Wooden Swarm Box Trap
A swarm trap for beekeeping is specifically designed to lure and capture a swarm of bees using its smart design. This trap is designed to be the perfect size for the bees, meeting all the needs a swarm has in a new location. But also designed so the beekeeper can easily mount and remove the swarm trap from the tree or other structure it is on. Scout bees are lured into the trap using pheromones, and once they enter the trap, they investigate the interior and decide to tell the rest of the swarm about its location.
This swarm trap holds 6 Langstroth frames (sold separately) and works with either deep or medium frames. The inside dimensions without frames measures approximately 18x18x9.25 inches, which is about 50 litres. When adding frames to the box, this makes the swarm trap the optimum size.
Includes hanging board that you can attach to any side of the hive as needed.
Good swarm traps are designed to capitalize on the honey bees natural desires by making the cavity 40-50 liters or the exact size that Thomas Seely established as the preferred swarm trap size. We have designed this bait hive to be exactly what is recommended for beekeepers when trying to lure honey bee swarms.
Catching a honey bee swarm couldn't be easier than with our bait hives. The swarm trap has an empty cavity for bees to move into, but towards the top of the cavity, 6 deep or medium frames can be placed inside. These give the bees a place to build their fresh comb.
There is an open void inside the cavity underneath the frames because the bees prefer an empty cavity over one filled with frames. So the combination of frames and empty space works well for the beekeeper and the bees. The addition of a swarm lure can be added to the bait hive to increase the probability of it catching a swarm.
The colony's entrance is controlled with a rotating metal entrance disc that can easily adjust to open or close the trap. The entrance size is the optimum size for a bee swarm based on research from Cornell University in Honeybee Democracy.
Swarm traps work best when placed 15 feet in the air, facing the south, and in a shaded but highly visible area. Please note that unpainted traps will need to be painted before being placed outside.
See our other Swarming and Moving Bees Supplies.
See our entire collection of Beekeeping Supplies
