# Cheapest effective swarm trap?



## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

There are several people on this website that seem to be swarm trapping experts. I couldn't imagine catching 20+ swarms a year. 

I read a post in a different forum where someone posted that they have 60 swarm traps out. I have 3. 

What are you guys who run quite a few traps using for trap boxes? 

I'd like to find something quick to make that's cheap and effective. That may not be possible however.

I have started to think outside the box (Langstroth) about making traps. I have a source to get miscut 3/4" plywood and I used it to make some nucs with last year. I thought about getting more of the plywood and making a 5 frame wide box that is 18-20" deep for a trap. I could hang a drawn deep frame or two in the box and fill in with 3-4 frames of foundation. How much drawn comb do you successful guys use per trap? 

So what do you guys use for trap boxes?


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## Bluesman (Mar 31, 2015)

I'm in the same boat you're in. I have three traps out. One at my house and two others at my mom and dad's house out in the country. I couldn't imagine having 60 traps out, but some do it.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

You want a cheap trap , get a blue 5 gal bucket and a lid and drill a hole in the side of it . If they are there very long you'll have to do a cut out but it's a good way to get a lot of traps up cheaply


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## Jayoung21 (Jun 22, 2010)

If you have access to 3/4 ply then you are sitting pretty. Look up D Coates nuc on the beesource diy section. I run all meds and made mine 6 frames wide, 2 nucs deep. Attach nucs together w hive staples and attach the lid as well. I just screwed the lid on. Fasten to a tree in some fashion. Add a little lgo and viola, a swarm trap. If you have some old drawn frames to put in even better. With mine, I put all 6 frames in the top nuc and leave the bottom one open. If I catch one I check them often enough before they go crazy drawing burr comb.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Here is another cheap option and due to it's size should catch more swarms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A169uiv0Y0


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

For me, the best swarm box is an old ten frame deep with 2 old, black, brood combs and one frame of foundation. Place the frames against one side of the box with the foundation frame on the outside toward the center of the open portion of the box.

When a swarm moves in, they will immediately clean and start using the brood comb, while at the same time they begin to draw cells on the frame of foundation. Unless you don't see them for a week, they will rarely drop a comb of their own. Rather they will draw on the foundation. If they do drop a comb, it will be small.

Try to find some old used brood boxes for your swarm boxes. If you know a commercial bee keeper see if he has any he is throwing away. Doesn't matter if they are full of holes, bent out of shape, have rotted boards etc. You will only leave them in this box for a week or so, then transfer them to your good box.

New boxes of any kind, plywood, pine, cypress, whatever, in my opinion is not as good as an old worn out deep super. The previously used boxes have the smell that helps attract bees to your box.

I use about 3 to 4 drops lemon grass oil in each swarm box.

I have out about 30 to 40 swarm boxes, normally catch about 8 to 12 in these boxes.

cchoganjr


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

The cheapest effective swarm trap is your dead brood chamber from this winter. I extract out all the honey, or not, let a hive dry and polish them, and set them back up. I have 65 out and have caught 25. 
The huge trick I learned this year from a bait hive host is to put a gnarly piece of firewood on top of them. Draws bees like flies to roadkill. First one is from today. As Cleo said, old boxes work best, this is a 40+ year old nuc box that catches baits every year.


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## Greenride (Jul 7, 2013)

Where are you putting the lemon grass oil, does it matter? How long does it last? I've been putting it on a paper towel inside a unzipped ziplock on the floor of the hive body? No luck so far in 3 yrs. I did supply someone else's trap last year though.
Fabian


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## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

I do exactly like Cleo! However I did mess up on one.Cleo says to put the drawn out comb on the outside and foundation against the wall.He is right about that.I had one set up and when reaching above my head the frames slid against the other side and caused the foundation on the outside.When you do this that swarm will always go to that empty area and drop comb down.I caught this swarm a few days ago and sure enough the dropped comb in that open area.Well its still small so I will be working on it tomorrow to get it straightened out.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Like Cleo said, get your hands on old crappy used deep boxes. They love that. If you don't know a commercial beekeeper, contact your local bee club and you may be able to snag a few old boxes from someone who quit beekeeping or they're replacing their old boxes. Check Craig's List for cheap old boxes also.

While looking for boxes, ask for old brood frames to go along with them. I got this pink one free complete with old brood frames from a commercial guy when I first started out. I'm up to 19 swarms now in this one alone.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

The huge trick I learned this year from a bait hive host is to put a gnarly piece of firewood on top of them.

Can you explain what the purpose is of the wood?


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## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

It looks like that's what they used to keep the top from blowing off. But that's just my guess.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

For the LGO attractant, I dip one end of a q tip in it and staple the q tip on the bottom rim of the top cover just above the entrance. It keeps dry (if it rains) and will last longer and waft farther than if it was inside.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. I don't know any commercial beeks and constantly look for used equipment but I have yet to find any in 3 years of looking. I have been putting the frames in the center of the box not on the sides. Another thing that hampers me I figure is that I rarely ever see a honeybee. I have my traps out here on the farm. I think I will take one and put it up at my shop which is about 2.5 miles from here. It's also in town so maybe there are bees in someones backyard.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i wonder if the guy with the longstanding tf yard that doesn't manage much would let you set one or two over there?


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

Just my two cents, 

I don't set out any traps at all, but prefer to use free ads and word of mouth to get swarm calls by phone.

Then I go collect them, generally catching 10 - 20 a year and most of the time I charge 50 - 75 bucks for picking them up.

Benefits:

No gas money driving around to see if I have caught anything
No extra equipment to make, put out, bring in, and store.
Best part is bees go directly to their permanent location, in their permanent hive for the season and I have no damages to soft new comb trying to transport a week old hive or have any "cutting out" to do.

Just a different way,


Don


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

D Semple... Of course that is one way to do it, but, I highly suspect you are missing a lot of free bees by not having out swarm boxes, especially if you are getting calls for swarms.

I suspect you are not the only one getting swarm calls. So, if one or more of those swarms, went into your swarm boxes, rather than balling up somewhere, and someone else getting a call for that swarm, then you would be one ahead.

But, nothing wrong with your approach. Just a different approach. I like to do both.

cchoganjr


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

odfrank said:


> The huge trick I learned this year from a bait hive host is to put a gnarly piece of firewood on top of them.


Never heard of that one, but, I will surely try it out. I am gathering up some old fireplace wood this afternoon to put on swarm boxes.

cchoganjr


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> Never heard of that one, but, I will surely try it out. I am gathering up some old fireplace wood this afternoon to put on swarm boxes.
> 
> cchoganjr


I think it only works if you move all of your change to your left pocket


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Don,

I don't know about anyone else on this thread but Ollie and I do what you do in addition to traps. I take anywhere from 15 to 25 swarm calls per season from SFPD and SFFD here in the city. I think Ollie takes swarm calls from his bee club swarm list. We both do cutouts as well.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Harley Craig said:


> I think it only works if you move all of your change to your left pocket



and, you observe a proven lay line, while Venus aligns with Mars on a moonless night.

cchoganjr


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## Cub (Feb 14, 2013)

I like using hive bodie themselves, because they are standard equipment. It seems like most of the stuff I build for certain things doesn't get used much, and spends most of its life in the shed. Hive bodies, bbs, and covers are always handy to have spares of.

J


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Shhhh don't be Givin away my secrets Cleo lol


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

squarepeg said:


> i wonder if the guy with the longstanding tf yard that doesn't manage much would let you set one or two over there?


I've tried. He won't. He wants them to swarm and populate the woods around him. They should be pretty populated by now. LOL


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Harley...... Ollie must be right, he doesn't have a left pocket. 

Not sure of his position on Lay Lines. (Maybe that is Ley Lines).

cchoganjr


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## Northwest PA Beekeeper (Mar 28, 2012)

Cheap, huh? Do a Google for "Cardboard box swarm trap".

I saw this on the internet and thought "Can't get much cheaper than free."

Working in an office environment, I can get all the paper ream boxes I want.

I did "improve" on the box though. I thought "This won't last long out in the open."

So, once the brood frame is in the box and the lid taped, I wrap the cardboard box with plastic cling - the stuff companies use to wrap their truck pallets work's great.

The box is now waterproof, but is also a mini-greenhouse. I've solved that problem by using either A. An old piece of carpeting surrounding the box to keep most of the sun off of it. B. Placing the swarm trap in a shady place. or C. Placing the swarm trap into a slightly bigger cardboard box. (Just have a cutout hole in the outer box where the "entrance" is of your new swarm trap.)

The only three downsides to the cardboard box swarm trap is:

1. You must be checking your trap every few days. Once a swarm moves in, they put off a lot of moisture and the cardboard box gets moist and isn't very strong when wet.

2. The swarm tends to cling to the box lid making new comb. Again - you will need to get the new swarm out of the trap ASAP.

3. So far, the 3 swarms I have caught have been smaller swarms. I have to wonder if a larger swarm feels the box is too small.

But, it certainly is cheap!!


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> D Semple... Of course that is one way to do it, but, I highly suspect you are missing a lot of free bees by not having out swarm boxes, especially if you are getting calls for swarms.
> 
> 
> But, nothing wrong with your approach. Just a different approach. I like to do both.
> ...


Cleo, your right of course. Sometimes though "free bees" aren't exactly free if you add up all the incidental costs to catch them. 

Appreciate all your helpful posts over the years.




Charlie B said:


> Don,
> 
> I don't know about anyone else on this thread but Ollie and I do what you do in addition to traps. I take anywhere from 15 to 25 swarm calls per season from SFPD and SFFD here in the city. I think Ollie takes swarm calls from his bee club swarm list. We both do cutouts as well.


Mostly, I'm just too lazy to do anymore work and jealous of all you trappers successes. 

But, I do cutouts also and have way more bees then I know what to do with. I get thoroughly sick of bees by the end of July every year.



Thanks for sharing your success stories and strategies, and the humorous posts guys.

Don


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> and, you observe a proven lay line, while Venus aligns with Mars on a moonless night.
> 
> cchoganjr


Well, the cat is finally out of the bag! I thought no one was going to say it.
I've been conducting a study with neon lights (don't laugh, I'm serious). I found a supplier who makes custom signs with neon lights, and I have found that the ones that say "free drafts and free rooms after dusk" are the ones that get the most scout activity by far. The lettering arrangement/statement was just for fun and was an idea of a friend of mine. I don't know if it's the lettering or just the blue tint that makes the difference, but there is clearly a preference for the lights. What's even stranger is that I catch swarms in those particular boxes just after dusk.The results become even more phenomenal when you find that proven lay line during a cosmic alignment. All of this became apparent last year. I was shocked to say the least. I'm wanting to share this with the beekeeping community through an article in the American Bee Journal, but I have been met with nothing but resentment from the "powers that be". They know it works, but they are not willing to let this particular method out to the public. At least that's what it appears.
This year I will be conducting a study with the same boxes and lights, but I have decided to test if there are differences between boxes with crystals and those without. I have been able to acquire crystals from the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius. They contain the proper MHz and celestial energy that healthy bees strive to find. I'm very interested in seeing the outcome from this year's swarm season. 
Btw...Ollie's firewood trick is nothing more than a way to keep the lid on during high winds. It took him 40 years, but he has finally figured it out. lol...that's just the way Californians are!
I hope he doesn't hate me for saying that.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

TalonRedding said:


> The results become even more phenomenal when you find that proven lay line during a cosmic alignment.


More details on the importance of this concept to _sucessful _beekeeping can be found in this thread:

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...John-Harding-and-I-have-found-the-answer-quot


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

So does anyone have any other explanation for the fact I have seen half a dozen swarms over a two year period land in the exact same spot. During the period of one season I suspected it was just traces of scent from the previous swarm. but 11 months later when they started landing their again I don't think it was scent. Eventually I cut that branch off the tree and have not seen a swarm land in that area again. In fact they now land 60 feet south of that spot but I have only seen one at that spot so far. waiting to see if it becomes the new favored location or if that last one was a fluke.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Daniel Y. I know what you mean, and, I cannot explain it either.

On J Brown Road I have 5 swarm boxes, virtually identical, year after year, and, year after year I will get 2 to 3 swarms in the same box, and most years none in the other 4 boxes.

They are different boxes each year, old 10 frame boxes with old brood comb about 50 yards apart, all at the edge of a field. Why the bees choose the same location, and winds up going into the box at that location, each year is not something I can explain. So far I have not found where they may be coming from. There are no beekeepers in the area, I have walked the fence rows and woods nearby, and have not found a colony. 

cchoganjr


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

I've had similar experiences. I have another thread started for this very subject so we don't high Jack this one. 
As far as cheap traps go, free is best!


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

Talon,

You crack me up. 

Bet if you go ahead and write and submit that article they will print it, they are not all that stogy. (Although beekeepers are not exactly known for their sense of humor.) :scratch:

Don


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