They're used to catch swarms. They're baited with "swarm lure" i.e., lemon grass oil or other pheromone/lure such as queen juice (queens soaked in alcohol). They can be made of about anything but should be roughly the volume of a single deep hive body- 35-40 cubic liters or so. I'm actually using some old deeps for the purpose. I'm also putting a couple of old combs in as an additional attraction. You can buy bait hives (aka swarm traps) made out of pressed paper (like egg cartons) that are light, cheap, and convenient.
They're most attractive to bees looking for a home in the shade, 8-10 feet or more off the ground. Place them where you think there will be swarms, perhaps 1/2 mile or so from where you know there are hives that may swarm and check them periodically during the swarming season. If you're lucky, you'll find some bees have moved in.
Free bees
They're most attractive to bees looking for a home in the shade, 8-10 feet or more off the ground. Place them where you think there will be swarms, perhaps 1/2 mile or so from where you know there are hives that may swarm and check them periodically during the swarming season. If you're lucky, you'll find some bees have moved in.
Free bees
