Swarm Trap

Give a swarming colony an ideal home. When used in conjunction with a swarm lure, swarming honeybees find these swarm traps irresistible. They are constructed of a molded fiber material that will hold up through the many swarm seasons, mimicking the hollow of a tree, which is a favorite home of swarms.

When swarming, honeybees prefer the cubic volume of a 5 frame nucleus box which is the approximate size of this swarm trap. It measures 13 inches tall by 14 inches wide on the lid side. The hole for the entrance that the bees will go into measures 2 inches in diameter which is also the size they prefer.

INSTRUCTIONS 

1.  Before installing, we recommend to attach the lid of the trap to a piece of plywood using wood screws. This piece of plywood will act as the base on a side of a tree for you to attach the trap to.

2.  Bait the trap with swarm lure (stapled or tacked to the inside of the lid).

3.  Elevate about eight feet up in the air by attaching the plywood base (with lid) to the side of a tree using wood screws.

4.  Once elevated, place the "flower pot" base onto the lid. The swarm should start builing their comb on the inside of the lid (the part closest to the tree).  The recommended orientation for the opening is to the side (i.e. attach the swarm trap to the side of a tree with the lid facing the tree trunk and the 2 inch opening facing to the side).

5.  When you think the swarm has fully settled in the trap and has started building comb (normally 2 to 3 days of them entering), gently remove the "flower pot" base from the lid (the lid with the bees and honeycomb should still be attached to the base on the side of the tree).  Gently remove the bees and honeycomb with a hive tool and drop into a box.  Close the box to keep as many bees from escaping as possible and then transfer these bees into a permanent hive.