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

Cool stuff!

Keith, I try to keep most of the lure on the outside of the trap. I use it for getting the smell out and circulating in the wind currents. When they get the box located the frame of old comb and brushed on slum gum inside draws them into it. Scout bees are the ones that find the box, measure it inside and out, then report back to the tribe what they found. Your trap may not be the only nesting cavity under consideration. The scout bees have to convince the majority of the tribe that you trap is the best option to move into. Still doesn’t mean when they get there in force that they automatically move in. They may wad up on the outside of it because the queen refuses to go in for whatever reason. Maybe too much lure, wrong color wall paper, shag carpet is out dated, no indoor swimming pool. Lot of different opinions on that problem. But keep in mind you’re dealing with females only. The male drones have no vote and are just along for the ride.
I try to hang mine along the brush line of open areas. My opinion is they don’t like flying through brush and trees and risk injury to wings. Power line cuts, fence rows, rail road track cuts through timber, along banks of good size creeks or rivers are good spots to hang them. By know means are these the only spots that will catch bees.
I try and hang or set them at least 100 yards apart if I think it is a good area. I’m trying to cover about 15 square miles with what will be 50 traps this next year. If you catch a swarm and are wanting more bees, try and rehang another trap in the same spot as soon as you can. Keep in mind that there was probably more than one tribes scout bees checking out your trap that just caught. I caught 4 different swarms in the same spot with in a 2 week period last year.
As far as the entrance hole it’s anybody’s choice as to where to put it. I put mine on the narrow side where I have a built in landing board made into the bottom of the trap. My opinion is that they are loaded with honey, pollen, and wax when they are flying to your box. This gives them a little better place to land before they walk into your box.
The frames are supported by the front and back sides of the box which leaves the rest of the box open. I can send you the measurements and hopefully more pictures if you want them.
Keep in mind that I’m trying to catch a lot of bees as quickly as I can for the amount of equipment that I have. This next year it will be 100 more hive bodies. You might like a different design trap that someone else uses. My granddaughter won the Missouri state fair in her 4H class with a swarm trap she made out of a 5 gallon bucket. Kind of a mess to get them out of it, but it does work.

Thanks. That's some great information.

What is slum gum?

I would like the dimensions of the swarm trap please.

Keith

Slum gum is what bee keepers filter out of the wax they are melting down to purify it. It has a lot of propolis, dead bees, wax cappings, bee larvae in it. Most bee keepers throw it away. But if you want that trap to smell like an old hive it works great. Between it and the frame of old brood comb greatly improves your chances of catching bees in my opinion. When you heat it up to a boil it turns black about the color of trap dye. Brush it on the inside while it’s hot. Will send you the measurements tomorrow when I get back out in the shop.

The side are cut shorter than the front and back and and leave a place for theh frame ends to sit. Pieces on the lid cover the side end closing it up.

I use a smaller hole about 3/4 to an inch. and like entrenched spinner covers. But they are not necessary I also use metal screen and duck take to cover theh holes on some of them.

I found instructions with measurements online to build mine. And there are quite a few videos on youtube. If you decide not too or dont have time you can buy them premade.
This is a great company to deal with customer service is amazing, and have met the owner a few times.
Premade swarm trap
The one in the link is wax dipped so there is no need to paint it.