combination of the lures and lemongrass oil for 2 years now (avg of 5 bait boxes) and I have yet to have a swarm move in. I have captured a few from low hanging branches but have also seen several just fly away (from tall trees). There is a lot of luck involved and also there is the old real estate slogan - location, location, location. I understand that once you find a spot for a bait box that works - it will usually work again. Another lure additive can be made from any queen cells that you remove - add these to the dead queen mixture.

[Louise]

Todd - how are you killing your queen? Are you killing her first then dropping her in alcohol, or just live into the alcohol to kill her?

[ducky]

THANKS FOLKS THIS WILL HELP ME.
DUCKY

[stonybrook]

> Todd - how are you killing your queen? Are you killing her first then dropping her in alcohol, or just live into the alcohol to kill her?

I have been simply dropping my queens into the alcohol live.

-t

[Mabe]

Coming from an entomology standpoint, I can tell you that the most humane way to kill insects is by putting them in a small container (film can with a cotton ball is good) in the freezer. We use the cotton ball to preserve the insect intact so that it doesn't shake around and break. You probably don't need the cotton if you don't care about body preservation.

[Michael Bush]

I drop her in the alcohol live.

[jack D]

I have cought swarms by using a super with drawn comb bottom board and top cover and putting a small amount of honey on a paper plate a spoon full of honey is good and slide the plate on the bottom board back and watch for bees to find it when the bees find the honey just add a little more honey every day of two to keep the bees comming back

[ron c]

Stoneybrook,and Michael, I assume that you both have checked with PETA for approval of your method..........Ron

[Curry]

lol Ron...

Hey, just yesterday I had a swarm go into a bait hive with lemongrass oil in it. (I use a deep with an enclosed bottom board, tie a rope around it, and tie the other end of the rope to a brick. I throw the brick over a branch 10 feet high in a tree, and haul the hive up... and tie off the rope).

Anyway, the swarm went into a bait hive about 300 yards from my hives. I had another bait hive about 150 yards away, and it doesn't have anything in it. In fact, a swarm flew off and turned their noses at that hive- and I lost a big swarm. So, I think the moral to this story is- you gotta get at least 300 yards away to do any good. Bees instinctively want to get far away from their "home" hive, so that they don't compete with it. Don't fight instinct... hand your bait hives far from "home".

[Michael Bush]

>Stoneybrook,and Michael, I assume that you both have checked with PETA for approval of your method..........Ron

Yes, the People Eating Tasty Animals have all agreed it's a good idea.

[squarehead]

can i use denatured alcohol ?

[Michael Bush]

>can i use denatured alcohol ?

Yes.