Swarm Traps Part 1 - Avoid These Beginner Mistakes!

Last year was my first attempt at putting out a swarm trap. Despite doing some things right, I made enough big mistakes that kept me from catching any swarms.

Here I outline three of my mistakes.

1) The entrance was too small. I loved the idea of using a nuc entrance on the swarm trap despite knowing it was smaller than is recommended. This year I’m going with the recommended size of 2 square inches and planning to close up the trap by stapling a section of number 8 hardware cloth across the opening.

2) The trap wasn’t watertight. I felt short on equipment and didn’t want to use a telescoping lid if I didn’t need to. I needed a watertight lid. Any hint of water and a honeybee scout will cross that box off the list of potential homes. This year I will be using telescoping lids.

3) I only put out one trap. This is a numbers game and I only had one chance. If you want 5 swarms, put out at least 10 traps.

This video shows a converted old deep. I will be using a different style this year and I will show it off in my next video.

#beekeeper #beekeeping #honeybees #bees