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The flight of a swarm of beekeepers is perceived as a problem situation, because, on the one hand, it is the result of natural reproduction, and on the other - the risk of losing some of the insects living on the apiary. Trap for bees is designed to catch a stray swarm. A simple device, reminiscent of a small portable beehive, is installed in the places where bees are likely to be found. And if the beekeeper manages to create attractive conditions for insects, then after a thorough inspection, they can survive the trap, falling into the hands of a caring beekeeper. Today apiaries are honored with techniques that prevent the formation and flight of swarms. But in some cases this can not be avoided.
Swarming can occur for a variety of reasons, among which is not only the growth of the bee family, when the old uterus with a part of the worker bees goes to find new housing. The increased risk of swarm migration is observed in hot years, when there is not enough bribe, and when families are kept in very cramped conditions.
What is the trap for bees? Can I make it myself, and where to put it, so that the probability of capture is greatest?
How to make a trap for bees?
Effective traps for bees can have a different device and appearance, the main thing is that they are attractive to insects who decide to settle in a new place.
How to properly make a trap for bees with your own hands? In open sources there is a mass of accurate, verified drawings and schemes of temporary shelters for the swarm. Starting an independent work, the beekeeper should remember that whatever the design, it must be sufficient to accommodate the bee family, but at the same time suitable for carrying and tree. Therefore, the volume of the trap is most often limited to 30-60 liters.
Of the existing options are preferred vertical structures that resemble a hollow. As a material for construction, low-leaved varieties of well-dried wood, plywood, and chipboard are applicable. And building materials and means for their fastening and bonding should not have sharp, repellent bees of smells.
An additional attraction is attached to the trap, rubbing the inner surfaces and surfaces with Apiary, propolis, greens balm or basil. Experienced beekeepers are stocked with bark, which is used to cover or glue the surface of a bee trap made of plywood, fiberboard or wood.
What is the appearance of the trap for bees and its internal structure? Outside, the temporary shelter for the swarm looks like a box closed from all sides with one tap, equipped with a strong flap or latch. Inside, the beekeeper places frames with honeycomb and wax, while providing a way to extract them from the trap for transfer to a permanent hive. To transport the structure, traps are often attached to the traps.
The key to successfully creating a trap for bees with your own hands is design drawings. If they are accurate and developed by a connoisseur, the construction will not take much time and will not cause difficulties even for a beginner beekeeper.
In addition to the proven accurate drawing, to create a trap for bees with their own hands will require:
- plywood with a thickness of at least 4 mm or dried boards of 20 mm;
- bruski 20 by 20 mm;
- polystyrene for insulation of the structure;
- material to protect the trap cover from moisture penetration;
- nails, as well as all the tools needed in the work.
The work begins to prepare all the details of the bottom and the hull made according to the drawings with their own hands traps for bees:
- The hull and the bottom are connected without gaps, but one should not forget about the arrangement of the tap. It is made on the front wall so as to provide unimpeded access to one insect. More often as a tap, a gap of 100 widths and 10 mm high is provided.
- The frame in the corners is fixed with bars, the same slats with grooves are stuffed along the top of the side walls to install the frames.
- The part of the lid is cut out a little more than the dimensions of the casing, while the bridges that make up the fringing must be fastened so that the lid-body connection is as tight as possible.
- The inner surface of the cover is insulated with a layer of foam. The outer part is covered with a dense moisture-proof film or roofing material.
- Then the lid is attached to an almost ready trap for bees made of plywood or wood.
- In order to avoid delamination and deformation of the material from the moisture of temperature changes, the body, bottom and cover must be treated with drying oil and thoroughly dried. After that, it is possible to paint the traps in subtle, masking colors.
- For carrying the box and its attachment to a tree or stand, convenient belts, hinges or handles should be provided.
- A ready-made trap for bees is established by frames. Their number varies depending on the design and size of the structure. Ahead must necessarily be 1 2 frames with honeycombs, and then the wax is already put.
Prefabricated, cleaned from possible pests bark cover the body and the roof of the trap. In this form, the box will less attract the attention of uninvited guests, but bees will look with great pleasure and master the housing presented to them.
The video about bee traps and how to build this device with your own hands will become useful for beginners beekeepers who do not want to spend serious money, to replenish their population economy.
Selecting the location and time of setting the trap for bees
Carefully observing the behavior of their wards, an experienced beekeeper can with great probability indicate the places where his trap for bees will necessarily work.
The best place to set a trap is a sturdy tree on the edge of a forest or in a garden where there is a clean water-filled bee nearby. Bees do not fit fully lit areas without a hint of a shadow. To place a trap for bees should necessarily be flown to the south side.
The height of the trap can be different, but the beekeepers do not advise placing the box above 6-8 meters.
If the swarming bees do not fly far from the backyard farm, the trap can be placed in the places of their frequent subsidence. An example is a raspberry, a trunk of a strong apple tree, a pine or spruce growing on a farmstead, a roof or a ramshackle of a dwelling house or a barn. The only condition in this case is the remoteness from power lines, which insects do not favor.
Close to the installed trap, there should be places to collect honey or the box is attached to trees famous for active flowering. It can be acacia, apple, chestnut, pear, large plum and apricot trees, as well as giving the first bribes to willows and other species of willow.
When to set a trap for bees, so that the probability of settlement in it is maximum? It is best to conduct this operation for a couple of weeks before the average flight of swarms in the region. During this time bees-scouts will have time to inspect all objects suitable for life, which will be witnessed by the presence of individual insects in the trap and traces of their vital activity.
