{"id":4929,"date":"2023-12-17T11:50:12","date_gmt":"2023-12-17T16:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=4929"},"modified":"2023-12-28T10:40:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-28T15:40:57","slug":"what-is-a-swarm-trap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/what-is-a-swarm-trap\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Swarm Trap? (How To Get \u201dFREE\u201d Bees!)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Updated on December 28th, 2023<\/p>\n
Each year, a significant number of a colony’s bees may swarm, taking the reigning queen with them, searching for a new home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swarming is a natural occurrence by which bees form a new colony and expand their population. The queen leaves a hive with about half the bees (including some drones). Before swarming, the colony begins the process of raising a replacement queen for the bees that remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A swarm trap (or “bait hive”) is a container designed and situated to attract bee swarms. Swarm traps should be water-tight with an opening of about 2 square inches and a cavity volume of about 40 liters. Traps can be \u201cbaited\u201d with comb, foundation, or pheromone-like lures (such as lemongrass oil).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some beekeepers use smaller boxes (as little as 15-liter cavities) for bait hives. Research indicates that 40 liters is the preferred size. As a frame of reference, a 10-frame, deep Langstroth hive box has a cavity volume of 42.75 liters, and a 5-frame deep nuc box is a bit over 22 liters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bee package can cost between $135 and $200, depending on shipping costs and other factors. Swarm traps are a way to start a beehive without buying bees.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n