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Joe's Swarm Bucket

6K views 35 replies 14 participants last post by  naturebee 
#1 ·
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John F Writes:
Joe,
Describe the bucket and how you typically use it. Give it a subject line of "Joe's Swarm Bucket" and stick it in the equipment forum.

This sounds cool and I have buckets too. Do you think a 3 gal. bucket is ok for this as well?
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Hi John,

I would use a 5 gallon bucket because it would be large enough to catch most swarms.
Also, I haven’t had any problems with overheating swarms in these buckets, but the extra space would certainly help with ventilation and encourage the entire swarm to enter the bucket more readily, and provide a wider mouth for shaking the swarm into. A light color bucket will help keep them cool also. If a swam is caught in the direct sunlight, I place a small white towel over the lid for shade.

I prefer using the buckets because it is safer on ladders and my back. And these things are cheep to make, so I have no problem with letting the buckets anywhere and coming back later for swarms. I can also pick swarms up in the wife’s car without trying to fit a bulky hive body into the trunk.

The bucket consists of a 1 ½ PVC drain fitting and a queen excluder and screen fitted into the slip joint nuts. Simply cut a hole in the bucket using a 1 ¾ hole saw and screw the fitting on to the bucket from the inside. You may have to trim the hole out a bit with a razor so that it will thread on properly.

Here’s some links:

To use the catching bucket:
* place under swarm and shake, slip lid on quick.
* Sit on the ground or hang near the clustering point with a bungee strap.
* Watch for the queen, if she is spotted, she can be thrown in thru the lid or remove the includer and let her in that way.

Here are some pics of swarms entering the bucket
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/naturebee/detail?.dir=1b05&.dnm=20f4re2.jpg&.src=ph
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/naturebee/detail?.dir=1b05&.dnm=dedere2.jpg&.src=ph

Swarm Bucket with lid:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/naturebee/detail?.dir=1b05&.dnm=1c3cre2.jpg&.src=ph
Here I want the bees to be comfortable so you may see
* A number of 1/8 inch holes in the bucket for ventilation
* Two wood strips with bead of wax for comb building
(this can be replaced with a piece of carpet so the bees feel comfortable having something to cluster on)
* All but two tabs are cut off the lid and gasket removed, this aids in ventilation and ease of lid removal
* The inside of the bucket must be scuffed so the bees can walk on the sidewalls up to the clustering point on the lid

Here is a close up of the swarm catching bucket fittings:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/naturebee/detail?.dir=1b05&.dnm=ee6cre2.jpg&.src=ph
* one with screen for transporting and one with queen excluder

How to Safely Transport Bees:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/naturebee/detail?.dir=1b05&.dnm=821fre2.jpg&.src=ph

I prefer to wait till after dark to dup them in the hive:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/naturebee/detail?.dir=/1b05&.dnm=153fre2.jpg&.src=ph
 
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#27 ·
Any thoughts?

Well, I think chocolate is mighty tasty.

(Sorry, even my Dad calls me a smarta##)

I would imagine that since folks paint the inside of their hives with latex paint (other types too, but latex is common) that once it is dry it should be fine.

Now I have some questions too.

Joe, I notice that you have two "caps". One has queen excluder and the other #8 hardware cloth.

I assume that you don't ever use the bucket without one or the other on.

Why not fix the quee excluder and have only one screw on cap.

I'm thinking something like a cone or cylinder or maybe even a division of the bucket with the queen excluder on the inside and then the only part you have left to loose is the #8 cap.

What's the magic behind a queen excluder anyway? Does it have to be a slot or is there a hole size that will work? What keeps her from traveling through, her abdomen size? If her abdomen gets stuck does she need the slot to turn around?

I guess I better do a search on queen excluders now. Doggoneit if asking questions doesn't just make more.
 
#28 ·
--I'm very interested in the swarm bucket. My husband is a painter so we have lots of 5 Gal. buckets. I noticed someone else said they use paint buckets. I was thinking they might be toxic. Any thoughts?

I use the 5 gallon paint buckets from Sewrin Williams. It's latex, so it washes right out. As soon as I open a new bucket of paint, I dump the paint into another 5 gallon bucket and it rinses our real nice and clean.
 
#29 ·
--Joe, I notice that you have two "caps". One has queen excluder and the other #8 hardware cloth. I assume that you don't ever use the bucket without one or the other on.
Why not fix the quee excluder and have only one screw on cap.

That’s a good idea John! I first started making these catching buckets about 10 years ago. At the time, I wanted to be able to remove the excluder if I happen to notice that the queen was outside to let her in, because back then I was not keen on picking up a queen. Now I just pick her up and throw her in the top so I would imagine that fixing the excluder permanently would be a good idea, then the screen can simply be screwed on, leaving the excluder in place. Thanks for the idea!

Why I like to use paint buckets is because they have the spout at the top that can be removed to throw the queen in without having to remove the whole lid.

--What's the magic behind a queen excluder anyway? Does it have to be a slot or is there a hole size that will work?

It was cut from a queen excluder and screwed in the slip joint nut. I don’t know the hole size that would work, but the spacing is just about as wide as a 16 penny nail. I thought of making holes at one time, but was concerned about ventilation and keeping restrictions at the opening to a minimum in order to speed up the orderly process of bees marching inside.

--What keeps her from traveling through, her abdomen size? If her abdomen gets stuck does she need the slot to turn around?

The thorax is the restricting point for queens. For drones, I think its the abdomen which is probably why you tend to see so many drones get stuck in excluders.

--I guess I better do a search on queen excluders now. Doggoneit if asking questions doesn't just make more.

Here’s some stuff on excluders on Daves site:
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/excludertypes.html

The plastic queen excluders work real nice for cutting and inserting into the slip joint nuts. Also, if you decide to use a metal excluder, they are a real pain to cut right, and you have to grind them to a circle a little at a time till it fits. Then to be sure the spacing is not messed up, I use a 16 penny nail to gauge the opening, if the bars are spaced much wider than a 16 penny nail. the queen may slip thru.

If I get time, maybe I could cut some the proper size and mail them to you, as I have several excluders that are basically scrap because I cut them.
 
#30 ·
<Pcolar>
... you have to grind them to a circle a little at a time ...
Since we are fixing the excluder couldn't we use something like JBWeld to tack the excluder to the inside and not need to do any critical trimming?

I came across the stuff at Dave's site when I did my search as well. Apparently, slots are important so the idea of just drilling some holes into the side of the bucket won't work. (Close off with duct tape Red Green style)

Actually, it looks like maybe the length of the slot isn't critical, just the width... Hmmm...
 
#33 ·
--can you give me the plans for that Quik Tube Trap?

Sorry, I have no plans,

But I am now recomending that you go with the 12" quik tubes to provide a more attractable trap and ease of comb removal.

Simply cut a wooden circle that fits into the tube, and another one bigger than the tube and nail them together.

They can then be secured by using 4 drywall skrews in the top edge of the quik tube into the wooden lid
 
#34 ·
--do you hang these bucket traps by the bail or do you lay them on therer side?
Are you using some swarm lure of some sort in the bucket and tube.


These are "swarm catching buckets" not swarm traps. These are to be used when shaking a swarm for catching and transporting purposes only.

Some type of lure must be used in the quik tube traps.

[ June 18, 2006, 01:30 PM: Message edited by: Pcolar ]
 
#35 ·
two weeks ago I had a hive swarm into a large cherry tree out back where they clustered about 25 feet off the ground. No knowing if they would enter a bucket I got a line over the limb and hoisted up a 5 gallon bucket with a piece of comb and some lemongrass oil in it. They stayed there for almost three days before leaving for parts unknown. So I left it in the tree. A week ago I got a swarm call and left to collect it while I was gone a swarm arrived and took up residence in that swarm bucket. After hiving the other swarm I hived the buckets swarm . They are doing nicely and drawing comb on my foundationless frames.One note the cover of the bucket had about a 2 1/2" hole at the top as it hung horizontly...Rick
 
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