# Will this work...and is it a good idea?



## amk (Dec 16, 2017)

I’m new too but I caught a swarm early this month. All I did was put some old come from a cut out in my hive box and put an entrance feeder on top of it and some pollen patties close by. The bees began coming daily and eventually a swarm moved in.


----------



## Richinbama (Jan 15, 2018)

Hi Bryan, give it a goal. I'm New also. Here is my take, a nice box would work. Make a small entry hole, say 1 inch. Put an old comb inside it, 1-2 drops lemon oil in it. Some say a drop near the entry hole, and a drop at the rear wall. Using 1 old comb, and 4 empty frames inside. Put it where ya think is a good spot. Some say to use sugar water as a bait, some say not. I'm gonna put a 1 gal. Chicken water out with mine. Fill the trough with some rocks to keep bees from drowning. You will see bunches of bees come to it. Let em feed, and my guess is somebody-scout might just find it. Good luck to us both.


----------



## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

You don't really "convert" a nuc to a swarm trap, it's a swarm trap when you say it is. You can do things to increase the chances of catching swarms.

Lures like LGO or SC and one or two dark brood frames will make the biggest difference. 

Hang it high in a trees, higher you go up to 20 ft the more you will catch. You can still catch them on the ground. 

Full to partial shade, since you using a plastic box I would put it in full shade to prevent it from turning into a hot green house. 

5 frame nuc, 10 frame med or deep they all work the same. 

2" square opening facing south. 

Old used equip works great

Fill the rest of the box with frames, never use a swarm trap that does not have removable frames you will have to do a cutout (that comes with it's own problems) on every swarm you catch. You can use foundation, strips or foundationless frames which I prefer. 

No stores of any kind, pollen will attract beetles and moths that will foul your trap. Syrup will attract ants, moths other pest to include robber bees. I really doubt a scout would consider a location that is currently being robbed.


----------



## Richinbama (Jan 15, 2018)

Thanks flower planter . So sugar water 10 -15' away is a bad idea? Was thinking of hanging it?


----------



## Richinbama (Jan 15, 2018)

Say ive got another question for you flower pl. .... im going to make inner cover and a telescoping roof on my nucs. ??? Is this better that a plain old migratiry roof. ??? Also, im planning on making a second box to go on top, to make it a 10 frame med nuc. Down the road. Ill have multiple uses, also mabye a queen rearing box at some point. Does this work well, for future growth. 
I'm building some 10 frame med. Boxes all the way out, enough for 4-6 Boxes high each. Good idea, or bad. I'm starting 2 of these very soon. Thanks, Richard


----------



## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

Rich, I guess the best analogy is think of your bait hive as rental housing in competition with all the other available local cavities, the bees are in the market for a house rather than a restaurant. I won't say the syrup is a bad idea but not necessary and too close could be a detriment.


----------



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Rich, you can make a double medium nuc that will hold 10 medium frames. I just made 10 of them for a friend that uses all medium equipment. They are very versatile. I use the medium boxes as covers for my pint mason jar feeders when they are not being used as a super in the fall after summer splits. I find that a telescoping top provides a drier environment for the bees than a migratory top. If you use the telescoping top, you need the inner cover to keep the bees from gluing the top down. 

To the OP, the cardboard or plastic nuc box is not what people are using when they say they are using a nuc as swarm trap. They are using regular wooden nucs that are stackable. That is not to say you can't set it out as a trap. Bees pick some of the darndest places to set up housekeeping. My second hive was a swarm I caught in a flower pot trap with a single medium frame of foundation in it. It was hung under a grape vine about three feet off the ground and baited with lemongrass oil. At the time, I had a whopping one month of experience as a beekeeper.


----------



## Richinbama (Jan 15, 2018)

Thanks jw, i decided to do all med. To keep things uniform. Ill do an inner cover also. Thanks a bunch !!! 😁


----------



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

One of the boxes. This one still needs the aluminum flashing put on the telescoping top.


----------



## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

Suigeneris- Michael Palmer claims good sucess overwintering double nucs (two nucs in a 10 vrame box with a divider). Read his stuff, he has a site too. He is at a similar latitude to you. You can probably manage your bees so as to get to the condition he goes into winter with. You will want to buy a queen when you split but your supplier will most likely have one for you by then. You will want to feed so anything that looks like honey will probably be sugar, If things go well you will start next spring with two roaring nucs, raring to go.

Put your nuc out as a trap too.

Good luck-

Bill


----------



## SuiGeneris (Feb 13, 2018)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'll put out the nuc as a swarm trap as suggested - empty frames + old comb (although I may have to put out foundation, not old comb, as I don't have any old comb), plus a few drops of LGO. Hopefully it works!

@JW, the link I posted in my OP clearly shows a correlated plastic box of the dimensions of a standard nuc box being used as a trap...it was from there that I got the idea of using that instead of a custom-build...time permitting I may also try making a proper trap, but I've got a whole farm to build this summer so that may not happen.

Bryan


----------



## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

>Thanks jw, i decided to do all med. To keep things uniform. Ill do an inner cover also. Thanks a bunch !!! &#55357;&#56833; 

Good idea


----------



## Bee Havin (Mar 1, 2017)

I use a different twist on my traps. I build them to the same dimensions as a deep hive body but as if was place it on it's side so to speak. This way I only use 6 frames. Although they don't reach the bottom of the trap it is not needed as it is only a temporary home and provides the space the bees like. I also only use 2+ inch starter strips of new foundation on new frames with a couple of frames of old comb for attraction. This way I reduce the amount of materials needed for each trap. Since the trap is only temporary, this is enough to get them started, and you can transfer the frames to their new home in a few days without a problem. It works with any size frame you want. Other than that I use old deep boxes that I normally wouldn't use unless I was in a pinch. 
I may not be right, but it is what I do. GOOD LUCK!!!


----------

