While swarming, the queen is looking for a new home with her bee family. Then the time comes when some beekeepers lose their bees, while others replenish the apiary. Special devices - bee traps - will help to multiply the number of honey insects in the apiary. Knowledgeable beekeepers often build them with their own hands from scrap materials, using drawings.
In this article we will tell you how to make a do-it-yourself bee trap according to the drawings, how to make a trap from plywood and a bottle.
Why are traps set
When a bee colony, with a queen over two years old, is not busy with work (honey collection), they begin to prepare for swarming. Such a process is natural and instinctive, and beekeepers, in turn, must resort to many tricks. If you do not notice this action, then the bee colony will begin to swarm.
The swarm can fly from a neighboring or neglected apiary, or fly many kilometers in search of suitable housing Is a wandering swarm. Beekeepers value these bees for their high-quality performance, and set traps for catching these families.
A homeless swarm looking for better conditions has practically no chance of existence, so they are located where they have to: in the recesses of trees, under a roof, in attics and other unsuitable places, and beekeepers have prepared a dwelling for them, and even with frames.
It is at such moments that a do-it-yourself swarm trap is needed.
What a bee trap looks like
The classic bee trap is a plywood or fiberboard bee trap that:
- has a bolt, with its help, you can easily and tightly close the bees in the trap when the time comes for transport;
- you can make it yourself, or you can find a suitable one on the farm;
- fits frames, a couple of them with honeycombs for bait;
- equipped with only one tap holedesigned to enter insects.
Manufacturing for a standard plywood frame
Before starting installation, you need to prepare the material:
- plywood (thickness 4 mm);
- wire;
- rope (10 m);
- slats;
- piece of canvas;
- nails;
- boards (20 cm wide and 2 cm thick);
- pins (4 mm in size);
- insulating material (polyethylene or roofing material);
- glue;
- sheet polystyrene.
Tools:
- furniture stapler;
- drill;
- chisel;
- a hammer;
- drill;
- saw.
Manufacturing of the case
The technology is as follows:
- the bottom is constructed from two centimeters thick planks;
- the rear and the front of the catcher are assembled from the same slats;
- a gap is cut out in the front wall so that the largest bee can climb through it. In most cases, its dimensions are 10x100 mm;
- the walls are attached to the bottom;
- with the help of rails, side bases are made;
- parts for the upholstery of the box are prepared from a sheet of plywood;
- sides are sheathed with plywood;
- on the side walls inside, slats are attached, on which the hangers of the frame will lie;
- finish the body assembly.
The structure cover is similar to the roof of a conventional evidence. Manufacturing example:
- a rectangle is drawn on a sheet of plywood so that its dimensions are 1 cm larger than the box itself;
- this part is being prepared;
- slats are nailed along the edges so that the part can be firmly planted on the base of the catcher;
- the foam is processed with glue and applied to the bottom of the lid;
- the top of the part is sheathed with roofing material or cellophane;
- the cover is fixed to the body;
- a handle for the trap is prepared from the wire. It is needed to transfer the structure and hang it from a tree.
In the finale, the final touches:
- the frames fit into the structure. One or two frames with honeycombs are placed in front, and the next ones with foundation. The maximum number is five frames;
- they are covered with a cloth;
- the entrance is treated with propolis. You can use lemon balm or basil, they are also great at attracting bees.
Fiberboard bee trap
This drawing of a fiberboard catcher, accommodates 6-8 frames. Starting to manufacture, the necessary material is prepared:
- drying oil;
- Fiberboard;
- dark green paint;
- bars 40 mm wide and 25 mm thick.
Do-it-yourself method for making a device according to drawings
You can even create a trap from cardboard, but this design will not last long.
The principle of making a swarm trap from various materials is practically the same:
- parts for the walls are cut from the finished fiberboard sheet. This is easy to do, all dimensions are indicated in the drawing;
- bend is made using rails to establish frames. Attached to the top of the front and rear of the hull, making a recess on the beams.
- For this, it is better to use a folded bevel cutter;
- slats are attached to the front and back walls;
- make a slot for the taphole armhole on the trap facade;
- attach the side strips to the front and rear walls;
- prepare a place for planting the lid.
For this:
- fix the longitudinal bars on the side walls (the top bar should be 40 mm below the edge);
- make roof sheathing from slats;
- instead of ceiling boards, you can use a sawn piece of fiberboard;
- form a roof from fiberboard parts so that visors are obtained at the back and front;
- at the end, the trap must be impregnated with linseed oil. To make the structure less visible, a coat of dark green paint can be applied.
Preparing a bee trap is not the end. It must be safely caught and transferred to a permanent one in the hive. To do this, remember a few tips:
- place structures early, because scout bees have been looking for a place to live in two to three weeks;
- periodically it is necessary to watch the traps... If you notice bees near the entrance (at least 15), then a family in someone's apiary or a swarm of wild bees is preparing to fly;
- you can climb a tree and listen to the hive;
- when you are sure that the family has already settled in the trap, you need to close it;
- this should be done at sunset, when all the bees are at home;
- deliver bees to the apiary;
- return the trap, if necessary, without forgetting to rub the notch, as well as the front wall from the inside.
So that the family of bees is not very hot during transportation, it is necessary to open the roof of the traps with a closed tap hole and tie the swarm trap with a piece of gauze. Then carefully deliver it to the apiary and leave it in a cool place overnight. Leave the entrance open. It is necessary to move the caught bees to the hive, prepared in advance, early in the morning.
Bottle trap
Often, beekeepers resort to a different type of trap, which is needed not for catching swarms, but for the destruction of harmful pests. The conversation is about wasps - dirty tricks that give beekeepers and bees a lot of trouble. These insects are active even in cold weather, and often enter bee houses to steal honey.
The beekeeper is obliged to monitor this, otherwise the consequences can be fatal for many hives. That is why a bottle bee trap is made. The size of such a trap is small, but it does the necessary work.
No special drawings and materials are needed to make it. You must have:
- plastic container;
- scotch tape or wire;
- awl;
- knife.
Making a trap correctly is easy. Cut off the top of the bottle and set it back with the neck down. The bait is placed inside and the device is fixed in the appropriate place. The principle of capture is as follows: a wasp enters the trap through a funnel, but does not find a way out, constantly stumbles upon a modified cone.
It is not recommended to use compote, honey, sugar syrup as bait - these products can also attract bees. The best bait is to pour beer into the traps. Wasps flock with pleasure, but bees do not react.
Drone trap
You can also make your own drone trap. The device is made from wire. It consists of two sections, between which a barrier is mounted, which has 2 ends of a fine mesh. A dividing grid is installed in front. Drones will not be able to go through the grate and fall into the upper net, unable to get out of there. It is a trap.
There they can collect up to one liter. Soon everyone dies and must be thrown away. If swarming continues, the trap is reinstalled. If the queen is caught, you need to hang the structure and wait until the bees gather around it. Only then can they be transferred to the hive.
There are about 200 drones living in one hive. They reach puberty after ten days. Excellent eyesight, fly well, strong, while easily finding queens by the pheromones that are released. The worker bees feed the drones well. When flying, the male makes a bass sound.
Capturing a bee colony is the most essential experience in the work of a beekeeper. Wildlife honey insects often die due to lack of suitable housing or lack of food. Therefore, bees need traps more than beekeepers themselves.