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swarm lure

4K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  RAlex 
#1 ·
Has anyone tried the swarm lures? I am going to try to make a bunch of swarm lure using 1:1 mix of geraniol and citral, then run a "trap-line" by setting out 100+- deep supers. These will be suspended in trees ten feet up, and fixed with a top and bottom with a bore hole in the middle face of the deep super. I will set this up in march-april-may in east Texas.

Anyone done this before? A May 2004 article in American Bee Journal titled "Catching Swarms" detailed the work of Dr. Chip Taylor in creating swarm lures while capturing Africanized swarms. Great article.
 
#3 ·
>Has anyone tried the swarm lures?

Yes.

>I am going to try to make a bunch of swarm lure using 1:1 mix of geraniol and citral, then run a "trap-line" by setting out 100+- deep supers. These will be suspended in trees ten feet up, and fixed with a top and bottom with a bore hole in the middle face of the deep super. I will set this up in march-april-may in east Texas.

Sounds like fun.

>Anyone done this before?

Not on that scale. Location is everything. Once you find a good location put more there and remove them from places where you didn't get a swarm. Usually if you find a good spot you'll get one every year.

I use Lemongrass oil, but the geraniol and citral should smell and work the same. I'm not sure in the long run which is cheaper but I got the Lemongrass oil pretty cheaply. Also, I dump all my old queens in a jar of alcohol to get rid of them and use that with the Lemongrass oil for lure.

I've only gotten about a 10% success at randomly putting them out. But, as I said, if you find a good spot you can usually get one every year there. If you find a LOT of good spots, then you may get where you can get quite a few every year.
 
#7 ·
Micheal...How does one use lemongrass/ lemnograss oil as a lure for swarms ? Is it applied to the drawn frames ? the the capture box suspended near a yard or other probable location to catch a swarm ? Thanks Rick
 
#8 ·
I have used just lemongrass oil and empty foundationless frames. I've also used it in combination with some drawn comb or with some "queen" lure from old queens in alcohol. I just use an eyedropper and put a few drops on the top bar of one or two of the center frames. I do the same with the "queen" lure.
 
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