Swarm trap size

[BeeGhost]

odfrank, I have made a bit of an observation from your pictures and someone elses pictures on here, and both of you seem quite good at catching swarms...............would the SILVER painted boxes be another attractant?? Do your silver painted traps catch a lot of the swarms compared to other colored boxes?? Just throwing it out there and would like your observations!

[odfrank]

[QUOTE=.......would the SILVER painted boxes be another attractant?? Do your silver painted traps catch a lot of the swarms compared to other colored boxes??[/QUOTE]

I have silver because it is a classic hive color and I acquired some of it used in early days. My first nuc boxes were used silver and as I expanded I just matched the color. Last year I made four painted to match different neighbors houses and they caught swarms as well as the silver ones. This was done to be cute and also had their address numbers on the front. The plain wood wine boxes did less well (33%), but I attribute that to the less attractive broken extracting combs inside that were not black brood combs. I suggest using bait boxes the size of your brood chambers to maximize their size and minimize work after catching them. I use five frames ones because I have MS, am weak and have difficulty walking and carrying. If I make more they will be eight frame. Or I will make ten frame with very thin tops and bottoms. I had good success with ones made from ten frame deep boxes with 1/4" plywood top and bottom with just a hole in the top and attached with duct tape or screws. 1/8" mesh pivoting on a screw was the closure.

[LetMBee]

I don't think they care about the color. I think it is mainly the old comb/lemon grass smells are what bring them in. If you hang them in a bee area you have a good chance of catching.

[BeeGhost]

Well, I guess I aint no Sherlock Holmes after all!! Throw out the silver "attractiveness" theory and go back to a box that smells like bees I suppose!!

Out of curiousity, of all colors, why was silver the standard "way back when" compared to the white standard of today?

[odfrank]

I don't think it was the standard, it was alternative that commercial beekeepers used. Probably because of sun and heat reflection, plus it is durable.

[LetMBee]

BeeGhost: Tell you what. I am NOT going to totally discount the color of traps. All of my traps are Silver/Gray. That is just the color that I started painting everything and have continued. I just haven't tested anything else yet. If you do set out traps in different colors and notice a difference please pass it along. I just "think" it has more to do with smell. Since I was a kid my parents had problems with bees trying to settle into a post in their front porch. That was tan brick, but I know there was comb in there. I believe it (comb) brought the bees every summer that the failing mortar allowed an opening. Experiment....

[Charlie B]

checking it out.jpg



They like pink, blue, yellow, tan and grey.

[genie]

where do you place the traps? do you put them on a stand or hang them from a tree branch?

[odfrank]

checking it out.jpgThey like pink

Of course your bait hives are pink, you are one of those San Francisco boys.

[Charlie B]

My beautiful blonde (female) bride would take exception to that!