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swarm traps

Posted By: Mason85

swarm traps - 02/13/18 02:59 PM

When is the best time to set traps out to catch swarms in north alabama?
Posted By: Wade

Re: swarm traps - 02/14/18 02:13 AM

I leave mine out March to July. Only did it for one year so far but managed to catch 5 swarms with 10 traps set out.
Posted By: FurFlyin

Re: swarm traps - 02/14/18 02:43 AM

I'd have them out at least by mid March. Swarming won't start then, but scouting for swarm sites might, and you also never know when a bee tree is going to blow over or whatever.

After last year I am absolutely convinced that two deep nuc boxes stacked one on top of the other is better than a 10 frame deep. A 10 frame deep equivalent size is supposed to be the preferred size when bees are scouting for swarm sights. I had better luck last year than ever before and the reason was I finally realized that having foundation in the frames in the box was blocking off the perceived space the bees saw. I didn't want them to draw wonky comb so I put starter strips in 4 frames along with one drawn frame of comb. The bottom deep has no frames in it. I put the drawn comb against one wall in the top, then put the other 4 frames in. I also started using Swarm Commander last year. I put one spray on a paper towel, then put it inside a sealed ziplock bag, on top of the frames. That stuff is strong. Too much is a bad thing. I went to hive a swarm hanging on a tree limb and like an idiot, I sprayed one spray of SC on top of the frames before I put the bees in. It was a big swarm. 6-7 lbs of bees. As soon as I put them in they started coming out of the hive. They stood out front fanning and a few started going back in. I left the hive in place for about 3 hours then went back to get it. There was only a couple frames worth of bees in the box. The rest had flown back to the hive in the tree, according to the lady who sat and watched them. She thought they all flew back. I brought home the piddly amount of bees and added a queen to them.
Posted By: Mason85

Re: swarm traps - 02/14/18 04:25 PM

Thanks guys. I got some nucs I built that I plan to use.
Posted By: FurFlyin

Re: swarm traps - 02/15/18 02:58 AM

One nuc, or two nuc boxes stacked? Meaning, one bottom board, two deep nuc boxes, and one top.

I'm not trying to sound like a know it all, I just don't want to see you waste your time. One deep 5 frame nuc box is on the very low end of the size bees want to find to make a hive in. You'll have much better success using the same volume as one 10 frame deep hive. That's scientifically proven, not my opinion.
Posted By: Wade

Re: swarm traps - 02/16/18 02:20 AM

Here is my swarm trap vs. a medium super. I found the trap plans online and modified just a little to get the area right. My next ones will be just wide enough for 5 frames. This one is almost 6 wide. Almost.
[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Posted By: Dustin

Re: swarm traps - 02/16/18 08:05 PM

Here is a very good read on Swarm Traps, their size and how to set them up.

Swarm Traps
Posted By: Wade

Re: swarm traps - 02/20/18 11:45 PM

Dustin,

Good post. That is the site I used to build my traps. I built the Swarm Trap Lite plans. I modified the dimensions listed a little to make my plywood that I had on hand go a little further. One modification I found that worked well was to simply screw a 1 x 4 in the middle of the long side and let it stick up a foot above the top of the trap. Then all you have to do is drill a 1/2" hole in the 1 x 4 and then put a screw or nail in the tree and simply reach up and hang the trap on the tree. It is a heck of a lot easier than ratchet straps. You have to modify the tops when you do that but it works better for me. Make sure you have all cracks sealed. The suckers will find the smallest hole and they don't like getting moved. I just staple a piece of wire over the front entrance to move them.
Posted By: Mason85

Re: swarm traps - 02/27/18 03:47 PM

All good info, thanks. My nuc's are all just normal sized 5 frames. I may build a few more and stack them to get the volume up. I have a few bee trees i'm planning on catching the swarms from.
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