Swarm Trap Sizing

[Grandma_DOG]

I was building swarm traps today and did a little bit of research for sizes. What I found was quite interesting and useful.

http://www.culturaapicola.com.ar/apuntes/reproduccion/rep_cavidades_seleccion_apis_europeas-africanizada.PDF

Essentially, european honeybees are picky on cavity size. They heavily prefer 30-40 liter volumes.  AHB showed no preference and took as small as 13 liter.  Hence, a 15 liter swarm trap is more likely to capture only
AFB.

Also of interest, large and small EHB swarms both prefer larger cavities. Hence small swarms don't look for small cavities.

I liked how this research was done. The experiment was set up will in two different countries and real statistics were employed.  They also were Hanging different traps on the same trees.

For reference a 5 frame deep nuc is about 28 liters if my math is correct.

[Michael Bush]

I use a lot of old five frame nucs and they seem to work fine.  A ten  frame deep, I think, is about perfect.  But also we don't have any AHB as far as we know, here.

[JP]

I use a lot of old five frame nucs and they seem to work fine.  a ten  frame deep, I think, is about perfect.  But also we don't have any AHB as far as we know, here.

I think it is in fact perfect, could go a bit larger even for the really large swarms, especially the ones you catch MT, the size of truck beds right?  :-D


...JP

[Grandma_DOG]

About perfect for nebrask, where Bush lives. Remember, beekeeping is a regional thing.

For us here in Texas, we have to use Piano cases and bait them with dwarf lemon trees.

:-P

I use a lot of old five frame nucs and they seem to work fine.  a ten  frame deep, I think, is about perfect.  But also we don't have any AHB as far as we know, here.

I think it is in fact perfect, could go a bit larger even for the really large swarms, especially the ones you catch MT, the size of truck beds right?  :-D


...JP

[Grandma_DOG]

Bingo! Found the motherload on bait hive/swarm trap tech.

http://feralhoneybees.homestead.com/

has multiple frugal trap solutions.  Common thread is to use frames in your bait hives for easy conversion.

[diggity]

This is perfect - I've been thinking a lot lately about capturing a feral swarm this year and the link you provided is very helpful.  I'm just wondering about two related questions though:

1) I'm a bit new to this, and I'm wondering if the good folks on this forum have discussed the environmental ethics of capturing a feral swarm?  I've been turning it over in my mind and I can't really think of any moral reason not to, especially since humans introduced honey bees to North America.  Besides, if I capture a swarm and manage it as my colony, they will still be part of the natural world, just located in a manufactured wooden box instead of a tree.  On the other hand, if the domestication of honey bees has eventually put them in jeopardy with regard to mites and disease, then might re-capturing them and re-domesticating them be double jeopardy?

2) How does one know WHERE to place a swarm trap?  In other words, are there any tips for locating feral colonies which might be likely to swarm?

Thanks!
-Diggity 

[bud1]

Why nail to a tree or hang a platform, just ty a rope or cord to trap, chunk it tyed to a weight over a limb and ty it off. if a swarm arives let it down, plug hole, chunk in truck or scooter and carry home

[JP]

This is perfect - I've been thinking a lot lately about capturing a feral swarm this year and the link you provided is very helpful.  I'm just wondering about two related questions though:

1) I'm a bit new to this, and I'm wondering if the good folks on this forum have discussed the environmental ethics of capturing a feral swarm?  I've been turning it over in my mind and I can't really think of any moral reason not to, especially since humans introduced honey bees to North America.  Besides, if I capture a swarm and manage it as my colony, they will still be part of the natural world, just located in a manufactured wooden box instead of a tree.  On the other hand, if the domestication of honey bees has eventually put them in jeopardy with regard to mites and disease, then might re-capturing them and re-domesticating them be double jeopardy?

2) How does one know WHERE to place a swarm trap?  In other words, are there any tips for locating feral colonies which might be likely to swarm?

Thanks!
-Diggity 

Diggity, swarms may wind up anywhere after they rest. Trees are a natural place but bees don't know the differenece between a tree and some other void space. They don't always pick a good spot either so by you capturing them and giving them a new home, you just may have saved that hive from dieing out.

Some very good places to place swarm traps have been mentioned in this thread.


...JP

[JP]

Well, Mr. M.T. we had a swarm so big one year it took the superdome to house them, even made a movie about it! http://www.answers.com/topic/the-savage-bees


...JP  :-D

[Grandma_DOG]

Did you know that was actually shot in Texas at the Astrodome?  They actually brought in a large Texas Swarm to shoot that.
:-D
-mt

Well, Mr. M.T. we had a swarm so big one year it took the superdome to house them, even made a movie about it! http://www.answers.com/topic/the-savage-bees


...JP  :-D

[JP]

Did you know that was actually shot in Texas at the Astrodome?  They actually brought in a large Texas Swarm to shoot that.
:-D
-mt

Well, Mr. M.T. we had a swarm so big one year it took the superdome to house them, even made a movie about it! http://www.answers.com/topic/the-savage-bees


...JP  :-D

Wishful thinking, it was the Superdome, I watched the movie twice (hate to admit, it was pretty bad!)

You get the monkey off ya back yet?  :-D


...JP

[D Coates]

I make 5 frame nucs out of scrap plywood.  As the season progresses I pull them out of "trap duty" if I need to.  For trap duty, putting one or two frames of old drawn comb along with 3 or 4 undrawn frames in a freshly made nuc seems to put plenty of smell out there for swarms to find.  If you got a nuc that's had a hive in it for any period of time it's got plenty of smell but a drawn frame in there seems to get the queen laying faster.  Making nuc boxes over the winter keeps me occupied and out of boredome.  Side benifit?, plenty of nucs for queen rearing, swarm traps, overwintering Fall queens, and population boosts to hives that may need it right before flow.

[diggity]

Good point JP, thanks.  I guess I won't feel conflicted if I manage to successfully catch on this year!

-Diggity