# Cheap swarm trap



## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

I'm thinking that scouts looking for new quarters for the colony would prefer something with more stable construction, with solid tops and sides they can buiild comb from.

Since I have an endless supply of scrap plywood, I built a couple dozen 5-frame plywood nuc boxes to use as swarm traps.

Wayne


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## Omie (Nov 10, 2009)

Plastic wouldn't last very long, especially in a windstorm. Why not just use some cheap masonite at least? or get some discarded plywood somewhere- old discarded kitchen cabinets even? A shipping crate?


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## honeybeekeeper (Mar 3, 2010)

There is a thread on here that shows swarm trap plans which you can make 4 swarm traps from one 15/32 sheet of plywood! $15.00 will make 4 swarm traps, thats pretty cheap!


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## jarodmorrison (Apr 29, 2011)

If I'm placing one somewhere that won't get very wet I use the cardboard boxes that copy paper comes in. One deep fits diagonally in the box and you can pop out a handle for the entrance. I caught a swarm in one on my porch a couple weeks ago! It was free since those boxes are always laying around the copier at work.

I've also heard that you can get wooden boxes that wine comes In from restaurants and liquor stores. Never seen one so I'm not sure, but that sounds good.


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

honeybeekeeper said:


> There is a thread on here that shows swarm trap plans


The link to that thread is in my previous post, just a few posts up.

Wayne


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## pturley (Oct 4, 2010)

You need to take a look at the book "Honeybee Democracy" by Thomas D. Seeley. 

It's a summary of many years of study into decision making behaviors in bees.
This will clarify what type of enclosure scout bees are looking for. I am about 3/4 of the way through my copy. 

I just cracked out two more nucs with more scrap plywood I had laying around. You really can't get any easier than the plans listed above.


Sincerely,
Paul E. Turley


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

Wooden Wine boxes


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

Whatever you decide to use make sure it will accept standard frames so the captured swarm is easy to transfer to a hive box. No sense at all in having to do a cutout to get the bees out of the trap. Search for the plans for DCoates Easy Nucs on this site. I've had real good results with a similar box design that holds 6 frames; we place them in all our yards and I have one in an oak tree in my backyard that has caught 12 swarms in the last year. That's with no known hives near me; my closest bees are about 12 miles away.


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## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

I just build deep supers and I will then just trade out a new deep for an old.I have nothing to throw away when I am through catching swarms.Bees will naturally come to a box that has bee smell in it.Then comb and pheromone is an extra plus.If you catch a swarm you only have to do is move it to its new location.Bees would really prefer a box with bee smell over a new box of any kind or size.


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