# Swarms keep building outside the swarm trap



## Sickdog5 (Jun 8, 2016)

how much did you use. I have had the same thing happen to me


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Bees have a good sense of smell. You are probably overwhelming them with the lemongrass oil. 
Just use some old drawn comb an make sure there is ventillation through the swarm trap so wind can carry the scent of the drawn comb. You won't have any problems trapping this way.


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## Sickdog5 (Jun 8, 2016)

Mr.Beeman said:


> Bees have a good sense of smell. You are probably overwhelming them with the lemongrass oil.
> Just use some old drawn comb an make sure there is ventillation through the swarm trap so wind can carry the scent of the drawn comb. You won't have any problems trapping this way.



Thanks didn't think I us d that much but sound logical. Mine are drawing comb underneath the trap. How would you recommend getting them to my bee yard?Don't have a vac.


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## Northwest PA Beekeeper (Mar 28, 2012)

With the use of lemongrass oil or lures - more is NOT better.

Bees have a very good sense of smell. 

I usually have a frame or two of drawn comb in my bait hives. In addition, I also use Lemongrass Oil. I stick the cotton end of the Qtip in the Lemongrass Oil and wipe it across the top of a new frame with foundation. I also rub it around the entrance. I then put the inner cover on and leave the Qtip sitting on top of it before putting on the lid.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I try not to put more then four drops IN the hive. You can put a bit more NEAR the entrance on the outside to get their attention.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Sickdog5 said:


> How would you recommend getting them to my bee yard?Don't have a vac.


A frame with brood and no bees would get many to climb on if you are close enough. A frame of foundation on the edge would likely pull many but slower, then treat as a cutout.

Until swarms move inside I would fasten a few frames on your bottom and hope to catch another on those.


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## Sickdog5 (Jun 8, 2016)

Only thing I use will swaprm commander I dipped the Q-tip and irubbed a little on the side and then one squirt at the entrance hole. But I would do this once every couple of weeks maybe that is too much. 

https://imgur.com/gallery/NbYoh


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## Sickdog5 (Jun 8, 2016)

Saltybee said:


> A frame with brood and no bees would get many to climb on if you are close enough. A frame of foundation on the edge would likely pull many but slower, then treat as a cutout.
> 
> Until swarms move inside I would fasten a few frames on your bottom and hope to catch another on those.


OK great do I brush them off the comb they are building? Or do I just put a empty hive body with the frame of brood comb near them?


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

If you do not care about the queen spray down the bees with sugar water & just slice off the comb and place it on the top of a new body and frames with some brood in it.

Looks like the bait hive is pretty easy to get at so that is in my thinking. Hard to tell if you have 2 inches of comb or 6 inches and the rest are clustering bees. Makes a difference to queen risk.
I know what I would do, but I have never had to do it so others please hop in. That comb is going to be so soft you cannot handle it. You want to reduce the #s on the soft comb and increase in the new body. I would place a frame holder on the bottom and slide frames on the bottom. (Just a stick and 2 screws in the middle on each end will let you slide frames in from the sides. 

If you have more clustering bees than comb, yeah just hang a body and frames under it and raise slowly up as the bees go down into the body. They will walk in they will not fly in unless the queen gets moved.


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## Sickdog5 (Jun 8, 2016)

What will the sugar water due to the queen? There is definitely more comb than there is bees.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Nothing to the queen or bees, just keeps them from flying as much. The risk to the queen is the soft comb, the risk she may be under some when it falls apart. 
Then I would go for trying to move enough bees off each comb until you can remove each comb without killing the queen. Brood frames will pull them onto that comb. Keep a queen catcher handy in case you get lucky.


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## Sickdog5 (Jun 8, 2016)

Well i went down to the trap and removed the bees and comb from the bottom of the trap. Put them in a deep. After hanging the trap back up there were a million bees flying around and going inside the trap. Bearding on the front and looked like fanning. Left for like 3 hrs. When i returned all the bees that i had removed from the bottom were gone. I assume in the trap. Going down later to pull the trap and bring it home. Not sure whats inside but i am wondering if there were bees in there all along maybe ran out of room. Anyone ever here of them running out of room and building comb on the outside?


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## Sickdog5 (Jun 8, 2016)

Well got the bees home decent size swarm. Put a new trap up in same location went back next night and think i have another swarm. Lots of bees on front of trap and going inside. Didn't see any pollen but wasn't there very long. Did notice bee's going in entrance at dusk so we will see.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Place the entire trap in a cardboard box if it happens again. Also, when I did trap, I'd place a q tip with lemongrass oil (on one end of the q tip) on the outside of the trap above the entrance hole. A stapler works great for securing it. The wind will carry the scent farther and will not foul up the inside of the trap box.


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## hankstump (Jul 30, 2014)

I had the same thing happen to a swarm that moved in on Friday morning. Got cool Friday night, but they were still clustered on the bottom. Box was pretty full this morning, but enough room for the clump outside the box. I used a built out frame drawn across the clump very slowly. They climbed onto the frame, and I dumped them into the box. I did it again to get the remaining clump and put the frame into the hive. They settled down pretty quickly. I'll check them in the morning to see how they are.

The hive was set as a trap about 2 months ago with Swarm Commander, so I know the scent was not strong. No good reason for them clustering on the bottom of the box. Maybe we are getting some of that Africanized gene that leads to a tendency to build on open spaces? 

Phil in Fremont.


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