# swarm trap with french cleat hanging bracket.



## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Hey Y'All, I don't know if anyone else hangs their boxes this way but I sure do like it.http://s1055.beta.photobucket.com/user/stevedc1/library/Swarmbox with french cleat hanging bracket


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## Dconrad (Jul 3, 2012)

That's a pretty sweet idea.... I like it !!!! thanks for the post Steve.

DC


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Thanks DC


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## ken rice (Apr 28, 2010)

Very nice


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## KPeacock (Jan 29, 2013)

I set up a few of mine that that way to see how well it would work. it seems like it would be easier to level one piece that level two, the way i had planend on secuting the hives to trees.

I had planned on essentially nailing 2x4s to the bth sides of the trunck so they stick out like arms. i'd then set the trap on them and secure with 550 cord. 

My only concern has to do with the stength of the wood. I plan to have semi-foundationless frames in my swarm traps. As such, they need to be pretty level in the "long" direction to avoid buggered up comb formation. With this Frenchie cleat arrangement, that puts the box sticking out from the tree lengthwise. if i don't get around to checking no the swarm for a month, they might well have that thing fillied with comb and getting heavier every day. I worry that the wood may come apart at the cleat. I don't have enough wood working experience to have that gut feeling to say "yeah that will hold."

I may forge a couple of similar cleats out of steel. i really think this is a better/easier way to hang these things than my original two armed plan.

EDIT: I just realized that this may make no sense whatsoever! I am using 10-frame deeps for swarm traps. this is why i have concerns about weight. My intention is to simply move the captured swarp to the apiary and start adding supers as needed. No need to transfer frames this way, but i run the risk of having wonky frames if i don;t have the swarm trap ratehr close to level


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Steve, I think it is a piece of genius. I think it should be easy enough to level up the cleat as you're fixing it.


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## Jean-Yves (Oct 27, 2010)

Great Steve 
Great, 
I will save on wood and time, MERCI


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I did something similar for my top bar hives. This is the first one I made.






. 

The small piece attaches to the hive and the larger part attaches to the tree. I was going to go with 1x6, but I could only get 5/4x6 in pressure treated, and it was more expensive than 2x6. I figure with the 2x6 the screws will pull out of the tree before the wood breaks. I've modified it a bit in production, that one was made from a piece of scrap I had laying in the garage. I now make the small side piece a little bigger. Yes, I could have just used one piece of wood with two cuts and mounted the center section to the tree and then put two pieces on the hive, but this design make is harder for me to screw up. Also my hives are a bit heavy and to me this way seemed stronger. That doesn't mean that it is stronger, it just makes me feel better about it.

Here is the hive attached to the tree. 







I tried to get the mount attached to the tree as plum as possible, but I found that if I use a little twig or branch I could shim it up or down a little. I don't plan on leaving them up for more than a few days if they have a swarm, but some are a bit far from my home. The length of hive is about 17.5 inches, so it is about the same as a lang. 

Here is the finished mounted bait hive. The complex angle pulls it in tight and was a breeze to make with the chop saw. I will probably need to use a mallet to remove the hive after it has been setting for a while.


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## Dconrad (Jul 3, 2012)

Steve, I liked the idea so much I came home after works and made a few and hung a trap works like a champ thanks for sharing


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Yea KPeacock, i don't think i would trust this with 10 frame box either.


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

boy shannon, that looks heavy, hope it holds.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

The mount is pretty dog gone strong. I would say I could do a chin-up on it, but that would mean that I could do a chin-up. The weakest point is probably the mount to the hive itself, and I'm pretty sure I have enough hardware there to keep it in place.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Seems like an easy, simple way to attach the box. How resistant is the attachment point to a wind gust?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Nice.


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Mr.Beeman said:


> Seems like an easy, simple way to attach the box. How resistant is the attachment point to a wind gust?


I don't know the answer to that but i'm sure we'll find out in due time.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

With the french cleat you may want to use a piece of string to keep it from raising, but it would take a lot of straight-line wind to get it to raise. Remember, if you push from the back the hive has to lift for it to come loose. With the double angled cleat it would take an F1 tornado to take it out. You would break the attachment to the hive before a wind gust would lift it out. I was thinking that at the end of the season I may stick a plastic bag in one and fill it with water to see if it fails.


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## Dconrad (Jul 3, 2012)

stevedc said:


> Yea KPeacock, i don't think i would trust this with 10 frame box either.


Well I am going to be hanging 5 10 frame deeps this weekend with it. I think you may be under estimating the strength
and the amount of weight that it will hold up. If it is made out of good wood and assembled with Titebond II or III glue and either 
nailed/stapeled or screwed together one might would be amazed at how much weight it would hold up. The weak point most likely would be the attachement to the tree or post or ???? 

DC


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Here's where I got the idea.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Upi0GUwVw


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Shannon, I couldn't wait on the water test so I did a quick one myself tonight.http://s1055.beta.photobucket.com/u...3-15-22-14-21_zps5d576cf9.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0


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## Bubbles (Jul 14, 2012)

stevedc said:


> Here's where I got the idea.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Upi0GUwVw


Great link. Thanks for sharing.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Love the idea. I would worry about our Colorado winds putting it hard to the test.


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## Dconrad (Jul 3, 2012)

Steve, NICE TEST !!!!! I really felt that ya'll were under estimating how strong that cleat was, I bet, had you glued it with Titebond III it would have hung there with the 100 lbs on it. I hung 5 10 frame boxes today they worked GREAT !!!!!


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## KPeacock (Jan 29, 2013)

Steve,

Thanks for sharing this video! i was concerned about the lip at the actual joint tearing away. i had planned on using 3" scres to secure to tree, so wasn't very worried there. You have quelled any fears i had about this style of mount.


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Dconrad, how did you attach the one on that tree at an angle like that?


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## Dconrad (Jul 3, 2012)

stevedc said:


> Dconrad, how did you attach the one on that tree at an angle like that?



Steve, I did like KPeacock said with 3" screws, it is pretty much hanging all on the cleat and relying on the board that is holding the cleat I know it is not the best practice but it was the best I could do and I wanted that trap right there it's about 400 yards from another fellas bee yard  
.


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

shannon, that's a strong looking bracket you have there.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

stevedc said:


> Shannon, I couldn't wait on the water test so I did a quick one myself tonight.http://s1055.beta.photobucket.com/u...3-15-22-14-21_zps5d576cf9.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0


Nice! I figured that the hardware would be the first thing to fail. I've checked my first ones that I've hung. If anything they feel more secure today then the day I hung them. Maybe some wood expansion or something. Pretty sure my hives a lighter than yours. After your video I can sleep at night!


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

http://s1055.photobucket.com/user/s...3-03-18182935_zps38560f68.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Steve, do you have a SBB on your swarm trap? You may want to cover that up with a piece of coraplast or luan or something. 

I think the cleat is the way to go. Hung three more yesterday. With an electric impact driver it takes me less then 5 minutes total, and that includes looking for a decent plum spot on a tree. With a single cleat on my 5 frame nuc swarm traps I do tie it will some string as the boxes are pretty light. I just wrap it around the hive and tie it to the cleat. On my top bars with the double angled cleat I just drop them in place. No way the hive is going to pull two 1/4 x 4 inch bolts out of the trees (I hang them on hard wood trees, nothing soft).

This is probably way overkill, but I figure I should get a decent amount of re-use out of the cleats, so over time the cost is low.


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Yea Shannon, you're right about the SBB. I should cover that.


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## j.kuder (Dec 5, 2010)

we called that a pinch bar in the sign and display business, we used them to hang signs and wall panels and if your worried you could always use a double pinch bar


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## stevedc (Feb 24, 2012)

Thanks j.kuder, I hadn't thought about doubling them if felt needed.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I don't think you would need to double. I'm amazed at how strong they are. The advantage of doubling would be you could get more screws holding the cleat to a back board, but as long as you have good wood for the cleat you should be good. I'm amazed at the strength of the angled cleat setup.


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## PAHunter62 (Jan 26, 2011)

I decided to alter my 2013 traps to use this hang method also. I made the bracket extend higher than the box, and glued/screwed a wood block onto it. I can then use a ratchet strap to attach to the tree and not need to screw/nail into the tree.









One of my traps hung









Worked great. Ollie - I found some of that green paint too :applause: 

Amazing what 8 different colors of mis-tints will turn into if carefully blended.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Nice!


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