Good video. Here is a tip to see if there are bees in your area.My old uncle was a swarm trapper and he said he would take a can and burn it to get it clean.He would take that can and put some bees wax in it.Not much because the idea was to heat it until the beeswax smokes.That smell goes into the air and bees will be flying around searching for it in minutes.I tried it and sure enough it works.If bees dont come around in 10 minutes then there are no hives close.Pick up your can and move somewhere else.
A very good instructional. You are a natural teacher. In your cooler swarm hives, I hope you dribbled a thin line of bees wax on the dowels. Hint: NEVER leave anything to their imagination. They'll take the wrong road every time! Oh yeah always put a chunk of burnt wood in a swarm trap. Wild bees build in hollow trees . Trees get hollow after lightning strikes. The burnt smell seems to be in their DNA. They love it. (Assumes TX bees are no smarter than my SC bees...) 😊 Good luck!
How do you know you’re catching honey bees? Couldn’t a different type of bee move in? What do you do with the bees if they are not honey bees? I’m not a bee keeper but I’m interested in becoming one so I’ve been watching a lot of bee videos to learn about it.
Other types of bees nest differently. Many of the native bees are solitary (not communal). And the nesting space for bumble bees tends to be existing cavities like rock piles, dense vegetation or mouse holes. Sometimes mud dobbers will build inside the frames or lids, which is annoying, but not a problem. And wasps aren’t attracted to the propolis & wax as a place to nest, because their nests are made of paper (chewed wood pulp).
I had a Deadout Hive here in Scotland 🏴 Last June an Incoming Swarm of Approx x60K of Bees flew into my Yard ! : Right onto the Washing Line and Pole. Took t x4 Feet flight down towards the (empty) Hive Entrance and Walked right in ! 👀 Simples. No Swarm Box or Ladder (I hate Heights !) Free Bees found me and an empty x3 Box Langstroth Hive waiting for them ! Remember thinking my other Bees were 'robbing out' old Resources. Turned out to be Visting "Scout Bees" 🐝 that were doing a bit of Real Estate viewing... 😀 Used a Frame of Comb, some Empty Wax 'covered' Frames (no Comb) so Bees could make 'New Brood Foundation Wax' themselves in the Frame Void. And some Rubbed Bees Wax, some Propolis (off Hive Floor detris) and some Lemon Grass Natural Essential Oil. All these Lure Bees in too ! It "Mimics" Queen Bee Phremones. 🐝 Remember to Quarantine Swarm Bakt Bees (check Varroa Mite Levels) to keep other Hives / Or Shared Equipment safe. 😉 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2023 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Great ideas. I build all my swarm traps out of five frame nucs BUT I make them 18” tall so when the bees start going in they have a lot of space inside the bottom so they all can go in then go up on to the frames . Works great , thanks for the ideas .THANKS
Your videos are great! Your focus on saving money really helps. I have a question. Is comb ever too old to melt down for painting inside a swarm trap? 🤣🤣 Nevermind answering that, I just rewatched where you said to melt the edge an smear it. I love the lighter weight ides, like the buckets! Thanks again for all you do!
Had good luck with 5 over 5 old nuc box. Old comb in top bottom empty. Like some of your other ideas to try. I'm also trying Blythwoods fold up swarm trap. Pricey, but super light and perfect size. One swarm will cover the $40 coat and they should last if taken care of.
EASY TO SETUP TRAPS. start sitting up the 2 box 5frame trap boxes (5frames comb and foundation top box, empty bottom box tied together with pipe hanger pcs and treks screws on 45-degree angle for easy separate boxes. Bottom box, put board at inside for a bottom. Put figure 8 holes in the long side bottom box for entrance. This box can be reused again, put top box on a bottom board new start hive. Take propolis scraping in jar rubbing alcohol shake up a lot. Take 1" paint brush paint all corners sides and bottom the bee scouts love it. Once a week put a small puff swarm commando at entrance.
Yes! It completely changed how I look at the art of catching swarms. Have fun! If you find anything neat, be sure to share! I love seeing the inventiveness of others!
You didn't talk about where to place your swarm traps. How high, entrance facing a specific direction, woods or fields, etc. Can you cover that? I got a few of those plastic nuc boxes at Hive Life, but figured they were too small for swarm traps. I might try one or two, though.
You’re right. I should have included that. I’ll need to plan another video. In the meantime - here is a short summary. 1) If possible, aim for a spot at least 6 feet above ground. I try to keep them fairly easy to retrieve. In theory, higher is better (12-20 feet). But, it isn’t the most practical. 2) Avoid putting them deep in the woods. Aim for places that get warm sun for at least an hour or 2 per day. I have found that the warmth helps the smells become more intense, and the breeze is allowed to move through easier than in dense vegetation. I don’t feel that directionality is really a factor like it would be for a hive box. Avoid areas of nonstop sun, since it can make the trap too warm. 3) Try spots in a more urban/suburban location. Most people assume traps need to be in the country, but it’s amazing how many swarms traverse areas where people live. Many of mine are in suburban areas. I even treat this as an opportunity to provide a service to people in the community - “can I put a trap near your property to help keep the bees away from physical structures.” Granted, if I do that in a suburban area, I try to go a bit higher than 6 feet for comfort/safety of residents. 4) If you do a removal/cut-out, see if they have a practical place nearby to mount a trap. Bees are attracted to places that previously had bees. For instance, I did a removal 4 stories up. So, I asked permission to put a trap on a nearby fire escape in an out-of-the-way spot. Curious bees checking out the old cut-out location then have a ready-made cavity to help keep them at bay. 5) For mounting, I vary this for the type of trap. On a bucket, some people will simply use a rope & throw it over a branch. For foam coolers, I’ll wedge them level in the fork of a lone tree & then run a ratchet strap around. For heavy hive body traps, I normally look for good, flat surfaces. My green nuc trap goes on the top of the back of someone’s shed with a square cinderblock on top. 6) If you catch bees in a spot, make sure to put your box back in that spot for future swarms. 7) It is a game of numbers. Experiment with a lot of inexpensive traps & seed quite a few of them out there to improve your odds of catching swarms.
Swarm season varies depending upon where you live. But, it corresponds with when bees are building up the most (normally in spring) before the honey flow begins. Once the honey flow begins, bees tend to divert their attention to making honey. When choosing a place, I generally look for areas surrounding open fields where there are known flowers and bees. Also, in proximity to water tends to be good.
for the bucket is it possible to modify it to accept a few frames by turning it horizontally so that when the bees move in they build on the frame instead of the bucket itself, this i think would make it much easier for the upstart bee keeper that really doesn't have much in the way of resources or experience to move bees
I don’t think there is enough depth in a standard 5-gallon for a frame to fit and still be able to close the lid. It seems like you would have to cut holes in the bottom of the bucket & this lid to function as frame rests at least (if that even gave enough space). But, that would cause the frames to drop when you open it, which would be problematic. In reality, if you find the swarm early enough, you just dump them in front of your new hive & let them walk in. It’s best not to let them start building much comb in the trap. In my bucket swarm removal video, I hadn’t checked the trap in a few weeks. Otherwise, it would’ve just been an easy dump-out.
Hi there and thank you so much for the options out there for DIY. I had one question for you. You mention when you dip the cotton balls in scent you then put it in a plastic bag in the trap, why is that? I have always just put the actual cotton ball in there along with baiting the sides.
It’s fine to do it without. But, because the scent is an oil, it evaporates quickly. The baggie just helps me not to have to refresh the scent as often because it slows the evaporation.
While a few ants may check it out, I’ve never had a lot of trouble with them if the bucket is at least 5-6 feet above ground. Ants normally aren’t interested unless there is unguarded honey.
I can't say from personal experience. Since there is a difference in biology, their queen's pheromones may smell different - whereas swarm commander is designed to mimic the queen of Apis Mellifera.
As a general practice, I check all of my traps monthly & refresh them when I’m there. The recommended refresh is every couple of weeks. Or some people put a lure in a baggie so it weakens slower if they can’t get to them as often. Personally, I think the wax & propolis in the trap are the most important because they smell for a long time, whereas the lure or attractant vaporizes quickly. So, monthly has worked well for me.
I wish there was something to tell. I have a 3-car garage. The space between the 2-car & 1-car garage door rails is just wide enough for me to hang frames there without obstructing the doors. :)
