swarm box design

[wildbeekeeper]

Hi all, after catching my first swarm of the season, i am thinking i want something more sturdy than a cardboard box but not soomething as beefy as a nuc box...soooooo...

does anyone have any designs or pictures of a lightweight box with screens and a dependable lid for boxing swarms and transporting?  I was thinking of something with screen on both sides and maybe some type of sliding top or maybe a hinged top but with some type of enty i can close or open readily to allow bee enrty after majority of swarm is in....thanks in advance for any help!

[Michael Bush]

I've made them with 1/4" luan for sides and one by twos in the corners for a frame and one by twos with a rabbet for the frame rests.

[Robo]

Here is what I'm now using.


Sides and frame rests are made from 3/8 plywood.   Bottom is coroplast and top is luan.   They hold 5 frames are are around 7 lbs.    They cost me less than $2 each to build (not including glue and staples).

Sonatube is another option,  but you need to seal them good, both inside and out.

[Hethen57]

Robo, did that sonotube swarm box attract a swarm sitting right there on your hive stand next to the other hives, or did you move it there from some other location where you caught the swarm?  If you moved it there, how long will you leave them in that sonotube box before moving to conventional equipment?

[Robo]

Robo, did that sonotube swarm box attract a swarm sitting right there on your hive stand next to the other hives,

No, I just use empty supers for that   :-P

or did you move it there from some other location where you caught the swarm?

Yes,  I bought it home after dark and just set it where it would be hived.

  If you moved it there, how long will you leave them in that sonotube box before moving to conventional equipment?

Due to time and constraints, it was in the sonatube about a month.   There are more details of it here -> http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,13766.msg162048.html#msg162048

[CBEE]

Riobo, the ones you made that hold 5 frames are they deep or medium frames ?

[Robo]

deeps

[Paul Andersen]

As a drag around swarm collection box a bee brief is excellent! Light weight, durable, takes a beating.
See- http://www.miteaway.com/html/bee_brief.php

They are designed to be NUC replacements but I wouldn't use them for that.

I transfer the bees out of it and into a regular NUC as soon as I can.

Paul

[Robo]

Not a bad idea, but in warmer climates, I don't think the bee brief provides enough ventilation to be hauling swarms around in. Not to mention the fact that they are a little heavy on the wallet :shock:

[tshnc01]

Here is the swarm box I built based somewhat on the one in Ed Weiss's book, "The Queen and I".  The front has a plastic queen excluder that I cut down, and the back has a piece of window screen for ventilation.  Both the excluder and the screen can be closed with a piece of aluminum flashing that slides down just in front of them.

The inside will hold approximately 8 frames or top bars.  The lid is hinged on one side.

...Tim

[1reb]

nice looking swarm box  Tim

Johnny

[dirtyanklebeekeeper]

I like the swarm box tim. Is there a big advantage to using something like that as apposed to a standard hive to gather the swarm?

[Kathyp]

i use the waxed cardboard nuc boxes from mann lake for swarm catching.  they take 5 frames.  light weight.  i put screen over the front opening when i am done and off we go.  for the swarm boxes that i leave around here, i use whatever box is empty and stick a couple of drawn, old frames in. 

even though i have gotten swarms close to where i live, i have never had a swarm enter my swarm boxes at home :-(. 

[tshnc01]

Thanks DirtyAnkleBeekeeper....You can definitely catch a swarm with a regular hive body, but this box does have a few advantages.  First, with the queen excluder material over the entrance, the stragglers can enter the box once you have captured the queen and majority of the swarm.  Second, once the bees have settled down and few are entering, you can close off the entrance completely and open the back side vent/screen.

...Tim

[dirtyanklebeekeeper]

We have recovered two swarms so far the most recent was last night. We used a 9 frame hive. I would like something like yours seems to be a lot more practical for recovery. Where would I find plans for that type?

Damien

[dpence]

Here's what I use, holds up to six deep frames.  I have two of them.  I like the sliding top.  The bottom is screen.  Plans are in Marla Spivak's Successful Queen Rearing booklet.   


www.cis.macc.edu/~dpence/bees/swarm_box1.jpg
www.cis.macc.edu/~dpence/bees/swarm_box2.jpg

David

[Robo]

Oops,  my bad,  I miss read the initial post as "swarm trap" and not "swarm box".  Sorry for taking the thread down the wrong path.  Luckily it has been bought back onto the right track.

I use a bee vac.  Quick, easy, and no waiting around for a lot of flying bees to settle from attempting to drop them in a box.  Since they are sucked right into a hive body,  no need to have to move them when I get them home either.   The slide off top of my vac provides plenty of ventilation for transporting.

[dirtyanklebeekeeper]

Thanks