Swarm Trap

[JC]

UPS "oversize charges" apply to the molded fiber swarm traps sold by the beekeeping equipment companies. I am looking for a lightweight alternative that I can attach to a tree. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[ducky]

Go to a tree nursery and buy a large fiber pot. fill in drain holes with wood and some caulking. Drill 1 1/2" hole in the middle of the bottom of the pot. Melt some bee,s wax on the inside of the pot. Zipp tie a piece plywood to to the large end of the pot. Hang in tree. I caught 5 swarms this year with this method. I staple some screening over intrance hole when a swarm moves in .Then I cut the zip ties and remove swarm Good luck---Ducky

[the kid]

try the winter covers for rose bushes . cover three of the four holes ,,, put them on ply wood ,, hang in tree
the kid

[odfrank]

European wooden wine boxes are almost perfect to fit medium depth frames.

[JC]

Thanks for the ideas. I will look into each one of them.

What about wax coated cardboard nucs? I do not think that they are waterproof enough to withstand several seasons outdoors. Does anyone have any experience with these cardboard nucs?
http://www.mannlakeltd.com/catalog/page68.html

[bluegrass]

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188466&highlight=swarm+traps

This is what I use.

[Jeffzhear]

JC, I just build my own out of scrap lumber laying around, this way there are no shipping charges. As long as the inside dimensions are larger then 1 foot square. (This is the time of the year to save yourself some money and make your equipment) I have a few made from 3/4 inch plywood, and they are pretty heavy. Half inch plywood is about the best in my opinion. I'll post a pic in the pictures section.

Only thing I am going to do different on new boxes I make is to dip them in rosin/parifin, vs paint. I have decided to give up on the painting...I hate it.

I screw in the bottom with four screws which makes it easy to take off and get the honeybees out.

[odfrank]

I can never understand why one would spend the time and materials to make a swarm trap that doesn't fit standard frames, and then waste the time and make the mess to transfer wild combs out of that box.

I trap into nuke boxes or supers and can with no extra work transfer up into larger equipment as needed. Old used equipment can often be found rotting in piles just ready to be salvaged into bait hives.

My two best hives at one site are ferals that moved into stacks of empty supers (no frames) and I eventually worked them up onto new combs.

[Jeffzhear]

"I can never understand why one would spend the time and materials to make a swarm trap that doesn't fit standard frames, and then waste the time and make the mess to transfer wild combs out of that box..."

Frank, you make a good point.

In my case, when I have free materials, and I have an army of folks with my boxes in their backyards, checking them almost daily, they don't typically build up before I move them and dump them into their own standard size boxes.

I utilize my standard size equipment to the maximum possible extent rather then tie them up. I figure I get about 30% occupancy in my swarm boxes. (used to be about 50%) I don't want standard equipment tied up and not utilized. I don't have enough as it is.

[Grant]

I'd never mess with swarm traps that don't hold frames, even if they were medium frames. If you have frames, transfer is very easy and your caught swarm will not abscond because you've messed up their nest fooling around cutting up comb.

Here's my link: http://www.feralhoneybees.homestead.com for more ideas on swarm traps.

If you're thinking about gettng larger or expanding, try this link:

http://www.25hives.homestead.com

Grant
Jackson, MO

[Brandy]

I agree with using "traps" that use standard frames!!! My favorite trap is a 5 frame deep nuc. All scrap OSB from job sites. Does require some paint but I like it that way. Later in the summer after the swarms are moved up into 10-8 frames they go back to work as mating nuc's and or split's and divides. Alway's in use.

[yoyo]

My question is, how well do the traps work? Do you put them as close to the beeyard as possible? If so, I can put up a 4x4 post to hang one from or are trees better?

[Michael Bush]

Swarm traps are like fishing. Sometimes you get a lot. Sometimes you get nothing.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesferal.htm

[Grant]

Yeah, much like fishing. Ironically, I usually hang 2 or 3 traps in the trees in each location, and every year there is one of those trees that always seems to catch a swarm.

Kind of like your favorite fishing hole where you always catch the big ones...and you're not too excited to tell your buddies either!

Grant
Jackson, MO http://www.25hives.homestead.com