What’s the best place for a swam trap? I placed two the other weekend not far from a bee tree that I know of. I would like to place more but just sticking them in random places on random trees does not seem all that productive.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
swarm trap placement
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I place my swarm traps around the outskirts of all my yards. At a minimum they are 10' up in the trees.
I believe I've read where they are most effective a few hundred yards from the hives themselves. I put them where they are convenient which is usually much closer (within 150 feet of my hives) and try to paint them so they blend in and don't stick out like a sore thumb.
I believe I've read where they are most effective a few hundred yards from the hives themselves. I put them where they are convenient which is usually much closer (within 150 feet of my hives) and try to paint them so they blend in and don't stick out like a sore thumb.
I learned from Odfrank. I put them from ground level to 6' high. If you see an area that you want to put a trap and you see bees working, put the trap. Scouts will find it. 10' works. I just like being able to grab and go. No latters or extra equipment needed.
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Bees have their own ideas of what is productive. We cannot tame them but we can learn from them.
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Ground level to 6 or 8 feet. Sometimes I even throw an extra empty nuc with a "bait" on a pallet in the bee yard, ya never know.
You might already know this, I'm not sure. Place some old comb in there or a cottonball with a few drops of lemmongrass oil. If your in a pinch, I heard Lemmon Pledge would work but I never tried it. Seems the smell helps too. Good luck catching the swarms!
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How about the one you had a picture of that grew into a stack about 8' tall?
Was you able to graft any queens from it?
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Anyone just place traps at random places where there is no obvious reason to believe there are bees? For instance, I could put one up behind my office where I haven't seen honey bees. I could see it every day though.
By way of explaination, I keep a fishing rod in my car and stop at any hole with water in it in the off-chance there are fish in it.
Wayne
By way of explaination, I keep a fishing rod in my car and stop at any hole with water in it in the off-chance there are fish in it.
Wayne
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All the time, any friend with a big tree or place to put a trap gets a bottle of honey. In fact my dad caught 8 swarms in 6 weeks in his residential neighborhood last year, same tree. Feral bees are everywhere and always looking for a new home. The more traps the better the chances
Its worth a try. Bees will find it and at least visit it heavily during swarm season. I always keep an empty here in a high place, even if you don't catch a swarm, you can keep an eye on it to see if its getting visits.
"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and than"!
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im mostly new to all this, but u can place a trap and xpect a swarm? whats the bait? what works well as bait? i dont live on an apiary so im guessin my chances r low
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to keep things cheep I use empty copy paper boxes. I get them for nothing and I can get as many as I want.
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Everything I know on Swarm Traps, I put on video:
http://blip.tv/file/3103682
and here:
http://blip.tv/file/3118164
But the 10' high rule, I think was applicable prior to the advent of swarm lures. The phermone lures now compensate for height.
http://blip.tv/file/3103682
and here:
http://blip.tv/file/3118164
But the 10' high rule, I think was applicable prior to the advent of swarm lures. The phermone lures now compensate for height.
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From Tom Seeley: THE foremost expert on swarms and swarm behavior (since the beginning of man - literally)
download the pamphlet
http://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/2653
download the pamphlet
http://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/2653
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It may be a great resource, but the pamphlet downloads as digital garbage. I've tried months ago, and again 5 minutes ago. Anybody getting it to work?
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I had to move it shortly thereafter and it promptly died.
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lemon grass oil is commonly used, as is lemon scented pledge polish or purchased lures. your chances of course are a direct ratio to the size of the bee population within a 2-3 mile diameter. more hives, closer to the trap, the better. good luck,mike
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