swarm traps?

[jnbgcpd]

Does anybody know where they can get the swarm traps that are the box type where you can put brood frames in. These are made out of the same material as the "bucket" looking ones. I have seen them before, but cannot seem to find anyone selling them online?

[Michael Bush]

Brushy Mt. USED to have them but no one seems to have them anymore.

[Clayton]

I would consider using the MDA cutter boxes that are waxed and sold by Dadant. You could get dual usage out of them as they could serve as mating nucs too or as traps.

Clay

[Michael Bush]

There are things I like about the waxed MDA boxes from Dadant. They are just the right size to be useful (as opposed to the ones sold by Mann Lake and Brushy Mt which are not) They are tight against the frames on the ends so they frames don't flop around when transporting. The cardboard is stiff, which is nice. The only thing I didn't like was they did not weather very well. I also have the gray plastic cardboard ones from MDA (not from Dadant). They were more flexible and sometimes the frames would fall in. I didn't care for the stiffness of the material, but they weather well and are otherwise like all the MDA products. I closed the bottoms with a homade "staple" made of baling wire. I just poked two holes at each end and laced it through the holes.

I caught a swarm in one of the plastic ones last year.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I bought five of the cardboard ones last year and they are very handy for running about and picking up swarms here in the city. No, they don't weather very well at all.

However, I also bought five of the nuc boxes from Brushey Mt. for the same cost as the plastic ones from MDA. Now, lets see, solid wood or flimsey plastic, hmmm, well that's a no brainer.

I set out a couple of the nuc boxes in hopes, but I think that the most likely bait hives I have are going to be the old trashy boxes that I was given just to haul off. I put some of the capture frames from last years removal jobs in them for bait and some of the replaced queen juice for an attractant.

Look in the newest ABJ for some good articles on swarms and capturing.

[Michael Bush]

Actually I can buy the deep nucs from Western bee and cut them to 7 1/2" deep and nail a pice of plywood on for the bottom and make a migratory top out of either a 1 x 10 or a piece of scrap sheeting for much cheaper than Brushy Mt's medium nucs.

[Clayton]

So what would you guys use to weather proof the cheap non-waxed ones?

[tarheit]

I've seen nuc boxes made out of corrigated plastic. They were just like the cardboard ones. Unfortunately I don't remember the vender's name. Anyone else see them?

[Michael Bush]

MDA Splitter Nuc Boxes
P.O. Box 9552
Wyoming, MI 49509
616-241-3235
mdiss1@juno.com

They have untreated cardboard and corrogated plastic.

Dadant has the exact same thing in waxed cardboard.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>So what would you guys use to weather proof the cheap non-waxed ones?


I haven't figured out how to yet. This evening I didn't have time to move the swarm into a proper hive and it's about to rain, so I took a large baking pan I got from the scrap yard and placed it on top of the box with a couple of bricks on top and a couple under to keep it off the ground.

In the morning I will hive them in proper equipment.

I suppose that you could put a plastic trash bag around it and tape it on leaving the ends loose for ventilation.

[wayacoyote]

>So what would you guys use to weather proof the cheap non-waxed ones?

I don't know, maybe wax?
WayaCoyote

[Michael Bush]

>So what would you guys use to weather proof the cheap non-waxed ones?
I don't know, maybe wax?

I think it's cheaper to buy the waxed ones that try to wax the non-waxed ones. But I suppose you could dip them in parafin (which looks like what they did) or paint them inside and out with urethane varnish. Or maybe just paint them with latex house paint?

They won't last forever, but if they last a little longer it would do.