Cheap and easy swarm traps

It’s looking like I might have a banner year as far as surviving colonies goes, even with the polar vortex we just had. I won’t have as much equipment to devote to swarm traps, so I’m making a bunch of fiber pot traps. I already know they work really well, but the ones available in the catalogs are pretty expensive.

Author: brucelovesbees

I keep honey bees in Reading, Bernville, and Fleetwood, PA without treatments. I love to garden and observe Wasps, Bumble bees, and ants. I also raise mealworms for my Eastern Spotted turtle and myself. View all posts by brucelovesbees

10 thoughts on “Cheap and easy swarm traps”

Jonathan Adam Hargus says:

February 7, 2019 at 10:17 pm

How and/or where do you set up you fiber swarm traps? I’ve never used one.

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1. brucelovesbees says:
  
  February 7, 2019 at 10:23 pm
  
  I set them up at every friend and family member’s house that will let me. These can be set on the ground or in a tree. Check out letmbee.com for more.
  
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  1. Jonathan Adam Hargus says:
    
    February 7, 2019 at 10:24 pm
    
    Cool, thanks! I will
    
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avwalters says:

February 8, 2019 at 3:16 pm

Wow, with that little lip on the interior top area, you could almost to a “top bar” treatment, with slats, to create your lid. You could have little leading edges and the bees would build easily removeable comb on that edge. With a handle (chain or cabinet pull) on one of the larger slats, it’d make a cool little hive–with no cut-out. Of course, it wouldn’t easily transfer to any other hive, but it would be an interesting project just by itself. You’d just have to make sure it was level.

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1. brucelovesbees says:
  
  February 8, 2019 at 3:21 pm
  
  Don’t give me any ideas. 😂
  
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  1. michaelgdobbins says:
    
    March 1, 2019 at 11:00 pm
    
    Use bamboo skewers as top bars. Then pull them out of the trap and attach them inside an empty frame with 2 twist ties. No need to worry very much about level, the round skewers will rotate.
    
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sassafrasbeefarm says:

February 8, 2019 at 4:59 pm

Nice. I have friends that have used these will good success. Glad to hear your bees are well. You’ll be building boxes when those swarm traps do their job! 🙂

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William C. Stottlemyer says:

May 3, 2020 at 1:28 pm

What size are they ( I mean gallons or liters) ?

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1. brucelovesbees says:
  
  May 3, 2020 at 3:58 pm
  
  I believe 46 liters.
  
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  1. William Stottlemyer says:
    
    May 3, 2020 at 5:59 pm
    
    Thanks for the help!
    
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