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How late in the season is it still effective to set swarm traps in Kansas. This is my fist year and I'm wanting to obtain more bees but don't think my hive will be ready for a split until next year. It is middle of June now.
Swarm Traps
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If you have vacant traps - just leave them posted.
OR post them now if still not out.
They need no food, no water, no electricity/gasoline to run.
What is the rush to take them down?
I never understand people in such a rush taking the traps down.
Anymore I have several traps just left out through the winter (no time to collect them).
Just rebated them in May anew.
The last swarms I have collected were in late August (in WI).
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That information helps. With me there is no rush to take them down because I don't have any put out yet. I was just trying to gauge whether or not it was a worthwhile investment of time and money to get some put out this year. Thanks
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If you meant to build brand-new traps - I would not put them out.
I would build them now AND immediately put into rotation for nucs/splits/etc.
This way you prime your traps for the next season.
If you put out brand new traps - the chance of catching anything is lower AND you wasted a chance to prime your traps for the next season.
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GregV what size boxes would you recommend? Full size deeps or smaller deep nuc boxes?
My first swarm caught ever was in a 5-deep, but more luck since then in a regular 10-deep. But I am still new, this is my 3rd year and I have not gotten that many catches. People seem to have luck with all sorts of weird traps. I use the regular 10-deeps because I don't have to move the bees to new equipment after I catch them. Just replace the trap with a new empty one and take the swarm home in the box they already like.
I use my oldest odd 10 frame boxes I have. Older wood is better, and old lived in beehives are best. You want that scent of an old hive. Certainly, my old boxes that are caked with propolis are usually the best. But my Swarm Trooper is a real trooper, and I have caught 2 swarms in it already this year. I have also used 10 frame medium boxes with good result. I have been catching swarms for about 5 years now, and I caught my first one in a nuc box this year. Bigger boxes, bigger swarms. ~40 liters is generally good. Standard 10 frame deep is about 42 liters as I recall.
15 swarms caught this season so far.
Phil in Fremont.
15 swarms caught this season so far.
Phil in Fremont.
You'll see my thread elsewhere which is a variation on your question. There is some downside to catching a swarm late in the season, being that the swarm is likely to be on the weaker side. So it depends when you are in the typical bloom / nectar flow calendar for the year.
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At least full size deeps.
50-60 liters is what you want.
Anything smaller - you are risking a chance of a large swarm not taking your trap.
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Keep in mind, the late swarms typically run young queens - a very good thing.
If you have a couple of months of a good weather in front of you - you can totally set such swarm for winter.
Just feed them non-stop (since you can no longer depend on the flow) and they will build the rest.
I will take a smallish late August/early September swarm any time.
They will be fine.
point well taken.
I'm doing some experiments around feeding, so it would be more of a problem with me.
I'm doing some experiments around feeding, so it would be more of a problem with me.
+1 I lost a huge swarm this year due to the trap box not being big enough.
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