# swarm commander vs. lemongrass oil



## beefarmer

Have been using lemongrass oil in swarm traps, last year caught 7 swarms out of 11 traps, 1 trap caught 2 swarms. Question is would swarm com. catch more swarms than the lg oil, trying to justify the $30 for the commander ?


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## rolftonbees

Seems like your results are excellent. I would be hesitant to put the new product in all of my traps. Maybe just three or four if I felt the need to try it.


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## Tejones121

If it ain't broke...


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## exmar

FWIW, tried SC and got nothing, meanwhile, a swarm moved into a vacant hive, no SC, no LG, BUT drawn comb.


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## odfrank

I have numerous comparison videos on my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jollyollie8/videos




Watch from *Organized bait swarm 2015 05 02 19 18 42

down to*

*2015 03 14 18 43 38

Both SCL and LGO work well. Lots of black comb is helpful.*


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## beepro

Getting that many swarms mean that your swarm 
traps strategy is working. So why reinvent the wheel?
I would use the same method instead of wasting money to
buy something else. Your location is flooded with bees on swarm days.
The LG will draw them in that's all. Maybe the money can be spend on making a QC incubator.


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## Riverderwent

beefarmer said:


> Have been using lemongrass oil in swarm traps, last year caught 7 swarms out of 11 traps, 1 trap caught 2 swarms. Question is would swarm com. catch more swarms than the lg oil, trying to justify the $30 for the commander ?


Yes. I'm better than 100% with LGO, but SC is a little more effective. Having said that, I still use LGO because I have it.


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## beepro

When all else failed....get some of these!
Been brewing/fermenting for 4 years now. First 2 year is full of molds inside after that
all clean and pure, in bee standard, of course. Wonder what's been happening inside?
You didn't know that I got a jar of this sitting around, huh. Call it my swarm trap juice!


Boiled wax water and old wax pieces:


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## abbee

Used SC for the first time this year and caught less than half of what I caught in previous years with LGO. You can buy 4oz of LGO for $13 on Amazon. SC is $30. For 2oz.


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## Reef Resiner

Havent messed with LGO much but last year I got 10 swarms with 3 traps using SC. Going to try LGO this year and some other stuff I brewed up.


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## PAHunter62

My belief is that location means more than the choice of LGO vs SC. If you already have LGO and are having good success, I would just continue to go with it. I caught 15 swarms in 10 traps last year using LGO and pulled the line because I was out of equipment. I owe my success mostly to location though.

PAHunter62


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## Arlo

Swarm Commander is well worth the investment. I used it last year and caught 4 swarms!!


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## Delirious5

So I've built 12 swarm traps and was going to use LGO. My other question would be if I render some wax down, could I use the water and wipe the insides of the boxes before putting them out? Thanks


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## abbee

Delirious5 said:


> So I've built 12 swarm traps and was going to use LGO. My other question would be if I render some wax down, could I use the water and wipe the insides of the boxes before putting them out? Thanks


As an attractant, propolis would be superior, tincture the propolis with some alcohol and paint the inside of the trap with it.


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## flyin-lowe

To me it seems you would literally have to set two traps at each location one with SC and one with LGO to get a true comparison. Each year trapping season is a little different. Who's to say that the people who did good with LGO would not have done just as good with SC or Visa Versa. If you set identical traps at a bunch of locations and you found the bees kept picking one lure over the other it would help convince me. I set 5 traps last year and caught 5 swarms in them with LGO. Because of that I have no reason to spend the extra money on SC.


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## odfrank

>To me it seems you would literally have to set two traps at each location one with SC and one with LGO to get a true comparison.* 

I did that in 2015 and this season. First catch this year went into the LGO box. My conclusion in 2015 was that SCL traps catch the first swarm but not always. The LGO traps get filled soon after. If cost savings is a factor, LGO is plenty effective. I have SCL in empty used topbar hives and no scouts so far.
Yesterday I vacuumed a swarm onto wax foundation. It absconded into a nuc with drawn comb and no lure 1' away.


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## soarwitheagles

Frank,

You lucky duck you! Here, every one of my swarm traps were invaded by the dreaded yellow jackets. One or two yellow jacket guards, then the nest builders inside...

Each week I must take the swarm traps down, kill the yellow jackets, then remount the swarm trap. 

Still no sweetness! Perhaps the rain has a lot to do with it too...

Use SCL in some traps, lemon grass oil in others...then a blend of wax and lure I found on Ebay...


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