How far from your bees do you set up your swarm trap boxes.
We have 200 hives in one spot and they are swarming quicker than we can split off brood or queen cells.
3 came out today while we were there and so what happens when we aren't there.
So we are going to set up some trap hives with lemon grass lures but don't know how far from the hives to set the trap hives?
Hopefully others who have caught a lot of swarms in swarm traps will chime in. I've caught around a hundred swarms in the last three years, only two in a swarm trap. That being said here's some of what I remember reading; Normally the best box is an 8-10 deep, just a smidgen of lemon grass oil, and put some brood comb in there if possible. The downside to this is too much LGO and it'll run them off. Watch your drawn comb because wax moths will destroy it. As far as distance, one inch to a mile away but I'm "thinking" around 1-2 hundred feet. The two I caught were late season swarms, one cover two frames and one covered one frame. They were both somewhere around 50 feet.
Good to know. Over this summer I might build a few extra deeps and try to catch some swarms. I am not sure where I will put them but perhaps I could sell them or put them around our pond or something.
I have been successful at trapping from another hive. Distance about 150 yards and 12 feet up from the source worked for me.
Put your location on your profile. I am assuming you are in the Southern Hemisphere????
I have most of my traps in my yard near my hives. I catch some of my own swarms and lots of swarms from some where to the west of me. I put them in friends yards to catch swarms from my hives.
Jim
Put out 5 traps yesterday, from 40 yds to 800 yds away. Had 2 swarms go out but didn't trap them.
My partner made a lure with beeswax, some olive oil to soften it and a bit of lemon grass oil.
Made a disc about 1 1/4"X 1/4, and then cut then in half and put into trap.
Here's hoping.