I've been getting a lot of requests for more details on the sonatube swarm trap. So here are a few more pictures and comments.
Here is one after bringing it home. This particular swarm was in the trap for about a month. The cardboard became soft from the moisture and the bees had chewed a hole in the sonatube below the entrance. It did not get soft from the weather (outside was sealed) but from the moisture inside the hive.
Since the frames had shifted to one side, the bess had built comb on the cardboard, and the trap was toast anyway, I decided the best method to get them out was cut open the sonatube.
One interesting thing, was that although I had sprayed the frames with Bt and the swarm was strong, there was wax moth larvae living in the debris on the bottom. You can also see where the bees where chewing the cardboard.
So my take on the sonatube traps are unless you are very timely with your inspection and remove them quickly, consider them a 1 use trap.
I have come up with a more economical ($2-3), hopefully more durable, and perhaps better, design but don't have it documented well enough to share at this point. ;)
rob....