Forest Swarm Trap — Plastic Swarm Catching Box

01 · THE BOX

Light, indifferent to damp, with stainless bracket

PP with 15 % glass fibre gives rigidity at 2.5 kg: three boxes go into the van without thinking about the load, and one hangs at four metres without help. Damp neither swells nor rots it, and the top bracket in 201 stainless steel stands the weather all season: a slot to hang from a nail or screw on a wall, or a strap to hug the trunk without harming the bark. No tools to assemble or take apart.

02 · WHICH FRAMES FIT

Adjustable rails up to 48 cm; not Layens

The sliding inner rails adjust to the top bar: at 48 cm Langstroth and Dadant US go in, and moved inwards, Dadant Blatt of 47 or less; in height a Dadant brood frame fits. Room for five frames, with over 20 litres free for the swarm to cluster before occupying comb. The one format that does not fit is Layens, with its horizontal frame.

03 · VENTILATION AND ENTRANCE

Two louvred vents and an entrance you regulate

Two louvred vents, front and back, keep air moving and keep rain out: a badly ventilated box heats up and gets damp, and the swarm leaves or loses its first brood. The sliding entrance opens to catch, narrows when the colony is small and closes for transport; with it closed the box moves at dusk and the colony goes straight into its final equipment.

04 · HOW TO BAIT IT AND WHEN TO MOVE IT

Old comb, an attractant and a month of patience

Inside, a couple of frames with drawn or old comb and an attractant (Allure gel 3080, paste 72, spray 73): they help the scouts score it higher, they do not catch on their own. Hung at 1.5-4 m on a flight path or near apiaries that swarm, it is checked every week or two. Once the swarm is caught it can carry on as a field nuc with the entrance regulated until it suits you to move it; and it is the box firefighters and municipal services use to collect swarms from façades, being light and closable.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

The box is supplied with stainless bracket and strap; frames, foundation and attractant come separately.