Should I Put Up Swarm Traps?

[The15thMember]

I'm heading into my first swarm season, and I can't seem to decide whether I should put up some swarm traps or not.  On the one hand, I'd like to be able to catch my bees if I time things wrong and they swarm, and free bees isn't bad if I catch some other swarms.  But on the other hand, I feel like catching random other swarms is so much of a crap shoot, since I could get great feral bees, or crappy bees who came from who-knows-where.  I'm treatment free, so I'm not sure if it's a good idea to just add random bees with random genetics into my yard like that.  I'm also a little nervous about dealing with the swarm traps themselves, or more accurately, the fact that they are generally placed in trees and accessed via ladder.  I'm tall and sort of clumsy, so ladders and me generally don't mix well.  Maybe some of you can help me sort all this out?       

[van from Arkansas]

Safety first, place the trap a few feet from the ground.  Agreed higher is better, but safety has to prevail.  A swarm of bees is not worth a broken limb.

My swarm traps are commonly taken over by wasp, in a matter of days, not weeks.  There are lots of wasp where I live, even European hornets.  I am not sure I will put up a trap this year, the wasp are such a pain.  I also monitor my bees closely, in season, so one of my hives swarming is rare.

[iddee]

Catch all the swarms you can. Keep them treatment for 2 seasons. If they live through the 2nd winter, breed from them. A swarm will take up in an old hive 2 feet off the ground. More height just adds to the odds of success.

[BeeMaster2]

What Iddee said. Putting a swarm trap above your reach is a waste of time and not safe. I do think the bees like them to bee at least 4 feet above the ground. I have caught 3 massive swarms in a stack of mediums next to my workshop. 5 mediums high stacked on the ground with a top entrance. There were 4 swarm traps around it that ranged from 7 feet to 15 feet. They liked the one that was just above waist height. They also liked the swarm trap at 7 feet above the ground over the rest even though they were all the same size with the same lures. This was without the medium trap set.
Jim

[Michael Bush]

I tried putting them a long way up and didn't catch any more.  I just use a six foot step ladder and go as high as I can easily reach with it.

[robirot]

Well you can always requeen a swarm if it has bad characteristics and just treat them as extra bees.

I commonly split swarms i catch and use them for mating nucs.

[The15thMember]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.  The part I didn't realize is that putting traps lower does in fact work.  I've obviously heard people tell stories about catching swarms in non-standard locations, but I didn't realize that it was common.  That changes my whole outlook on this entirely.  In that case, I'll definitely put some up and see what I can catch.  Thank you all for the help.    

[Ben Framed]

Good luck with your swarm traps The15thMember.  I am going to try this also.

Anyone have suggestions as to when the time, (weather), is right for placing these traps out for your areas? Do you have some sort of unwritten or maybe even written guide that you yourselves go by?

[iddee]

When you have flying drones in your hives.

[Ben Framed]

When you have flying drones in your hives.

Thanks iddee. One of lady's where I did one of my cut outs last year told me I could set up a couple around her house. Might get lucky 🍀. I have some more good places picked out also.

[BeeMaster2]

Phillip,
Bee sure the check with your Beek friends as to whether the drones are flying. Some years I do not see any drones until long after others see them flying.
Jim

[Ben Framed]

Phillip,
Bee sure the check with your Beek friends as to whether the drones are flying. Some years I do not see any drones until long after others see them flying.
Jim

Good idea Jim, I will do that. Thanks !

[Bush_84]

I caught a swarm at my house every year for a couple of years. This past summer I figured I?d increase my odds. I made up six traps from old and well used boxes. I baited them with old and crap drone comb. The quality matters not. Just that it?s good and black. I used pipettes filled with lemongrass oil and melted the tips. This seals it and it can last one to two seasons. Like others I bring a small step ladder and hang as high as comfortable. Not worth hurting yourself but I go higher than two feet lol. I?m already 6?5? so I don?t need many steps to get up a ways. Anyways last summer I hung six traps and got six swarms. I hope to increase my odds by hanging two at each site.

Another thing to consider is to find where there may be other beekeepers in the area and hang traps close by. I know there are a couple of operations north and north east of me. So I hung traps at coworkers who lived that way. Apparently it worked lol.

[ed/La.]

I catch about 20 swarms a year. I use 8 frame deeps with 1 frame of comb on a wall as lure; all other frames have a 1 or 2 inch starter strip. Also use lemon grass oil on q-tip in a straw to slow evaporation. I do put traps in trees but I am a latter man. Zone 9 . I start putting them out around March 1st and season last about 90 days. I usually give the person that allows me to place trap on their property a pint for every swarm caught there. If a location is productive I put 2 traps there. In peak season if trap does not catch in 2 weeks I move it. The trick is to get the early swarms, they have the most value.

[robirot]

I catch about 20 swarms a year. I use 8 frame deeps with 1 frame of comb on a wall as lure; all other frames have a 1 or 2 inch starter strip. Also use lemon grass oil on q-tip in a straw to slow evaporation. I do put traps in trees but I am a latter man. Zone 9 . I start putting them out around March 1st and season last about 90 days. I usually give the person that allows me to place trap on their property a pint for every swarm caught there. If a location is productive I put 2 traps there. In peak season if trap does not catch in 2 weeks I move it. The trick is to get the early swarms, they have the most value.

Wow, thats propably more swarms catches, then i have swarms in a 30 km radius.

[Ben Framed]

I catch about 20 swarms a year. I use 8 frame deeps with 1 frame of comb on a wall as lure; all other frames have a 1 or 2 inch starter strip. Also use lemon grass oil on q-tip in a straw to slow evaporation. I do put traps in trees but I am a latter man. Zone 9 . I start putting them out around March 1st and season last about 90 days. I usually give the person that allows me to place trap on their property a pint for every swarm caught there. If a location is productive I put 2 traps there. In peak season if trap does not catch in 2 weeks I move it. The trick is to get the early swarms, they have the most value.

Wow, thats propably more swarms catches, then i have in a 30 km radius.

The bees thrive in that part of the country .  JP.  Dirtrooster,  Jeff Horchoff,   Schawee, and others from that area seem to have an abundance of bees to catch, remove etc ,,,  Must be bee country for sure!!

[ed/La.]

We do not have big agriculture. No spraying except the government spraying for misquotes. Short mild winter. I might try for 30 early swarms then stop.That is enough work for this old man.  I do scatter them over 15 miles or so. The only easier way to get a hive is splits. I am in the same area as Jeff and Dirtrooster. Jeff is hooked up with the church and has a lot of connections.He probably gets 100

[Ben Framed]

ed/La  Thanks for your input. Must be so nice with so many honey bees still thriving in the wild in ones area...

[chux]

You can build the traps out of plywood. I found plans online for a box that holds 6 frames, and is one and a half deeps, deep. The total volume ends up being close to the volume of a full ten frame deep, but it sits flatter against the tree. One frame of comb, 5 foundationless frames, and some lemongrass oil for a lure. I'll catch one in almost every trap I put out. I put them about 8-feet up a tree with a small step ladder. 

[van from Arkansas]

You beeks keep texting about putting swarm traps up in trees.  Ok for a strong fella.  But Ms. Member, who ask the question about traps, is a young Lady.  So please give advise accordingly.
Blessings