# swarm lures



## stinger (Mar 23, 2005)

has anyone ever tried these? I've seen them advertised and was curious if anyone has tried this?


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

Do a search. We.ve been talking about them for a month or two. Moat think lemongrass oil or dead queens work best.


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## stinger (Mar 23, 2005)

lemongrass oil? Is that something I can buy locally at Tractor supply perhaps?


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## FordGuy (Jul 10, 2005)

Stinger, do you have any oriental shops near you? You might find actual lemongrass, or go to a health food store and you can get the oil. If you do a search on lemongrass, there are at least two fairly notorious posts on the matter within the recent week.

[ March 30, 2006, 08:47 AM: Message edited by: FordGuy ]


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

Online is the easyest and fastest way to get lemongrass oil. Do a google search....


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## stinger (Mar 23, 2005)

thanks for the info. i just thought of something. does it attract undesirable bees as well as honeybees?


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

What are undesirable bees???


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>thanks for the info. i just thought of something. does it attract undesirable bees as well as honeybees? 

What are undesirable bees?

No.

I use lemongrass essential oil. Smells the same as the commercial lures, and it costs a lot less.


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## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

how many drops do you use per trap? 
is it applied at the entrance in the back or all over? thanks!!


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## stinger (Mar 23, 2005)

i consider undesirable bees wasps, hornets yellow jackets... although i assume they have a purpose in nature but that type i do not want to attract. ( kind of like people i guess there are some that you like and some that you don't want anything to do with ( undesirables) ).


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## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

I buy my lemongrass oil from http://www.glorybee.com/

It's very cheap there. Just $2.95 an oz.

The way I was instructed to use it is to put a few drops on a cotton ball and place the cotton ball at the rear of the hive.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Two, three. Five won't hurt. More is probably too much.

I put it on the top bars in the center. You could put it in the back if you like.


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

Wasps, hornets, yellow jackets are not bees. The lemongrass attracts bees.


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## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

Where I have my bees now is kind of in the center of large field. I couldn't find a good place to put a swarm box so I just put it about 50' away and on top of a cynder block. Do you think that's too low to catch a swarm?


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

#1...I think it is fine, others don't think so.
#2...Many think 1/4 mile is close enough to the hive..How big is the field.


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## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

Ohhhh I could move it further. It's just that it's not my land so I'm trying to keep all my stuff kind of close together to give the owner more room. It's probably a 1-3 acre field.


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

When using lemongrass oil - how often to you re-apply it?

Keith


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I usually don't reapply until the next year. But you could reapply once a moth or so if you wanted.


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

the best price I have found on oils was here and best selection

http://www.wildroots.com/index.php

[ March 30, 2006, 06:27 PM: Message edited by: TwT ]


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Let's define "works". Swarm lures work, in the sense that they attract the attention of scout bees (I've never used it that I didn't see scout bees show up) and it improves the changes of a swarm moving in. But bait hives are like fishing. You may or may not get bees in one. The lure (or the lemongrass oil) just improves the odds. Nothing is a sure thing. Putting them up in a tree improves the odds. Old comb improved the odds.


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## fhafer (Mar 27, 2005)

Every time I cast a swarm lure up into a tree I get the line snagged on a branch. Catching swarms is hard work.......and the bees never seem to take the lure no matter how close I get it to them


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## Big Stinger (Feb 17, 2006)

Check with your local Health & Diet food stores.
Mite save on shipping. Just a thought.


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## dbolt (Jun 15, 2005)

All i use is a deep body with old brood frames (handles bolted on sides for rope to lower to ground)and position them on my deer stands on outer edges of woods. This seems to work well for me.


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## fhafer (Mar 27, 2005)

"All i use is a deep body with old brood frames (handles bolted on sides for rope to lower to ground)and position them on my deer stands on outer edges of woods. This seems to work well for me."

You must use a saltwater pole.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Every time I cast a swarm lure up into a tree I get the line snagged on a branch. Catching swarms is hard work.......and the bees never seem to take the lure no matter how close I get it to them 

What exactly are you trying to do? Put a bait hive up in a tree? Or a swarm lure by itself? How are you getting it "close to them?" Where are they? In the tree? If you are trying to catch swarms from bee trees set the bait hive a quarter mile away or so. Too close is not an incentive.

Usually you set bait hives out a ways from any bees you know of so they will find them attractive. Often you set them where you don't even know if there are other bees there.


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

>Every time I cast a swarm lure up into a tree I get the line snagged on a branch. Catching swarms is hard work.......and the bees never seem to take the lure no matter how close I get it to them 

What exactly are you trying to do? Put a bait hive up in a tree? 

No, MB, He's trying to be funny...HA...HA...He's referring to your comment on fishing.


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## fhafer (Mar 27, 2005)

I was just using an ultra light Ugly Stik with three pound test. I had to add some split shot sinkers because the swarm lure I bought was too light and I couln't cast it way high up in the tree....just kept getting caught in the lower branches. I don't think swarm lures work around here......bees don't even follow it when I reel it in. Oh well, I'll keep trying.


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## fhafer (Mar 27, 2005)

I'm gonna make an instructional video on cathching swarms after I get good at it. Anyone ever see a chartreuse swarm lure?


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## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

I bought a pack of those rowland martin helicopter lures once..man they really caught the fish but those dadburn helicopter blades kept cutting up my fish..then I bought the banjo minnow..the worst part about it was everytime you caught a fish that dang music would start playin..


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## NW IN Beekeeper (Jun 29, 2005)

fhafer- 

You may need to switch to a heavier poundage line - 3 lbs is a little light, and you should be a little more optimistic (I'd move up to 6 lbs). 

You might have fewer snags with a heavier line too.

I'm not sure where chartreuse falls in the color spectrum, but it has to be better than those red/white bobbers. 

[bees don't even follow it when I reel it in.]
You have to "set" the lure. Be patient. 
Some have had better results with dipping the lure in artifical bananna flavoring. They would probably come to better if you drank some too. Maybe they aren't seeing you? You might also consider flapping your arms around and yelling.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>He's trying to be funny

Sorry. I missed that connection. I've been known to throw ropes over limbs to pull bait hives up in them and thought that was the context. I should pay more attention.


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

IF you are going to place swarm traps near your yard to try and catch a swarm that you may have, how close to the yard should they be??? Very close to the other hives in the yard? Sorry if this has been mentioned and I missed it. I was probably trying to get my line out of the tree, I thought that was the way you did it  .

[ April 01, 2006, 02:53 PM: Message edited by: sc-bee ]


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

My goal is 100 yards from the hives minimum and 440 yards (quarter mil) maximum.


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