[NY14804]

I've baited my swarm traps with used, just frozen, old brood comb that has a small bit of pollen & residual honey.
Is there a way to protect them from beetle & moth infestation while waiting for a swarm to discover
them and move in?
So far, the only thing I can find is to place them in full sun, to help reduce the threat.

 

[MajorJC]

Hmm, I think the general consensus is that you should not put any frames with honey in a swarm trap/bait hive. Old brood comb should probably be left out in a sunny location to let your bees rob it out before putting it into a swarm trap.

 

[mtnmyke]

Yup. Honey will likely get robbed out regardless of where you put the trap, it's pollen that really causes the issues. As such, try to use old comb that's fairly empty of anything.

If you get was moth/beetles then next year maybe just smear/melt propolis and wax in the traps to give the same effect.

 

[JWPalmer]

Never put any food in the swarm trap. A few dead bees in the comb are ok. Always place the trap in a shaded location. If the only frames you have also have some stores in them, do what Major said and place them outside for the bees to rob out first.

 

[NY14804]

I should clarify things: These are older brood combs that were all capped honey when I extracted them in early September. Afterwards, they were placed outside in sunlight and robbed out over a few weeks until the bees (and the ants) lost interest in them, despite plenty of warm, sunny weather after the robbing stopped.
A very slight film of honey residue may be in the cells...but they aren't close to being wet, like they are after extracting.
The pollen is shotgun scattered, never more than 3%-5% of a foundation's surface area, and only at the very bottom of the cells.
This is part of my plan to rotate my older brood comb out of service and giving them one last use as attracting a swarm into the trap.
Thanks to all for your advice!