Hanging swarm trap, or stationary? What's your experience?

[Intheswamp]

delber, I'm starting from scratch. I may bump up my mentor and see if I can't bum a little comb off of him...simply using it to rub on the frames and around the entrance seems like it would be good. His hives are clean ones so I'm not worried about disease...shucks, I'm getting two hives from him for the new year. Might be time for a visit.

Queen juice... It'll be a while before I can start brewing some of that. I had a flash that maybe some of the queens in the different queen cells that are built from time to time might be used to sweeten the juice but I don't think the pheromone is there until after the virgin queens are mated. Once I get established one thing I'll do is have a small jar of alcohol ready!

Ed

[odfrank]

I have little problems with wax moth on bait hive combs. The moths move in later in summer after the swarming season. SHB are just becoming a problem here, will have to see how that pans out.

[Gypsi]

All you really need to do is set them near a newbee's apiary and when their crowded hives swarm, they'll settle in your hive trap. You get a marked queen to boot!!!

Whoever's bees I'm feeding got mine in May, LOL.

[Beeboy01]

I was pulling some older frames out of my hives and had them sitting in an open box in my bee yard to get robbed out. I came back about an hour later and a medium sized swarm had moved in. I tossed a top and bottom board on the box and ended up with a nice little hive. No marked queen though.

There is a small piece of comb about the size of a hand built out on a branch above my bee yard. I have seen two small swarms settle on the comb for 3-4 days then take off. The swarm I caught was on that piece of comb for about 2 days before they moved into the box. I'm going to try a nuc box with some foundation up on the shop's roof as close to the branch as I can get it for next year. Hate to loose the bees but am running out of room in the bee yard.

[Charlie B]

Well, it happened again today. My two hive traps were siting on the hive stand and while I was refilling syrup feeders, here they come. A huge swarm landed on the rear outside wall of one of my hive traps. They were trying to get in through the screened vent hole and couldn't figure out how to go around the front.

I picked up the trap and dumped them into the hive trap next to it. They seemed fine with that at first but then the queen came flying out and went into the original hive trap. They all followed and about an hour later, they were all inside. I guess they had their little hearts set on the first trap. This couldn't come at a better time because one of my hives in queenless so I'll do a newspaper combine in a few weeks once I know the queen is laying.

[taydeko]

So it seems one could just put traps on the ground near other hives? Should I be finding other places, trees, buildings, etc where I can deploy a trap? It sounds like the traps can be close together too, no minimum spacing? I have no shade trees in my yard to put traps under. Is this a problem? Does anyone have tips on how to find suitable locations for traps in an urban setting? There are lots of trees, of course along the river but they are all pretty much in a park, where removing wildlife is prohibited. Should I ask other local beekeepers if I can put traps in their yards?

Ted

[LetMBee]

Ask people you work with for spots. I have gotten a buch that way. Set traps out in several locations. I always hold 1 or 2 back so that when you take an occupied trap down you can replace it. When certain weather patterns occur you will pick up swarms fast.

[Charlie B]

I wouldn't ask local beekeepers to put traps in their yard but anywhere close is good. I've had the most success on or near my own hive stands. You do have to watch local ordinances pertaining to parks. Some ignore them and set traps covertly but you run the risk of getting caught. The no shade issue wasn't a problem for me on a roof top but then I live in a relatively cool area.

[odfrank]

I wouldn't ask local beekeepers to put traps in their yard but anywhere close is good.

Yes, I don't think you'll make a lot of friends that way
I will trade the address of Charlie's apiary for a good taco lunch.

[Gypsi]

Great thread - glad OD bumped it up!

[Charlie B]

I think I'm surrounded already by his swarm traps. I see them in my sleep with those little round metal wheel entrance things.

[Specialkayme]

I once put an old hive body on the ground and put a inner cover over it. I wasn't using the equipment at the moment, and let it chill on the ground for a week or two till I needed it (I was lazy). A swarm moved into the box, right in the center hole of the inner cover.

A week later, when I needed the box, I lifted the inner cover to find a new hive, with fresh wax (although just a bit) attached to the inner cover. A pleasant surprise.

From now on I'm just going to keep a 5 frame deep and a 10 frame deep chilling in the area, as a swarm trap with a lure. I'll let them choose between the 5 and the 10 frame deep.

I was planning on using Russell's swarm lure along with a few drops of lemongrass oil. I've seen bees go crazy over Russell's pheromones, so I figured its worth a shot.

[Charlie B]

I once put an old hive body on the ground and put a inner cover over it. I wasn't using the equipment at the moment, and let it chill on the ground for a week or two till I needed it (I was lazy). A swarm moved into the box, right in the center hole of the inner cover.

I hear stories like that all the time. I know a beekeeper who captures swarms for a living and got a call one day to do a cut out. He went to grab some empty supers from his yard to take with him and a swarm had already moved in. No comb, no LGO no nothing. Just an empty super.

[Charlie B]

I once put an old hive body on the ground and put a inner cover over it. I wasn't using the equipment at the moment, and let it chill on the ground for a week or two till I needed it (I was lazy). A swarm moved into the box, right in the center hole of the inner cover.

I hear stories like that all the time. I know a beekeeper who captures swarms for a living and got a call one day to do a cut out. He went to grab some empty supers from his yard to take with him and a swarm had already moved in. No comb, no LGO no nothing. Just an empty super.

[Michael Bush]

I stacked some boxes with frames up with a lid flat on top where there was no entrance, but no bottom as I didn't happen to have one at the time. When I came back it was full (five medium boxes) of bees and the only entrance they had was the open bottom. Of course they also often move into an empty hive that is set up normally... the smell of a hive is hard for them to resist.

[wadehump]

Had a dead out 2 years ago setting on a block waiting to do a split had a swarm move in as of today they are still alive.