Building Swarm Traps

A modification on building the common flower pot swarm trap.
***Update March 2016 and lessons learned:
- The traps have turned out to be highly durable. I left one out all year to see how it held up and it's still serviceable.
- Plug all the holes and drill a 1 1/2 inch hole on the flat surface near the bottom. That will make it easy to staple some window screen over the hole when moving the bees.
- Locate these in full shade, they heat up quick and become inhospitable to bees even with indirect sun.
- If i had it to do over again, I would probably go with the next size up for pots.
- Check these frequently! Once a swarm moves in, they will build out very quickly.

[@HereWeGoSteelers]

This past Friday I caught my first swarm of the season using your idea !!! Thanks

[@bradwiebe5692]

When the bees find a log to build in they fill in the cracks that they want filled. We do a lot more for them then they need. Get idea! Enjoyed your video!

[@richardvardamansr1925]

I've been using these for a few years now. They do work.

[@mikesbeesllc]

I used 10 traps made like this in 2018. I also used 10 made of plywood constructed like 5 frame extra deep nucs. I caught at least 3 swarms with this tree pot type and everyone of them left before I could move them to a hive. I caught 6 in the plywood type and transferred all of them to a hive. Making more plywood traps this winter for the 2019 season. I'm in S.E. Ohio.

[@Rachels123]

really great design! thanks for posting!

[@lelandlarsonbuzzylee]

Nice Job! Enjoyed and learned, how good can you have it!

[@slimsslim921]

Really fantastic I like it عمل رائع شكرا

[@stephengerwitz7862]

How well did it work out ? I didn't see a follow up on how you set them up and if you cought any thing .

[@simplifygardening]

do you have a link for these pots cant find them anywhere?

[@FIZZYTING]

Great idea! I would have used beeswax to seal up the gaps and to waterproof the trap .

[@BubbaTanicals]

+christine hood That's a great idea!

[@NobodyWhatsoever]

I was thinking the same thing. It would water-seal the traps, add a scent element to attract bees, and not impede opening the swarm trap to collect the bees into a box hive.

[@georgiahikes]

Beeswax would be a better option for a number of reasons, except that it's cost prohibitive. The same amount of beeswax used to cover one of these could be put to better use to make several candles, coat several sheets of foundation, etc.. Scale that out to 10 or 12 traps and it starts to add up. Another thing I noticed is that when using beeswax on the outside, there seemed to be a higher occurrence of the bees building comb out on the outside of the pots. This is my third season using these traps, and they work better than anything else I've used through the years. From what I can see, the waterproofing doesn't seem to bother them much.

[@NobodyWhatsoever]

Some very good points. My biggest thought was about opening the trap without damaging it too much for potential reuse. I don't keep bees, but I have worked with the foam.

[@georgiahikes]

A sharp box cutter makes quick work of the foam to separate the two halves. The remaining foam pieces can be flaked off by hand without much difficulty. I was expecting the same problem you mention, but they can be taken apart and reused several times. I'm guessing maybe the waterproofing decreases the level of adhesion between the foam and pots?

[@findacozyhome-gilgarnett4417]

Is there a follow-up video about removing the swarms from these traps?

[@markspc1]

Hey Brian, looks like your bee trap did not work; I don't see any follow-up .

[@kathycullings4993]

How do you open the thing to install the new swarm you have caught into a regular hive??? Do you slice it down the middle where the 2 pots connect?

[@1chking]

As it has been a year since you deployed these traps. Could you please report the results from last year? How did the results compare with using hive bodies and frames?

[@georgiahikes]

These seem to work better, cost less, and are much easier to hang.

[@SpiritualButNotReligious]

Thanks for the info, but did it work?

[@gabrielbattika]

Good Video , What did you bait the Swarm trap with to entice them ?

[@theriverhawk]

Where did you find these pots? Have looked at home Depot, Lowes and online.

[@georgiahikes]

Most horticulture / greenhouse suppliers will have them. Google 'wood pulp pots'

[@KevinPolk]

I just caught a swarm with one of these traps. (I baited it with Swarm Commander.) Now I'm trying to figure out how to open it and transfer the bees to a hive.

[@StitchShifter]

I would use a piece of tar paper or the beeswax to protect the pots but the frame inside is a great idea.

[@jodyreeder4820]

Did it work?

[@44wizbang]

My Father used oil of anise to attract bees when we were lining a wild swarm. It seemed to work for us. I have not heard anyone mention lining wild bees to find the bee tree. The first step in lining bees is to build a small wooden bee box made especially for this purpose. Next step is putting a piece of 4x4 inch of honey comb in the box with sugar water added. There are two compartments to the box, one holds the comb, and the other compartment has a small entrance door with glass set in the top to let in light. You then catch wild bees feeding on flowers in the box and then slap a cover over the box trapping the bees inside, they will go through the small opening leading into the other compartment toward the light coming through the glass. When you have 10 or so trapped bees you set up the bee box in your yard and release the bees from the box. They will fill up on the sugar water before leaving and then fly straight to their tree hive. They will then return for more sugar water and bring more bees back with them. Within a few hours there will be hundreds of bees eating out of your bee box. The next step is watching the direction they fly when going back to the hive. After you have them working out of your bee box for a day or two You then trap 25 or so bees in the box once again, and walk a compass course in the direction they fly when they leave to go back to their hive. Set up the box again in a clearing and release the trapped bees again. We usually set the box up every 1/8 of a mile until there are so many bees coming to the box it looks like the whole swarm is eating from the box. Then it's just a matter of looking around at likely looking bee trees to see them flying in and out. You can also time them by marking them with a small drop of chalk water or white flour mixed with water and time how long it takes the marked bee to fly home and back to your bee box. If it takes them 5 minutes to fly home and store the nectar and return to your box it means you are real close to the bee tree. Happy hunting. PS, Make sure you stay exactly on the bees line of travel, otherwise they will not come back to your bee box, then you will have to start the process all over again from where you first started. And take a good supply of sugar water with you to keep them coming back. If anyone is interested in getting more detailed directions on how to line feral bees you can email me at [e-mail] I will gladly respond in minute detail and even tell you how to take down the tree and put the live bees into a conventional hive to bring them home, it sounds more complicated than it really is..

[@noahriding5780]

Around where I'm from people don't say 'lining bees'. So I don't understand what you mean by it. But I'm interested to hear what you have to say.

[@tmind1]

Great video - No follow up video? Did it work?

[@franciscoperalta8838]

por favor quisiera saber con que materiales haces estas trampas gracias.

[@larrye1955]

why not steelwool in slots for venting

[@southernexposure123]

Good thinking and good illustrations. Have you seen a ham radio antenna launcher? They save a lot of time getting a rope up like you're doing and it might be worth your time to make one since you have half a dozen lures to set. Sometimes when people leave a comment with a link the comment gets sent to a spam filter. I'll put a link to a good illustration of how the launcher is made in a following message so you might see in this message there's a link that might be sent to your filter if there is one.

[@Atoyota]

I intend to use 5 frame deep NUC's to do captures in (with a frame or two in each mounted to trees.... I'll then be able to use the NUC's later for hive splitting and queen rearing. I've seen the pot idea before, and sure it will work... I just prefer nuc's and building them from scrap plywood is easy.

[@BubbaTanicals]

+Atoyota I also make use of old nuc boxes and deeps for traps with drawn comb. The deeps outperform the nucs pretty consiistently, but the whole point to these traps is that you can get them up pretty high quickly and easily.

[@atmm89]

what do you do with the bees once you have got them? how do you transfer them to the hive? thanks great tutorial video

[@BubbaTanicals]

+atmm89 I transfer them to a standard nuc or deep super and feed them to help them build back up. They might also get re-queened depending on the situation.

[@brucehamon5312]

i've tried to locate these pots in big box stores, major hardware stores and online with no luck. any suggestions from anyone please.

[@georgiahikes]

Google 'wood pulp pots' most horticulture / greenhouse suppliers will have them

[@Adrian-mq4zp]

Bruce Hamon orchard

[@alfonsovickers9515]

What size pot did you use?

[@awalt26439]

The flower pot idea is not bad, however, these size of pots also are made of black plastic requiring no weather proofing.

[@georgecoetzee]

Any improvement on the camera work?

[@bobjohn1755]

Also is it more likely that bees will go in if you put a frame in the trap?

[@BubbaTanicals]

+Bob John Not necessarily. The reason for the frame is so that I can transfer it to a box without completely destroying the broodnest, allowing them to recover more quickly.

[@kareneaton3395]

great instructional video. What are your results? Do you have a video of a swarm taking up residence and how to open the trap and remove the swarm?

[@BubbaTanicals]

Karen Eaton Thanks! The traps have performed pretty well. I've caught three swarms using them so far. Two of them were massive, and filled it with comb very quickly. Because they fill up so fast, I would say check them every 4 days at a minimum. Our facebook page has some pics of using these traps. Also, hang them in full shade. I've found that even filtered sunlight can warm them up pretty quickly. I don't have any video of opening them up yet.

[@robtodd]

BubbaTanicals Whats your facebook page?

[@emmanuelfaure8271]

+rob todd Also looked for this info. Found it, there it is : facebook.com/BubbaTanicals?fref=ts

[@BubbaTanicals]

+rob todd facebook.com/bubbatanicals

[@christurley391]

I suspect better results if you skip the water seal that stuff stays tacky even dry.

[@paulblackman3936]

Marvelous idea! One minor problem - most expanding foams contain Formaldehyde! Hmmm lets see now, bees, chemicals, enclosed environment, minimum ventilation = dead bees!!!

[@georgiahikes]

Keep in mind these are very short term use. I've since caught 20+ swarms using these since first posting the video and have not had a single instance of mortality associated with the trap. I have had a few abscond, and a some that died out later, but none within 30 days of capture. I'm not disagreeing with you on the formaldehyde, but it doesn't seem to be an issue as far as I can tell. I've also cut healthy colonies out of wall cavities next to expanded foam insulation.

[@thomasz2945]

you don't have to seal it completely, the bees will do that with some burrcomb. that's why the lid to your boxes will stick so much, they have to keep it sealed to keep out contaminates.

[@bobjohn1755]

Did you put the traps near a swarm or did you just put it in a tree.

[@BubbaTanicals]

+Bob John In trees. The scout bees will search out locations and evaluate them for suitability.

[@Jknudsen0523]

where did you find those flower pots?

[@BubbaTanicals]

+Jknudsen0523 You can get them from horticulture suppliers.

[@kathybrokaw2754]

Greenhouse Megastores.....

[@dchandler6934]

What about regulating temperature or air/oxygen flow. Can't imagine bees would find this to be an ideal "home", even tho its temporary from the beekeepers point of view.

[@BubbaTanicals]

+D Chandler These traps have performed very well. I try to base my swarm traps around Tom Seeley's research in swarming and site selection. In the long term, this design would not be sustainable or even manageable, but as long as you check them frequently, they work very well.

[@ChristopherSloane]

why not just use plastic, the water seal probably is not good for insects or their health or may work against attracting them..

[@alfonsovickers9515]

What size are these pots

[@jasonvin6940]

kzbin.info/aero/PLbCH-dGcFtTNagnut6ZySrJhu-B0hnZUt This guy is pretty cool and lots of great info.

[@noahriding5780]

It sounds like people aren't putting the swarm traps on their own properties. Can someone explain how you can do this without getting into trouble? Do you get permission or just sort of sneak them onto some place rural and pray nobody sees you on someone else's land?

[@jasonvin6940]

kzbin.info/aero/PLbCH-dGcFtTNagnut6ZySrJhu-B0hnZUt This guy is pretty cool and lots of great info.

[@southernexposure123]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2WofJSBrJx0Z80 This is the link to the ham radio antenna launcher I mentioned in my previous comment.

[@espen990]

Why not just using plastic vases?

[@davidgreen2442]

Great Ideas, please do try to slow down your camera panning, I went dizzy watching

[@AamiAppu]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@thomasr.miller5553]

That's interesting, any luck catching bees without any flowering trees or plants near?? I GUESS YOU SCOUTED THE AREA FOR BEES.

[@BubbaTanicals]

+Thomas R. Miller I didn't scout any areas for bees, but seeing active honeybees is a good sign when looking for sites . Proximity to flowing trees or plants doesn't matter. They're more concerned with location and size of the site than what nectar sources might be nearby..

[@thomasr.miller5553]

THANK YOU FOR THE TIP.

[@travisk5589]

Nothing like covering your bee hive with an oil based sealer.

[@jasonvin6940]

kzbin.info/aero/PLbCH-dGcFtTNagnut6ZySrJhu-B0hnZUt This guy is pretty cool and lots of great info.

[@426superbee4]

reason i don't like em is NO FRAMES, and have to mess with the comb more with rubber bands. When a rubber band pops, it spooks the hive make them go into attack mold, and too a chance of killing the queen. I try to stay away from that.. But it works good too but need some air vents put some screen inside some of the holes Set them in bee lines where bees travel . Like a pipe line, power line, around lakes, garden crops, fruit trees, berries, any thing that blooms or near water ect it can be on the ground waist high, head high, or 40' up / i put where i can get em easy about head high ITS WHAT WORKS FOR YOU one of my friends said he catches them at his FRONT DOOR he heee i said well that where u need a trap RITE "Keep with the same places you catch swarms at TOO every year" SO THEY KNOW WHERE THEY ARE they will come!

[@georgiahikes]

This design uses a medium frame inside the pot. A larger set of pots would probably accommodate a deep frame.

[@gc6329]

Why not just use wood? lol

[@BubbaTanicals]

+Coopa Jay I do use wood for traps as well, but the benefit to these is that they are easy to deploy high up, and they are easy to retrieve. They're light enough to carry while walking so that opens up some options for locations that might be more remote or that are only accessible by foot.