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Author Topic: Set up the trap out  (Read 22723 times)

Offline iddee

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Set up the trap out
« on: February 28, 2009, 04:05:26 pm »
    Trap out setup

I like to make a scouting trip to the trap out location and prepare
the area prior to setting the trap. I will use lumber, plastic,
silicone caulk, whatever will work, to reduce their entrance down to
one hole of approx. 2 inches, or 2 inches X not more than 3/4 inch, if
the opening is in a corner. After choosing or making the cone, I will
measure from the ground to the bottom of the cone. Then I can plan on
what I will use for the platform. This one had an initial entrance of 12 in. X 3 feet of rotted away wood. I crammed towels, burlap, and 2 cans of great stuff in it. Bees will eat through great stuff, if it is more than 3/8 in thick, or doesn't have a hard substance between layers of it.

 



On the day of the setup, I will remove a frame of brood, WITH EGGS,
from my chosen hive, and place it in a warm, shaded area, like the cab
of my truck. On site, I set the platform, level from side to side,
tilted slightly to the front. I then set the catch box where the
"porch" area can be slid against the plywood cone mount, an inch or
two below the bottom of the wire cone.I want the bees to walk from the
cone mount to the box, not fly. Next, I place the frame of brood in
the catch box, with one empty frame between it and the side of the box
next to the structure.I mark and predrill 4 holes in the cone mount in
a position needed to secure the mount and cone to the structure, over
the colony entrance. I run a circle of silicone caulk around the hole
in the cone mount, so it will compress and seal when I mount it to the
wall. If it cannot be mounted with screws, I will hold or prop it
tightly to let the silicone caulk dry enough to hold it in place.

If it is in a corner, I will tack 3/8 to 1/2 in. thick strips to the
bottom of the mount, on 2 or 3 sides, as needed, to allow the dees to
exit under the mount and into the cone. If the strips are used on a
corner trap, I will put the silicone on the strips. Next, I will run a
bead of silicone caulk around the outer edge of the mount to ensure a
solid seal.




 

At this time, I will stay in the area for 1 to 3 hours, talking to the
homeowner, showing them the bees are docile by putting my fingers
right up to them as they land at the base of the cone. "A returning
forager looking for the entrance will not sting". Doing my PR on all
honey bees, and looking for alternative entrances. If you can keep
them from finding another entrance for 48 hours, they doubtfully ever
will. If they do find one, you will find it is nearly impossible to
keep them from finding them from then on. The trapout will either be
greatly prolonged, or totally unfeasible to do. It is extremely
important to close all entrances the first time. I also instruct the
owner on what to look out for, depending on how comfortable he or she
is with the bees and to call me when they see certain signs. I return the next day for a 10 to 15 minute check, and if everything
is OK, I plan my next visit for one week later.


The position of the exit in the cone has no bearing on the trapout, as
we aren't catching the bees as they leave, but rather when they return
from the field, loaded with pollen and/or nectar. They will return to
the base of the cone, where they have always entered.
The relationship of the base of the cone to the entrance where the
brood frame sits is the detail you need to be conscious of, not the
exit.
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Offline fermentedhiker

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2009, 05:11:46 pm »
Great info, thanks for sharing. Keep it coming  ;)
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Offline beemused

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2009, 05:35:42 pm »
I have a customer who wants a colony removed from a very large cottonwood. I delayed this from the fall to have a better chance at a low population. Entrance is at ground level. I am thinking about a similar trapout but after sealing the only entrance I intend to connect the original entrance to a hive body with a plastic tube into a custom bottom board and force them to transit the hive body to an upper entrance. Since they are still not very active due to the weather here I am hoping they will consider the hive body an additional space to their colony and expand into it. If I am lucky enough to get the queen to start laying in it I will put a cone on the tube and get most of the colony into hive body. If the queen doesn't move over I will install a cone, trapout, and requeen. Enticing with brood is my second option. I wonder if feeding in a second hive body would help or if the feeder would just be the food source for the original colony with no expansion.

Bruce
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Offline iddee

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2009, 06:10:28 pm »
Please come back and post the results. I am always looking for new info on any way of trapping.
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Offline gmcharlie

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2009, 06:16:49 pm »
Quote from: beemused on February 28, 2009, 05:35:42 pm
I have a customer who wants a colony removed from a very large cottonwood. I delayed this from the fall to have a better chance at a low population. Entrance is at ground level. I am thinking about a similar trapout but after sealing the only entrance I intend to connect the original entrance to a hive body with a plastic tube into a custom bottom board and force them to transit the hive body to an upper entrance. Since they are still not very active due to the weather here I am hoping they will consider the hive body an additional space to their colony and expand into it. If I am lucky enough to get the queen to start laying in it I will put a cone on the tube and get most of the colony into hive body. If the queen doesn't move over I will install a cone, trapout, and requeen. Enticing with brood is my second option. I wonder if feeding in a second hive body would help or if the feeder would just be the food source for the original colony with no expansion.

Bruce


trust me  they wont consider it part of the hive....  a trapout is the only way (or cutout)   they will travel thru your hive  indefinatly  and probably never even sart to fill it........  Been ther done that with old logs on several ocasions.....  even added brood once  and nothing... they let them die...    USE  the cone    ....
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2009, 11:07:54 pm »
Iddee, you got a great post going on here, keep it coming, wow!!!  My hat off to you.  Have a beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi
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Offline ArmucheeBee

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #6 on: February 28, 2009, 11:18:51 pm »
Iddee

OK.  What if, instead of having the cone AT the entrance of your box, you cut a hole in the back or side of the box that the cone end will fit into, then the bees exit the cone into your hive, must travel thru the hive box to that entrance to exit?   You see where I'm heading with this?   I know some will bemoan cutting a hole in a hive body but if you use the same one for your cone-outs then no problem.    Would this work?
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Offline iddee

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #7 on: February 28, 2009, 11:30:08 pm »
#1...A hive body with a hole in it.
#2...extra work
#3...Can't monitor the cone
#4...Can't get the homeowner to check and call when something changes
#5...Some trap outs yield 3 to 4 boxes of bees. Now there are 4 hive bodies with holes in them.
#6...extra work in set up
#7...My way works. Don't wanna fix what ain't broke.
#8...would have to move the colony to another hive, or drill yet another hive body for next trap

#9...cuz I don't wanna.   :evil:   :-D
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Offline slaphead

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2009, 11:45:18 pm »
Iddee,

thank you for posting this how to.  Will a trap out capture the queen?

SH
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Offline iddee

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #9 on: February 28, 2009, 11:48:06 pm »
Maybe one in a thousand. Read my first post. "Why do a trap out".
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Offline malabarchillin

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #10 on: February 28, 2009, 11:48:26 pm »
Again thanks for taking the time for us.
When the bees are gone will the melting wax, running honey do more harm
to the homeowner than a cut out ? They will have to cut it out later ? Just no bees left ?
Regards
Mike
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Offline iddee

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2009, 11:50:49 pm »
There will be no honey left. Why would the wax melt? The house inside the wall is approx. 70 degrees. If it is 145 or more inside the wall, call the fire dept. and don't worry about the wax.
They won't have to cut it out later, it will just dry out to a papyrus like parchment and will do no harm.
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Offline malabarchillin

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2009, 11:52:11 pm »
no honey left because its consumed or bees abscond with it ?
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Offline iddee

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2009, 11:53:58 pm »
I'll get to that in the following posts on monitoring and removing the cone, and other steps in the process.
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Offline JP

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #14 on: March 01, 2009, 01:14:08 am »
Quote from: malabarchillin on February 28, 2009, 11:52:11 pm
no honey left because its consumed or bees abscond with it ?

In the final phase, the bees in the catch box will rob out the honey to feed themselves. He'll explain next post as said.

Quote------ "What if, instead of having the cone AT the entrance of your box, you cut a hole in the back or side of the box that the cone end will fit into, then the bees exit the cone into your hive, must travel thru the hive box to that entrance to exit?   You see where I'm heading with this?   I know some will bemoan cutting a hole in a hive body but if you use the same one for your cone-outs then no problem.    Would this work?"

If I may add my .02 here, with the cone end entering the catch box, you lose the ability to see what's going on. The home owner will not be able to provide visual feed back.


...JP
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Offline poka-bee

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #15 on: March 01, 2009, 01:14:48 am »
Great Info Iddee!   :)The pics really help to explain for us visual do it type learners!  J
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Offline Conchis

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #16 on: March 01, 2009, 08:23:37 am »
The photos that go with this post are worth more than a thousand words.  Thanks for taking the time to do this for us.
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Offline Robo

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #17 on: March 01, 2009, 09:07:49 am »
Quote from: ArmucheeBee on February 28, 2009, 11:18:51 pm
What if, instead of having the cone AT the entrance of your box, you cut a hole in the back or side of the box that the cone end will fit into, then the bees exit the cone into your hive, must travel thru the hive box to that entrance to exit?

Stephen,

In my early days of trying to get the queen by "expanding" the nest, I tried something similar to what you are proposing.  I put a 4" PVC pipe through the hive body with a cone mounted inside.  It provided no more benefit than the method iddee is describing AND has all the associated issues he has stated.  As you can see, it now resides in the bone pile waiting for another idea and possible use.



Good to think outside the box though,  that is the only way to find improvements...

rob...
« Last Edit: July 05, 2010, 06:31:17 pm by Robo »
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Offline Highlandsfreedom

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #18 on: May 28, 2009, 12:52:21 pm »
What if I need to leave the deep above the cone by about a foot on the roof will that still work?
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Offline iddee

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Re: Set up the trap out
« Reply #19 on: May 28, 2009, 12:58:41 pm »
Let us know if it does or doesn't. The bees will tell you the first 6 hours. If they aren't using the box in that time, then they won't.
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