# is this trap out working?



## dputt88 (Jul 27, 2013)

so I started this one week ago. trapping out of a catalpa tree i'm pretty sure the entrance is all closed off except for the opening in the cone. i have spent a lot of time staring at the cone and i'm yet to see anything get back in. here are some pics.

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee381/dputt88/20160819_1942251_zpsfm01rkmh.jpg

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee381/dputt88/20160819_1942401_zpscq410tmr.jpg

http://vid1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee381/dputt88/20160819_1941351_zpsac7bemfu.mp4

should i be doing something different?


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

Are there bait frames (eggs & larvae) in the hive bodies? I didn't really see any bees coming and going from the box. Is it possible to set up the cone through the box? Is the cone in the tree hole? I don't see it protruding out of the hole:scratch:


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

If the bees don't have to go through the box.... no, it's not working. Where is the cone, I don't see it. The whole point is to make the trap box an extension of the colony, making the bees go through it to access the hive. Once they get used to it, you then put the cone on to force them to use the box and hopefully you can bait the queen out with some brood at some point.


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## dputt88 (Jul 27, 2013)

OK ill go back today and move the bait box as well as add a frame of brood and nurse bees.


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

dputtss... I would recommend against adding nurse bees. Just add the frame of brood. Once the bees are going through your box, the open brood will draw nurse bees out from the feral colony, and most often will draw out the queen to investigate the box with the open brood in it.

cchoganjr.


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## dputt88 (Jul 27, 2013)

by frame of bees you mean frame of brood?


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## dputt88 (Jul 27, 2013)

OK, i went back to the trap out today an made some changes. I put the entrance to the hive right at the opening of the cone. also in the video you can see that i opened the top of the hive. i changes this before i left the top is closed but shifted the boxes forward so not there is an opening in the front and back of the hives. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ_6-zJTvgY


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

Yes, Obviously I did not proof read my remarks. I have corrected it. It should have been a frame of brood, no bees on it.

cchoganjr


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## dputt88 (Jul 27, 2013)

can anyone comment on the new setup seen in the video?


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## ShrekVa (Jan 13, 2011)

I haven't tried it with a cone near a hive like that. Mr. Hogan emailed me plans a while back, and I have used those pretty much to the T. I had a shallow super with a bad corner out of service, and some pallet wood, so I made a deep box with an adapter, built the adapter for the tree, and use that. The cone can be added or removed whenever I want. I would give it a try his way, and once you have had success maybe tweek things to suit yourself.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

The set up is not ideal, typically you make an adapter at the entrance of the hive to connect to box to force the bees to go through the box and get used to it and to make it feel like a part of the hive.


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## dputt88 (Jul 27, 2013)

The trap out worked wonderfully BTW


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

dputt88 said:


> The trap out worked wonderfully BTW


Meaning, you exhausted the hive & sealed it? How many frames did it make? I take it her highness made her way out? How long did it take


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## dputt88 (Jul 27, 2013)

yes the hive seemed to be exhausted. there was no more bees exiting the cone. the queen did not make it. i have 2 medium boxes with drawn comb in the trap hive which they filled half of it with nectar ( uncapped) within the time of the trap out. all the frames were completely covered with bees, the hive was very crowded. it took about 15 days or so.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

So the million dollar question, how do you purpose to get a queenless box of old bees through a MI winter this late in the yr


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

If you didn't get the queen, wasn't really successful.


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## dputt88 (Jul 27, 2013)

I did a combination with a weak hive


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