How do you "bait" your swarm traps?

[odfrank]

How close is close? I have a couple traps that are as close as 50 yds to each other. Is that too close? There is a beekeeper right down the rd so im expecting quite a few swarms and it's an offsite location so I set the traps kinda dense

50 yds is fine. I have had the zombie swarm problem on my lot where the traps are only a few feet apart. This was a zombie swarm situation.

[jayoung21]

That makes me feel much better then. I'll just keep them where they are.

[Charlie B]

I've had the same thing happen. Thinking I would give them a choice between two boxes of different sizes close together when actually they split up into both boxes. Most are queenless or virgin queens. No more putting them close together.

[RE Roark]

a post was asking about nerolic acid- that would be oil of neroli- also called orange blossom oil or absolute (pure essential oil , not adulterated and quite expensive).If one lives near orange groves and the orchardist will let you gather some blooms ( you'll need at least a bucket full over a couple weeks as you replace petals once brown) you can extract your own with cotton batting and oil or purified fat - unscented is the key- a light oil being better than a heavy one- like canola over olive, peanut over rendered lard, etc..use your brain to figure out the light oil..anyway in a covered glass dish lay the cotton batting/wool ( 100% cotton as for first aid , available in rolls) pour on the cleaned petals removing all green parts, stem bits, leaves, etc. then pour on the oil to cover,make as many layers as you have petals, then place the glass lid on the whole, set in sun.check for mould- remove immediately if hinted at. Press the oil from the used cotton batting.Replace the petals when brown in layers as initially setting it up- when picking flowers, leave at least 2 per cluster to insure you don't harm the citrus production.
Neroli oil is available in health food stores, on line, etc.
Citral- can be lemongrass oil , oil of lemon, or oil of mellissa , or lemon balm- lemon balm and lemon grass having a green herbaceous component.
Some recipes call for spearmint oil- why? I think it has to do with the location of the hives- regionally- in places where they get wild mint pollens, eucalyptus pollens, etc. I can see using it, otherwise i am not certain why its in some recipes and not others- Anyone have a thought on this??
I can also see adding a drop or two per hive to wax on crossbars in lure traps to prevent mite infestation- it kills em in chicken coops, ( some 'chicken ranchers" use sassafrass cross poles for roosting to prevent lice, mites, etc. the oil is the active principle so it makes sense to me.
I can also see geraniol ( rose geranium oil, geranium bourbon, scented geranium leaf oil if you're growing your own and distilling your own) as the scent is used in a bunch of lures ( pantry moth traps for instance), but so is carnation oil- its floral spicy scent way more pleasant than geranium.the main quality in having geranium bourbon handy is it kills bee stings 100% in seconds- keep a swab with a tip dipped in the oil wrapped or sealed in plastic with you when danger lurks! it will also kill a number of other insect bites and stings..however if you need an epi-pen keep it with you too. geraniol will only kill the bite's pain and neutralise some insects venoms..
anyway I'm facing a north wall hive moved in when a neighbour cut a tree down- its been a few months and I can smell propolis in the room when i open the door.As spring is impending I need to have a CHEAP plan of action ready.ALL suggestions carefully considered.Anyone In New Orleans that wants free bees ( thousands of em) can help for the bees and portion of the comb and honey provided its usable when we get into the wall..Have tools so all needed is some clean hive parts- or at least transport containers to your house! I will try to keep a few skeps to see what happens after sealing the house.( they are coming in between brick and fascia of wood at the joint- then into the room by a poorly installed window frame job that was not caulked on the parents house- old parents= workmen taking advantage of trusting people..very bad contractors around this area after Katrina..anyway bee problem is driving me crazy. I'm poor and disabled so it complicates everything tremendously, and can't afford to set up hives or would as the plants in the yard attract honeybees when no others are in the area in this number so attribute it to the sweet olive,old rose varieties and abundant flora otherwise..All HelP APPRECIATED IMMENSELY!

[delber]

Re Roark, First off I see this is your first post. Welcome to beesource!! There's a thread somewhere (I looked briefly but couldn't find it) where you can post for a cut-out / trap out job. It seems that is what you need to do reading your last couple lines. You can also start a new thread and title it something like "cut-out job in New Orleans" and people can post to you. Otherwise there's a link to bee removals on this site. http://www.beeremovalsource.com/bee-removal-list/ There should be several on that list you can call.

[Bees&Wood]

I would like to put out some swarm traps this year near our existing hives, since we had wild swarms trying to take over some of our established hives last year (which are only about 18" off the ground). If you put drawn comb in the swarm traps, how do you prevent the wax moths from ruining it?

[VolunteerK9]

If you put drawn comb in the swarm traps, how do you prevent the wax moths from ruining it?

I use a liberal application of BT that Sundance, a member here, sells. Works like a charm.

[creekroad]

I have never used slumgum to bait a trap. I don't think it would hurt any but I think the comb should still be in trap. I have seen people melt wax into their traps. I can't say if it helped or hurt. Now as far as the scent. I've used a cotton balls and q-tips and haven't noticed much difference. I personally check my trap every couple weeks after swarm season starts. And I do rebait the scents in trap (queen lure, Lemongrass). Not sure that it is necessary but I do it. For no more than I have invested in the lures why not?
http://honeycomb-hill-beekeeping.blo...-trapping.html

[flyingbrass]

how many frames of old brood does it take? one? two? what about the space? If I use a full size deep brood chamber what do you load it with? Nuc, what do you load it with? Maybe like 2 brood and 2 foundation or what?

[LetMBee]

I load both my 6 and 8 frame traps with only one old brood comb. The rest foundation less frames. For your setup i would only use one. Hang them so the box is level. Then just wait for it to happen.

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

how many frames of old brood does it take? one? two? what about the space?

Here is how I do it.

I use old 10 frame equipment exclusively. Old equipment that is ready to be thrown away. Entrance cut down to about 4 inch width, and 3/8 height. (That keeps out mice. I leave mine out all year.

I place mine primarily on blue plastic tubs that are about 2 1/2 ft. tall and 2 foot in diameter. I do that because I can get all I want, and mice can't climb up the sides of the plastic tubs. I do place a few in deer stands in the woods, and sometimes on just big rocks out in the woods or at the edges of fields.

If box has holes, just nail a piece of wood over the hole on the outside. Doesn't matter what it looks like.

I normally put two frames of old dark comb, and one frame of starter wax. The remainder is left open. I use the starter wax to discourage them from dropping a comb beyond the starter wax, if I don't check them often enough and they spend some time in the trap before I find them. After they move in, I fill the trap with a couple more drawn combs and the remainder starter wax and leave it for 10-12 days. Then remove the frames from the trap, place swarm in a nice, clean, box and move to one of my yards. Then set the catcher box back up again with two dark combs and one starter wax.

I use 4-5 drops of lemongrass oil, one drop on the landing board, one on the bottom board near the rear under the dark comb, and one drop on each top bar. I refresh the lemongrass oil in 30-45 days if they haven't caught anything. We often get late swarms, as late as August and September.

cchoganjr

[shannonswyatt]

Flyingbrass, I've heard that some folks put a piece of old comb, not even a whole frame. The old brood comb just has the smell of bees, so any amount is better than none. It seems that LGO is more important than brood comb. I say that based on the results of folks just using brood comb versus just using LGO. The combo is probably better though than just one or the other though.

Eventually old comb should be culled from the hives, and swarm traps make the most sense.

[creekroad]

I have my best luck with deeps. I have tried nucs with little success. If the space is not right for them you are wasting your time.
As far as a number of old brood frames I usually use at least 3 in each trap. Then fill it the rest of the way with frames of foundation. I bait it with queen lure and lemon-grass oil on a cotton ball. Good Luck!

[ryanbekke]

If I could just find a glass eye dropper, I'd just drop four drops somewhere in the bait hive. The only ones I seem to be able to find are plastic and they melt in EO. So I use a Q-tip, and tip one end in the Lemongrass Essential Oil and the other end in the "Queen Juice" and drop it in the hive. Perfect measurement every time. It lasts a season.

Michael, is there any specific brand of Essential Lemongrass Oil that we need for our traps? or will any Lemongrass Oil work? Thanks -Ryan

[shannonswyatt]

Pretty sure lemongrass oil is lemongrass oil. I've bought it twice, and I can't smell the difference. Then again, I'm not a bee.

[ryanbekke]

I found this post on a product label for Lemongrass Oil,

Common Uses: Lemongrass Essential Oil is known for its invigorating and antiseptic properties. It can be used in facial toners as its astringent properties help fight acne and greasy skin. An excellent anti-depressant, Lemongrass Essential Oil tones and fortifies the nervous system and can be used in bath for soothing muscular nerves and pain. Lemongrass shares similar properties with citronella and has a great reputation for keeping insects away.

Does anyone know if/what there Is about it that the bees like? That other insects do not? Just curious before I buy some.

[ryanbekke]

Thank you!

[dadandsonsbees]

The reason the bees like it is because it mimics the Queen's scent (pheromone).

[ryanbekke]

The reason the bees like it is because it mimics the Queen's scent (pheromone).

Ok, then that makes sense and to why the other insects do not like it. Thank You -Ryan

[delber]

Does anyone know if/what there Is about it that the bees like? That other insects do not? Just curious before I buy some.

We got some natural bug spray for our kids (2 of them have had lymes disease) and one of the ingredients is LGO. So my bees often will fly by them, but they've never landed on them that I can remember, but being younger children they don't even like the fly by's.