[Chick]

I bought some swarm lure from a Apiary, that makes and sells it. I opened the vial. It smelled like Lemongrass Oil. I opened a envelope of swarm lure, from one of the major suppliers, and it smelled of lemongrass oil, too. I called both of them, and asked them if that is what it was. The envelope had 2 vials, and the other one had the pheromone in it. The other stuff, is mixed together, form the Apiary. I am going to look at this real close. I may not be using anything but Lemongrass oil, in the future.

 

[AmericasBeekeeper]

I would find a source of Lemongrass oil online. That is where I get my menthol and other essential oils. How would an apiary make Lemongrass oil? They may repackage it and supplement their income.

 

[mike haney]

old queens crushed make the best lure. some variation/mixture of this is likely what they sell(the apiary). good luck,mike

 

[Chick]

I don't think they make the lemongrass oil. I think they supplement the nosonov with lemongrass oil. Not sure if they are getting the nosonov from crushed queens or from synthetic sources. I know Mann Lake uses 2 vials, and one of them has LGO in it. I have 2 bottle of LGO, that I have used in the past. It's only about $3 a bottle, and about $3 shipping. I ordered it the same time I ordered wintergreen and spearmint oil, to make honey b healthy.

 

[Buffalolick]

I wondered the same thing. I have some pheromone I bought from large supplier, and LGO bought at local health food store..smell exactly the same (like Lemon Pledge)...but maybe that's why LGO works..cause it smells like pheromone, right? I'm not a bee and surely they smell something I can't. I'll give the big bee business the benifit of the doubt, but in the future I'll be sticking with LGO unless I see or learn something that shows me a clear advantage to using pheromone. Their marketing material is thin on how pheromone is made, extracted, what's in it.. says it has 3 things in it proven to work..whatever, and quite honestly I'm not motivated enough over it to call and find out. But I do wonder when setting the swarm traps just why I paid $3 something plus shiping for this little vial of stuff that looks and smells just like the big bottle of LGO I got for $5. Bought it before I became a BS member...that's my excuse..lol

 

[Kingfisher Apiaries]

Are you talking about a particular seller on ebay? If so, I got the same "swarm lures" from them. It has to be lemon grass oil. There is no disguising it even in the little vials.
Kingfisher

 

[Buffalolick]

Nope, not an ebay guy. I was talking about Brushy Mountain..I just didn't want to impune them, as I have always been happy with what I've bought from them in the past. They have good stuff and good service when I have delt with them and I'm not UN-happy with my swarm lure purchase from them. I don't think they would mislabel or be fraudulent with the pheromone lure. They say it has 3 componets, they don't say what they are, I guess LGO is one of them, maybe the main one. I just think, from what I've read, that it may not be a necessary expense. I am using the ones I have in addition to LGO and brood comb so I guess I should set some traps without the pheromone as a control. We're probally over-thinking the entire deal...but it is interesting.

 

[Chick]

I'm kinda sorry I brought it up. From the information I have received, all of the lures commercially marketed today, has LGO mixed, or used with the pheromone.

 

[elkridge]

A local herbalist in town is having a 20% off sale on all their essential oils, including lemongrass oil. The normal price is 75 cents a mL and price breaks occur at different increments.

1 fluid ounce costs $18.60. After 20% is taken off of this price, thats $14.88 for 1 fluid ounce of essential lemongrass oil.

Does this sound like a good deal to most of you? I figure I could make up plenty of viles with just a few mLs in each vile.

 

[Hambone]

I figure I could make up plenty of viles with just a few mLs in each vile.

Most of the E.O.'s come with a built in droper. You don't need to make up viles for the traps. Use a drop or two on the landing board, top of a frame (or two) and a couple drops on a frame of comb or two. You only need about 6-7drops per trap. Reapply drops every 3-4 weeks if you haven't caught a swarm yet.

 

[elkridge]

So you just put the drops directly on the woodenware. Do you think the scent would hang around longer if I were to put a few drops on a cotton ball inside of a film canister...or not even worth that extra step?

 

[kbee]

Elkridge, Thats a high price. I haven't bought LGO in awhile but I think you can get it much cheaper than that. Look around online. Just putting the drops on the frames works fine for me.

 

[Sundance]

old queens crushed make the best lure. some variation/mixture of this is likely what they sell(the apiary). good luck,mike

Indeed.........

For swarm traps I take old brood comb and melt it down.
Then with a disposable paint brush I coat the interior
of the box.

Buy the lemon grass oil in bulk and use it for making
homemade HBH (honey bee healthy)

Plus I hang old brood comb frames (sprayed with Bt).

The kicker is lemon grass oil drops just before hanging.

Cheap and works for me.

 

[Sundance]

1 fluid ounce costs $18.60. After 20% is taken off of this price, thats $14.88 for 1 fluid ounce of essential lemongrass oil.

Yikes!! That's just short of robbery.

Try these guys....... I get peppermint, spearmint, lemongrass,
etc from them. 16 ounces of lemongrass oil is $21

http://wfmed.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=147_27_116&products_id=670

 

[Chick]

I would have to look on the box, but I paid $2.99 an ounce, and another $3 shipping.

 

[Hambone]

So you just put the drops directly on the woodenware. Do you think the scent would hang around longer if I were to put a few drops on a cotton ball inside of a film canister...or not even worth that extra step?

It might hang around longer that way. But it's just something else to worry about for me. I like it simple. A few drops and go. Plus when a swam moves in I have to remember to take that out. Which is the last thing on my mind.

 

[Chick]

It's gone up a little since I bought mine last year. Try this place out.

http://www.nutritiongeeks.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=lemongrass+oil

 

[elkridge]

Thanks for all the advice folks, luckily I didn't spend my 14 dollars yesterday at the herbalist. It pays to check prices on the internet.

 

[Grant]

You guys make me laugh. Just because it smells like lemongrass oil doesn't mean it's just plain, old common lemongrass oil. How do you know what's really in it? You can't tell my giving it a whif. And it sounds like you're doubting the integrity of the lure seller.

Now I'll let you in on a secret. Here's the link to buy a 16 oz. jug of phermone attractant. It contains the real stuff...and funny, it smell like, well, lemongrass oil! But it's the real stuff! One jug costs $17 plus shipping.

http://www.greatlakesipm.com/pollination.html

I use this stuff every year and refill those little tubes. I also take one blue shop towel, fold it up so it fits a zip-lock sandwich bag, then I pour a table spoon of this Bee Scent into the bag, close it and lay it on the floor of my swarm traps. The cheaper the zip-lock bag, the thinner the plastic and the more the scent leaves the bag.

The bag lasts about a month. Or at least, that's what I surmise giving it the "whif test." But that kind of a test is definitely not reliable.

Grant
Jackson, MO http://www.swarmtrapping.homestead.com

 

[Budster]

I've had great luck with lemmongrass oil. Bought mine off EBay. What would be cool is if you could get a MSDS sheet on it!!! Than, you'd know exactly whats in it.