Setting Up And Baiting Swarm Traps / How To Catch Honeybees

It's time to bait hives again. Honey bee swarm season is coming. Swarm trapping has been a way to get free bees for years. Learn what's needed to trap honeybees yourself.
**NOTE** If you do catch a swarm, remove trap first thing in the morning or late in the day. This will keep you from losing all the bees that are out on flights.
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Links mentioned in video:
Queen Lure Video:

Swarm Trapping Blog Article:
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[discosdead]

Thanks! I've watched about 20 videos so far on swarm traps, and I learned more from yours than all the others combined. I appreciate it.

[rodyates]

In Australia, we do things slightly differently: I catch swarms as quick as a flick, by using a cardboard box. It needs to be about the size that bottle shops use for 12 bottles of wine, for the reason that bees like this proportion better than larger or smaller boxes. Part of why this works is that the box quickly 
matches the preferred temperature of the colony, what you might call their "Thermal Mass" perhaps faster than a wooden box A cardboard carton is easier to carry until you get them home. Not only that, but you can get these cartons at most bottle shops, and they fold up flat in the back of the car until you need them. Drop the bees into the box, and interleave the lid, leaving the slotted space of about 10mm x 50mm. Put the carton on its side and any stray bees will quickly find the hole. Others will sit on the new entrance, giving off infra red, and fanning hive smell. A few puffs of hessian smoke with send them inside when you have most of the colony. Don't seal up the hole, just put them in the back of the car and go home. If any want to get out, they'll fly to the windows, not the driver. Transfer to a proper hive asap. . Of course, if you are not confident, put a bit of old comb inside. When catching a swarm this way, position the box as close as possible to the original position of the swarm, and perhaps logically, just a little above. . Another worthwhile tip, is to use a fairly large cloth net, like a butterfly net on a long stick, to scoop swarms at height that you can't reach. Tip the net on its side as soon as you have a fair number of bees inside, and then disturb the remainder of the colony. Bees will cluster on the net, and you can slowly bring it down to ground level, by a series of stages so the colony follows. Where necessary, use a "spray on body deodorant", or spray on perfume, on the old surfaces to discourage bees from re clustering there. ALWAYS REQUEEN WILD COLONIES, and check them for disease. REMEMBER: Its easier and safer to split an existing hive, ( and re queen one half) than to risk spreading disease by relocating wild bees, especially because cross breeding often leads to defensive/aggressive behaviour, and lower productivity. These bees are sometimes no more value than other feral pests.

[CrossroadToCountry]

This is my second year beekeeping. This is nuts man, you have the exact same setup as I was going to experiment with this year. I thought I was gonna be original lol but like everything I try "new" its already been done, down to the wire supporting the box. I dont have a bunch of deeps like you do but I'm going to use pallet wood to make my deeps for traps. Glad to know it works and thanks for the great how to video! I really love your "nails" you hang your trap on. I never thought of that. Kudos!

[brentwhite]

Glad to hear you considering not harming the tree with a nail anymore just to hang a swarm trap, very good steward of our lands. Earned a new subscriber!  

[paulanelson]

This is the best video I've seen for trapping swarms, I was wondering if you could just use an old deep, you answered that question for me. thank you so much

[JCsBees]

Great story! Glad to hear you found her and was able to get the bees to return home.

[touchtonsclc]

Strong work. I like your 'grand opportunist' approach setting up near the bee keeper struggling to keep up.

[JCsBees]

Glad spring is here so I can do the bee videos. Good luck swarm trapping!

[lifeoftim]

I really like your color choice of your boxes 👍

[SoapsNSudsNSuch]

what if your box has never had bees in it and you do not have access to old comb then what should you do we have a new box and a relative has bees that have not been worked in years they said we could set the box up next to their bees so what is your opinion

[GoodmanMIke]

2nd time I've seen ... a good refresher. Central NC .. hope to have good swarms. Gotta stay on top of things.

[TruthLiesAmerica]

Im wanting to start getting my own bees this year. Question. Why, when you catch a wild hive do you put them in a different box. Why not keep them in the bait box.

[lisamabry]

thanks jason - I just lost a swarm - didn't know about the queen lure and lemon grass oil!  I almost lured them into a nuc but alas, the queen thought otherwise, but I'll be ready for the next one - thanks for the video's!  

[RodneyPairrett]

Good stuff, Jason. I have alot more to learn before I can even start, but it is very interesting, and I know with my fruit trees, vines and garden, I would love to be able to draw a hive in.

[Petrajac]

Hi Jason, I had my bees swarm last year, ( my fault) to watch is amazing, then horror sets in. as they swarmed at the top of a very high tree, I went to the hive and there she was, to heavy with eggs to fly, I picked her up and put her back in the hive, with in 20 mins all her bees came back down! :)

[denniscook]

Thank you for your answers to my questions . I will wait till spring.

[tobytommas]

I built a couple of bait boxes last spring.  To hook it to the trees I used aircraft cable, and bent two hooks out of threaded rod.  I clamped another hook on a piece of pipe which I used to hoist the trap up and hook it to the branch.  My video is here video 2013 05 12 11 53 53    It worked pretty good as far as I could tell.  For some reason the bait box plan I used wasn't long enough to put in frames so I had to stick a couple in diagonally.  Jason's look better than mine.

[superbee]

And i kept some nuc around my hive during spring time and beginning of summer, if a swarm leave my hive the chances are getter that the will go in to my swarm boxes rather head for trees ect.

[FASTXEDDIE]

Glad to see you making more honey bee videos, thanks

[quinmallory]

"Idk if I'm stealing his bees but I set up a bee trap within range of his operation and it did well for me so I'm gonna keep doing it". Inwas completely into what you were doing film you said that than inkostbalot of respect. If I were a hardcore beekeeper I'd consider that poaching my swarm.