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Anybody else keep their swarm trap up year round. I did not take mine down this year and I came home last night and found bees going in and out of the trap. This will make the 3rd swarm I caught in this trap this year.

Never had a trap. Sounds great, haven't had a hive for a while, miss that. Do you add a new Queen to the hive, or set the swarm and use an extruder? How many hives have you, do you move them for pollinating. Have a good day.

Richard


There is a gent who owes me a hive for some snow removal, but it seem he's crawfished out.

valley wrote:Never had a trap. Sounds great, haven't had a hive for a while, miss that. Do you add a new Queen to the hive, or set the swarm and use an extruder? How many hives have you, do you move them for pollinating. Have a good day.

Richard


There is a gent who owes me a hive for some snow removal, but it seem he's crawfished out.

A swarm is most of the time led by a queen and if your careful with them she will survey and start he new colony. No I do not move them I am a hobbyist with 6 hives now I just do it for fun and honey.

I got a call yesterday about a small swarm on a fence so this makes 4 this year so far that I have gotten. I am adding this to a hive that is weak and I think with out a queen.

what is that container you used for the trap and did you use a decoy like lemon grass oil to attract them?

Do you have varoa mites or hive beetle problems. a lot of time when bees swarm out of season it is because of stress, either the hive is being attacked by parasites, not enough food sources, or somebody/something disturbed them.

Nice picture. Is building this trap as easy as it appears? What am I missing from the photo?

I plan to build some traps for the coming season. Mine will be miniature top bar hives but they can be made out of pretty much anything.

Here is my TBH. The trap will be just shortened version at the same width. That way I can pull a bar with comb out of my hive and put it in the trap for attracting bees. If they occupy the trap I can move bars back to my hive or start a new one.

Yep, big fan of the top-bar. The design I use is very similar. Made from a single sheet of plywood plus some scrap 2X4. Very economical for pollinator encouragement.