Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: Moots on February 22, 2013, 06:40:15 pm

Title: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: Moots on February 22, 2013, 06:40:15 pm
Whipped me up a batch of BSSL's (Bailey Style Swarm Lures)!  :)

(http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s664/jeffrobert41183/Bees/Swarm%20Traps/B34E99BE-757D-4F60-A172-32D9088ED29A-252-0000001447958C84_zps4b0f4ed8.jpg)

Is it possible that they're TOO GOOD?  Hanging it in a tree about 12 feet up and 50 feet from my bees...before I can finish getting it tied, I had a visitor.  :-D

(http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s664/jeffrobert41183/Bees/Swarm%20Traps/32DBB966-AAB4-4726-BDCA-FA991D14E5B5-252-00000014543918CF_zps000ba5f0.jpg)

Shout out to Bailey for the tip!  Worked like a charm...Not to mention, as a kid at heart, any time I get to burn or melt something, it's an added bonus.  :)
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: bailey on February 22, 2013, 08:10:44 pm
Great job!!!!!! They look just about right! 
Did you have any problems with getting them to seal the first time?

Love the fact that you had a visitor so soon!!!

Your learning quickly. 

Did you find they were easy to smell once sealed?
Bailey
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: Moots on February 22, 2013, 08:31:40 pm
Great job!!!!!! They look just about right! 
Did you have any problems with getting them to seal the first time?

Love the fact that you had a visitor so soon!!!

Your learning quickly. 

Did you find they were easy to smell once sealed?
Bailey

I made 6 of them, only had one that didn't seal on the first attempt...And it sealed without issue on the second attempt.  :)

I was pleasantly surprised at how good I could smell the lgo after it was sealed.  Honestly, I took you at your word and knew you knew what you were talking about, but I did have doubts!  I kept thinking, if it's an air tight seal...How if the world can you smell it??? Go Figure!  :? It works!  :-D
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: bailey on February 22, 2013, 08:47:59 pm
If I tell ya a rooster can pull a freight train tie a rope on him and get out the way cause the train is coming!
 :-D
Bailey
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: bud1 on February 22, 2013, 09:01:11 pm
baily  mine is if i tell you a chicken dips snuff look under his wing he got a can some where
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: PLAN-B on February 22, 2013, 09:04:44 pm
He told me there was cheese on the moon once--- I didn't question him---I just grabbed the crackers and the wine!!!!  :-D  Looks good Moots, So is that a lemon grass oil concoction or is it a ancient Chinese secret...  :lol:
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: Moots on February 22, 2013, 09:22:41 pm
Bailey, hadn't heard about the rooster pulling the freight train.   :-D NICE!

Bud, the snuff dipping rooster was one of my brothers favorites growing up, so I've heard that one more times than I can count.  :-D A true classic!

The other classic he used to always hit me while I was growing up was...."Now that my friend is good advice, what you choose to do with it, is up to you!"

That one always had a way of making me realize he was right!  The "no pressure" angle attached to the advice made it almost impossible not to accept. LOL!

Plan-B, No secret recipe...100% straight Lemon Grass Oil!  $6 an ounce an the local health food store.  It doesn't sound like a lot, but it goes a long way, odds are, I'll probably lose the bottle long before I finish using it!  :)
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: jmblakeney on February 22, 2013, 10:21:37 pm
Can you refresh my memory?  What are those vials made of again?  I remember reading about Baileys style but couldn't find the original post in a quick search.

BTW, the one I always heard was, "If I tell ya a flea can pull a plow, you best hitch him up"

James
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: Moots on February 22, 2013, 10:41:14 pm
Can you refresh my memory?  What are those vials made of again?  I remember reading about Baileys style but couldn't find the original post in a quick search.

BTW, the one I always heard was, "If I tell ya a flea can pull a plow, you best hitch him up"

James

James,
They're pipettes, used in lab work at hospitals.  I've also been told you can probably get them at a hobby store.  People use them to refuel RC cars and planes and for mixing paint colors.

I haven't had any luck finding them locally yet, but they are abundant and very affordable online.

Like here on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Transfer-Pipettes-Gradulated-Pack/dp/B005IQTSE0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361587045&sr=8-1&keywords=pipettes)

Here's Bailey's OP explaining the method! (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,39901.msg337710.html#msg337710)
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: Bush_84 on February 22, 2013, 11:05:58 pm
I can grab a handful from the clinic I work at, but I also got some with my refractometer.  So hobby stores would be a good place to look.  Otherwise I pull imagine that amazon should have hem cheaply.  I think it's a brilliant design and plan to hang more swarm traps this year. 
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: jmblakeney on February 22, 2013, 11:14:31 pm
Thanks Moots

James
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: Bush_84 on March 04, 2013, 04:50:31 pm
So I tried my hand at a couple.  I didn't have a ton of Lgo on hand so I put a few drops in a very small amount of water.  I know they don't mix very well but I figured that if I agitated it well I could spread them across a few lures.  So is it vital that I use just Lgo or can I do as I did above?  I hear a little bit of the stuff can go a long way.  The water in the lure will do nothing in the end, but help me get the Lgo in there and the Lgo will still diffuse out its smell.  I can even use the entire pipettes and solder the very end making it easier to make a seal.  Thoughts? 
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: Moots on March 04, 2013, 08:31:02 pm
So I tried my hand at a couple.  I didn't have a ton of Lgo on hand so I put a few drops in a very small amount of water.  I know they don't mix very well but I figured that if I agitated it well I could spread them across a few lures.  So is it vital that I use just Lgo or can I do as I did above?  I hear a little bit of the stuff can go a long way.  The water in the lure will do nothing in the end, but help me get the Lgo in there and the Lgo will still diffuse out its smell.  I can even use the entire pipettes and solder the very end making it easier to make a seal.  Thoughts? 

84,
Not sure on the whole water thing, I'll let others give an opinion there.  On the other hand, your idea about using the entire pipette and just soldering the end is interesting.  When I was preparing to do mine and explained the process to my brother-in-law, his first question was...."Why don't you just Solder the very end?...It will probably be easier to seal".  I didn't have a good answer, other than that wasn't the way Bailey had described doing it. :)  If nothing else, I pride myself on being able to follow instructions. LOL!

However, I did tuck the suggestion away as a plan-b in case I had any trouble at all sealing them.  I had no problems, so it was a none issue so I stuck with the original design.  :)
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: capt44 on March 04, 2013, 10:44:07 pm
I ordered 100 pipettes from Amazon.com the other day.
They should be here in the next day or so.
Title: Re: Swarm Traps - Fresh batch of BSSL's
Post by: Bush_84 on March 07, 2013, 01:09:35 pm
I will have to pick up some more Lgo and compared the diluted version to the version that is not diluted.  If there is a significant difference then I guess I have my answer.  How much Lgo do you think you used per lure?