Thanks for helping us start bees bees, and giving us some hives, and teaching us!😊

Genius! Love the mounting system!!😍

I use the same ratchet straps, first I cut off the hooks then I sew the strap back to the ratchet. It makes them much easier to use not having to fumble with hooks especially when I strap the box to a tree someone does not want me putting screw into. I also took a stick of 3/4 electrical conduit and put a short piece of 2x6 on the top end by drilling a hole in the 2x6. It gives me something to set the box on while the straps are installed.

From Algeria, good luck

Nice swarm traps! I like the bracket you have on the back of them for easy leveling.

I wonder if the honey bees outsource their leveling tests to carpenter bees when searching for a new home.... 🤔 🧐 Nice design, hopefully it works well for you guys!

@SuburbanSodbuster

3 ай бұрын

My first reaction to the carpenter bee joke: "That's pretty lame." My second reaction: "I might use that!" 😁

@frederickorcutt9112

3 ай бұрын

@@SuburbanSodbuster About 5 years ago I would have thought the exact same! 😂

Very good idea with the hanger, I like that.

This is great! Do you have a video on building those swarm traps?

@SuburbanSodbuster

2 ай бұрын

No, I don't. Sorry.

That looks like a nice hanger set up. Looks adaptable to hard fastening or ratchet strapping to leave no tree wounds. One of the things I like about the deep Layens frames is when a swarm moves in, they have plenty of room to build, so you have a week or 2 to move them. Thanks for sharing, Brice

@SuburbanSodbuster

3 ай бұрын

Last year, when swarming got hot, I ran out of hive space and actually housed a few colonies in swarm traps (my old 6 frame traps) for an extended period. It actually worked out pretty well but I did keep a close eye on their growth.

@lambbrookfarm4528

3 ай бұрын

@@SuburbanSodbuster I have 2) 7 frame boxes and a 6 frame box with insulated lids and are wrapped with bubble wrap. The colonies are alive so far... This is the toughest time, bees have not found natural pollen yet. I will have to move them to a larger box or split them soon after pollen really starts coming in, I'm guessing within 4-6 weeks from now... Thanks

Great hanger design!!

No criticism; honest question - why not just screw the lids on the swarm traps? Downside? I really like your hanger idea!

@SuburbanSodbuster

3 ай бұрын

No worries and no offense - suggestions are welcome. Screws are certainly a possibility and I've done that in the past, but after a few uses the screw holes can get bored out and new holes or bigger screws will be needed. Not really a big deal, but I've been trying to find a more elegant solution. I've bought and tried multiple clamps but haven't found anything yet that seems secure, simply deployed, consistently applicable for production, and cost effective. But maybe I'm just too picky. I know the answer is out there.

I have been wondering why Layens hives have no landing pad, there is just the entry hole.

@SuburbanSodbuster

3 ай бұрын

There's really not a need for a landing pad when there's vertical space below the entrance. Consider when people use an upper entrance on Langstroth: there's no landing pad there, either.

@rickgillis1613

2 ай бұрын

@@SuburbanSodbuster Thank you for the reply, so there is no actual reason for it. As I am building a insulated Layens profile Hive with10 cms of insulation on the top & 10 cms down the sides tapering to 7.5 cm at the bottom, I will be insulating the underneath as well I plan on no vent holes and allowing the bees to use the 9 to 10 mm high x 12 cm wide opening (3/8 Hx 5 1/2" W) I will put a sloped landing zone so if they wish to stand just inside or outside to use their wings for venting. My inner box is made of cedar 2.5 cm & I am making the outer wooden box of Hemlock it will be 2-2.5 cm thick as well, with the insulation in between the 2 layers of wood. Here in North eastern Canada, a lot of cold weather , very cold winters, but our spring is often long cold miserable wet weather bouncing from above & below freezing often in the same day. Yesterday it was above freezing then temp dropped, started snowing, then temperature rose enough to make late afternoon freezing rain, this is quite usual here often right up into May So trying a hive that when its warm will retain warmth.

I like the new swarm trap design and especially the hanger. With the hanger design, you could also use ratchet straps to set the hanger if you didn't want to put a nail in the tree. The French cleat is a big help. I would suggest locking the 2x4 with the bungee around the tree and not the hive if transporting the catch on site. The reasoning is because you would want to move the caught swarm before they establish and most likely the same evening they arrive. But you may be dealing with bearding and you'll be fighting against the bungee running through the beard. Even if you try to collect them first, there are many that will fly back to the beard location (speaking from personal struggles). I have had success with swarm commander but not lemongrass alone. I've heard that not only does swarm commander carry the queen pheromone, it also has the scout pheromones and some other secrets. The extra vent on top is helpful so the bees don't get too hot when transporting longer distances. Thanks for another great video.

@lambbrookfarm4528

3 ай бұрын

posted before reading yours

@SuburbanSodbuster

3 ай бұрын

Many good suggestions. As I built these I had to keep reminding myself that "perfect" is the enemy of "good" and, if I tried to add every improvement I kept thinking of, I'd never get a good product to market. But I do expect there will be improvements - maybe a better lid latch, better way to secure the locking block, etc. A strap to attach the hanger to the tree is a good idea but, if strapped around the middle with the current design, the strap would make the gap too tight for the locking block. I will say that I prefer to let the bees get established in the swarm trap before I move it, so the bees are better "locked" to the frames (with brood) and the queen, once laying, is less able to fly. I have had swarm queens fly away when I tried to move them right away; while they usually return (so I've heard) mine did not.

Are you putting those at least 3 miles from your apiary so they won’t return? How did you bait with the lemongrass oil? Did you put it on a Q-Tip and in a open sandwich bag?

@SuburbanSodbuster

3 ай бұрын

When Justin gets a swarm catch the plan is to move the bait hive back to my yard (45 minutes away) to re-orient, and then back to Justin's homestead to move into his hive. I apologize that I forgot to show how we baited with lemongrass - sometimes I forget about showing the "simple" things with which I'm very familiar. We used plastic slow-release tubes which are filled half-way with lemongrass oil and the scent permeates gradually through the plastic. I've gotten these from Dr. Leo in the past to use in my swarm traps and found a source to make them available in my own store.

@dcsblessedbees

3 ай бұрын

All you have to do is block then in for 3 days or just stack a bunch of branches in front of the door real good so they have to climb through, either will force a reorientation.

@huckleberry4487

3 ай бұрын

I've used a Q-tip in a jewelry/seed baggie with the dipped end in the bag. It sticks out of the bag which holds it slightly open.

@jamesbarron1202

3 ай бұрын

@@SuburbanSodbuster I’ve got those same tubes from Dr. Leo. in a bunch of new horizontal hives I’ve built. It’s been a month and no luck (Texas) I know they’re swarming because someone local posted a swarm yesterday. Someone beat me to claiming it. I just put Q-Tips in sandwich bags in the same hives to see if that helps. I haven’t seen one scout entering my hives. I need some old brood comb. I had some small pieces I added to 2 hives. I hope I’m not putting too much lemongrass in there. I’ve heard that can be detrimental to moving in. I had a swarm move into a hive last year. That’s the easiest way to do it if your lucky.

@SuburbanSodbuster

3 ай бұрын

There can be great debates on lemongrass oil vs. Swarm Commander vs. ?, and slow-release tubes vs. q-tips/baggies, etc. I've personally, in a rush to capture an active swarm, put a drop of lemongrass oil on the front of a hive body and watched the swarm rush the entrance. But for all those debates I think it's irrefutable that the greatest tool is old comb in the bait hive.

I've watched a lot of swarm trap videos, from everything I have see in the videos you don't need to put them up high up in a tree. I think people are better off placing them with safety in mind, not fun trying to climb down a ladder with a box of upset bees in your arms. Swarm Commander is over priced,Lemongrass works as good as the mas-market for bait.

@SuburbanSodbuster

3 ай бұрын

That's true, and I no longer try to get my traps up to Dr. Seeley's recommendation of 16 feet. Although catches can happen at ground level I try to split the difference and hang mine around 10-12 feet.