I will start by saying this is not the only way to catch feral bees. This is my way and has produced good results for me in my area. I am using 2 different size boxes to catch them. The smaller boxes are about 40 liters in size. The bigger boxes are around 53 liters in size. Both work well. Studies done say 40 liters is the optimal size. You want about a 2 inch hole for the entryway with half inch screen wire over it to keep birds and other critters out.
I singe or char the inside and outside of the box to get the new wood smell out of it, same principle as dying coyote traps. I then boil up some slum gum and paint brush it on the inside of trap. This makes the inside of the box smell like an old hive has lived there at one time or another.
I then drop in 4 frames of new waxed foundation, along with 1 old dark smelly brood comb frame in the middle of the box. If you don’t do but one thing to bait your trap put the old brood comb in it. In my opinion it makes everything work.
After that I give the trap one squirt of lure on the bottom side of the lid and one squirt close to the entrance hole. I have gone to using Swam Commander instead of lemon grass oil after using both last year. Both will attract bees but Swarm Commander may have a queen pharamohn in it. Any ways I caught more swarms using it instead of lemon grass oil. I would caution you to use any lure sparingly and you can overpower the trap with it. The guys with the PH’Dees say bees can smell 10-20 times better than a dog can. If you use too much lure they will come and check your trap out but not move into it.
I hang my traps around 5-6 foot off the ground. I put one extra long deck screw into the tree and then hang the trap on it. Secure it with a ratchet strap around the tree and box.
I start hanging boxes in my area around the first of April. You can just set the trap on your deck, porch, or something like that. Gonna try to add some pictures but that don’t always work for me. Make sure you have some equipment ready to put them in or they will make a mess drawing comb out in your trap in a couple days.

Your results with swarm commander were different from mine and mentors. For us it didn't make a noticeable improvement. SO stayed with cheaper lemon grass oil.

I was thinking about saving culled queens and adding them to lemon grass as an experiment. But my bee keeping all but stopped when work took over. Went from 23 down to 6 hives last year and from what I saw yesterday will be lucky to come out of winter with 2. Maybe this spring i will build back uo if not the next year.


Your small box is basically what I use. Works great.

I use lemon grass oil too, my brother prefers swarm commander. I think the best attractant for a swarm trap is having a frame of old empty brood comb inside.

I use pretty much the same set up as you for my swarm traps.

One thing you might want to be aware of is, if you live in town you can still probably catch bees with these traps in your yard. If you have noticed honey bees around your flowers, white clover in your grass, or just see some in the near past years hanging around. I caught 2 big swarms last year at my daughter’s house who lives in a pretty big town. Lots of house soffits and old growth hollow trees for them to live in. One neighbor lady was laughing about the box in my daughter’s tree until the first swarm moved in. After the second swarm was caught a week later she was asking about getting some honey from them. I even caught a swarm when I hung a trap on a telephone pole along a gravel road right away. Point is there is probably more bees around your area than you think there is.
As far as the lure goes, use one that you have confidence in. No different than any of the lures you use to catch different critters with. A little bit of it goes a long way.

Thanks. What are the outside dimensions of the box?

Is there anything inside to hold the frames?

Where do you put the 2" entrance hole?

How far apart should you hang the traps?

Do they work best on the edges of open areas?

I have a lot of lemon grass. Can I just put that in the traps, or does oil work better?

Keith