sawd
I recommend you use a smaller box for your traps. Try a deep nuc or a medium.
Jim
Funny you should mention smaller. I had added skirts to my mediums to make them bigger base on the study that "Leakie" (I think) did. I then just built deeps with the intention to cut them down. I had gotten lots of advice that said 40 liters. Would have been easier to leave my mediums medium. I will try both sizes next year.
Thank you
gww
My first year with swarm traps, I used deep 5-nucs. I caught a few swarms, probably about the size of a football. This year, I also used some that were a full deep. I caught some swarms the size of a football. One that was larger. I did have a good-size swarm move into one of my 5-frame nuc traps. I let them stay in place for a couple of days to get settled. Evidently, it wasn't big enough for them after-all. They left.
With a larger box, you will catch larger swarms, and you will also catch smaller swarms who believe they can work with the space. With a smaller box you will catch smaller swarms, but run the very real risk that a larger swarm will not move in, for lack of room.
The best option, if you can do it, is to put both sizes out in each location. You may catch the primary swarm in the large box, then catch the first secondary swarm in the smaller box. If you are close to a "honey tree," it wouldn't br a bad idea to put several boxes out. Last swarm season, I was called for a primary swarm, but got their too late. The next week, I got another call from the same folks. When I got there, it was a secondary swarm on a fence. I looked up and saw another swarm coming out of a tree a hundred yards away. You know I will have at least 2 or 3 traps set up over their next season. At least one large box, and probably two nucs.