# Material to build swarm traps



## MLW (Jun 4, 2013)

I don't have any used bee boxes, but I have some new cedar fence boards, old cedar fence boards, and old treated pine fence boards. Would there be a problem with using these to build a swarm trap? 

Thanks in advance,

Merle


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I've seen folks post pictures of swarm traps made from just about everything on this forum. Particle board, cardboard boxes, plastic containers, etc. I think that they would be fine for a swarm trap. I've made one recently from old fence boards. I probably spent three times the amount of time on that then if I would have just used dimensional lumber, but it was laying around and I had the time. 

More is better, so anything is better than nothing.


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## tbonekel (May 3, 2013)

shannonswyatt said:


> I probably spent three times the amount of time on that then if I would have just used dimensional lumber, but it was laying around and I had the time.


I built four traps out of fencing panel boards and was successful catching a swarm in one, but agree that it takes more time building them. Also, I think they are initially heavier than using plywood. And if you don't really seal them good with paint, I think they really soak up moisture when it rains. Also fencing boards don't fit exactly right creating possible alternative entrances for the bees that you will have to cover.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I made a jig and ripped the boards and then glued and clamped them up, so they seal is tight on them. Again, this added more time to the job. It was fun to do though, and I may keep more of the fence and do the same thing this winter. Some of the boards are way to warped to do anything with.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I recommend that you buy some cheap deep supers and make your traps out of those. Here is one with slotted plywood:



Here is one with an entrance disk:


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## MLW (Jun 4, 2013)

I'm making some out the thin pine fence boards. The boards are about 3/8" after I run them through the planner. If I hit a nail are a small rock and ruin my planner blades, I'll wish I'd have taken ODFRANK's advice then.

Thanks all,

Merle


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I trim the fence pickets to about 20 inches. There is a lot of waste but less than just throwing them away. Tightbond 3 does an incredible job of holding the boards together. I did some tests and the wood would break before the tight bond glue up. 

Again, I don't recommend this to anyone unless you have lots of time and free wood scraps.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

>Again, I don't recommend this to anyone unless you have lots of time and free wood scraps.

This is the caveat in swarm trap building. I learned from my winebox swarm trap days that you spend as much time making a "free" swarm trap as you do making a deep super swarm trap. You waste good time making an item that serves only one purpose when you can make a deep super that can become the permanent home of the caught bees, which you will need anyways. Plywood can easily be found for free to make the slotted bottoms and tops. 3/8" thick wineboxes last only two or three years if that. They warp and split. Look at this waste of time: I added handles, disks, branded them. They caught swarms but didn't last.


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## Sour Kraut (Jun 17, 2012)

"don't recommend this to anyone unless you have lots of time and free wood scraps"

why waste your time, when you can buy these for under 6 bucks each ?

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/page62.html#!productInfo/1/

catch the swarm, let it grow to 4-5 full frames, transfer to full body, repeat


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

It costs half of a new deep super, won't hold up to rain, leaks bees when moving, is not big enough for a large swarm and does not attract as many swarms as old wood boxes do. Many bait swarms fill a five frame box full. One catch this year in the deep traps shown above, so big it could barely fit in a deep box and took hours to enter:








Gary L. Glaenzer said:


> "don't recommend this to anyone unless you have lots of time and free wood scraps"
> 
> why waste your time, when you can buy these for under 6 bucks each ?
> 
> ...


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## Sour Kraut (Jun 17, 2012)

I'll give you #'s 1 and 4, and as far as # 2 and 3 go, I've had a couple out for over a month, thru driving thunderstorms here this spring and they are fine, I've yet to have one 'leak' on the way home, and for # 5 I can't see that wood is better when it is the odor of the combs, foundation or whatever is inside that does the attracting.

But to each his own............


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

>I've had a couple out for over a month, thru driving thunderstorms here this spring and they are fine,

You spent $6., they will last a few years at best. A budget deep from Mann Lake with free freight is about $12. It will last 10 or 20 years. A small swarm will fit into a big box but a big swarm won't fit into a small box. I still use five frame traps because I have them. But how many swarms have passed them by because they are too small?

Like this one that left the next morning:


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Seven frames in a fish cooler that the swarm filled both void ends also.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Five frame boxes are too small for Master Baiters like myself. A large catch will produce surplus honey in my area, the five framers not so much. Five frame boxes do catch after swarms with nice young virgins which become a good hive over the summer. This swarm would not fit into a bait box with four jumbo depth frames overnight, so in the morning I overturned another one on top over a feeder lid until I could get back with a ten frame box for it. Once I had the box on top they all filed in, even onto the upside down combs. They would have absconded without that extra space.


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## Sour Kraut (Jun 17, 2012)

OK

It's obvious that neither of us will convince the other that there is merit in our personal point-of-view, so I'll just drop the matter.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Treated.... avoid.
Cedar... go for it.


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## MLW (Jun 4, 2013)

Mr.Beeman said:


> Treated.... avoid.
> Cedar... go for it.


Would someone explain why or why not. Is anyone using old treated fence boards for building swarm traps, not to make hives?

Merle


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Chemicals used in the treatment process (chromium, arsenic, heavy metals, etc.) If you read the MSDS sheets for treated lumber it suggests the use of gloves while handling the material.
I can't imagine it would be any good for the bees walking all over it.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Gary L. Glaenzer said:


> "don't recommend this to anyone unless you have lots of time and free wood scraps"
> 
> why waste your time, when you can buy these for under 6 bucks each ?
> 
> ...


Because I'm new to woodworking and I'm having fun learning this stuff, and in the end if I just have a pile of shavings I'm out very little. I've made several little things from the throw away wood. Now if it was football season it would be a different story.


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## TRAPPER RICH (Mar 26, 2021)

MLW said:


> Would someone explain why or why not. Is anyone using old treated fence boards for building swarm traps, not to make hives?


Merle---- I USED OLD CEDAR FENCE BOARD ON ONE TRAP AND USED IT AS A HIVE AFTER TRAPPING. WORKED GREAT BUT THE BEES QUICKLY OUTGREW THE TRAP. I HAVE USED OLD FRUIT CRATES AS WELL THAT I MODIFIED TO HOLD LANG FRAMES. I HAVE CAUGHT BEES IN EVERY ONE OF THEM. LAST YEAR I USED A DEEP LANG BOX AND CAUGHT ONE IN THAT AS WELL. THIS YEAR I MADE A TRAP OUT OF NEW CEDAR FENCE BOARDS. I MADE IT WITH AN ADDITIONAL 6" BENEATH THE DEEP FRAMES TO INCREASE OVERALL SIZE HOPING TO ENTICE LARGER SWARMS. MOST IMPORTANTLY IT IS WHAT YOU PUT IN THE TRAP THAT COUNTS. I CATCH 3 TO 4 SWARMS A YEAR IN MY YARD.CATCHING HAS BEEN CONSISTENT NOW FOR 5 YEARS RUNNING.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Hi Trapper Rich, welcome to Beesource. Couple of things to be aware of:
The "recommended reading" section often dredges up old posts, like this one from 2013. Many folks get caught by it.
You can edit a post by clicking on the three little dots in the upper right hand corner. You have up to 24 hours to make changes. This can be really helpful if, say, you accidentally typed your entire message with the caps lock on.

Congrats on your swarm trapping success.


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