[Drugstore]

How effective are swarm traps and pheromones at catching swarms from your personal apiaries or swarms in general?
Can they be considered better at catching swarms than old hive boxes?

 

[odfrank]

I think boxes with several combs work better. I use my varroa deadouts. With a slug of lemongrass oil.

[ January 27, 2006, 09:12 PM: Message edited by: Oliver aka odfrank ]

 

[Michael Bush]

It's just like fishing. Every little thing helps, including some luck. Old comb helps. Lemongrass oil helps. The "swarm lures" seem to work the same (and smell the same) as the lemongrass essential oil. Some old queen juce (dump your old queens in a jar of alcohol) also seems to help. Old equipment helps. Setting it up high (at least 10 feet or more) seems to help too.

I seem to get about one swarm for every ten boxes I set out. But, just like fishing, location is everything. If you find a place you're getting swarms, put more there. If you find you're not getting swarms, move the bait hives somewhere else.

 

[BjornBee]

I like using old hive bodies that are about at the end of their days.

 

[drone1952]

Hi All,
I have use 2 years ago pheromons from PheroTech and they worked.

 

[DANIEL QUINCE]

Hi Drone1952. Can you recommend Romanian beekeeping books? I'll be visiting my mother in February in Bucharest and I would like to pick up a few. You can e-mail me at [email protected] if you like.
Daniel