I would like to share several things l do that may help the reader regardless of your experience.
I keep aluminum foil in my bee tool box along with Swarm Commander, folded pieces of fiberglass window sceen, rubber bands, assortment of fasteners, an inexpensive infrared gun from Harbor Freight, and a number of hand tools, including a folding saw and hammer.
I have 4 six frame swarm traps which are roughly 11"×20"×20". I prefer 6 frame for several reasons. I like to leave them for a couple of weeks once a swarm has committed. The extra frame gives me some added time for their retrieval and enough time for a virgin queen to mate, mature and begin laying. Normally, l use 3 drawn frames and 3 with foundation. Drawn frames needn't be perfect as the bees will fix just about any wax issues that l have presented to them in the past: moldy or moth eaten does not matter.
The aluminum foil l use to obstruct the opening of my swarm traps. Aluminum foil will conform to small openings by manually forming it into cracks and small holes. I have used it to close off gaps or holes in siding to contain yellowjackets, or direct them to use one entrance, that l have dusted with a powdered pesticide, for instance. Aluminum foil may be the answer, as a temporary fix, to that lower right corner of your upper brood box which always seems to be the first place a box rots and goes MIA leaving behind a hole.
The screening is used in lieu of an inner cover. I cut it oversized to lap a minimum of 2 inches on all sides. The bees will propolize it pretty good, ideally so the telescopic cover can be removed and it will remain in place. If not, I can fasten the edges so that the bees are entrapped and have adequate ventilation for their ride home.
I am fortunate to have a 30 plus acre site with 7 tree stands used during hunting season. There is a comercial beekeeper just down the road, but his hives only improved what was already an ideal location before l noticed them last year. I have not ever been disappointed. Setting swarm traps on tree stands seems almost criminal.
Brandon Storie helped me retrieve two traps just yesterday, because l have a blown out knee and l needed the entertainment. I don't really need any more bees, so l offered one of the swarms in exchange for his efforts.
We were both amused watching Chis, the owner, running away with a cloud of bees in hot pursuit. His enthusiasm disregarded any common sense. I had offered him my bee jacket, but his hoody was enough to embolden him, at first, to disregard the offer. Chris has been more than helpful in years past placing traps. He halled them up and placed them on the stands this year come to think of it. Now, watching someone being stung is not amusing, usually, but both Bradon and l will be laughing whenever we reflect back on Chris stripping off his hoody and shirt, at full run, screaming that he would never return. Brandon was beckoning him to come back, so that we could assist removing stingers and relieve his pain. He wanted none of it.
Being the adrenaline junkie that he is, he returned within five minutes all the wiser. He graciously accepted my jacket offer, but his disheveled hair and look of determination on is face was priceless.
The second trap retrieval was without incident. Again l was just a spectator and barely lifted a finger. Brandon commented on how heavy the traps were, and confirmed what we had already anticipated, that there would be drawn comb hanging from the bottoms of the frames, hopefully without too much cross comb.
I scolded Brandon for commenting how easy it was. I told him that nothing is easy, only some things are less difficult than others. Now l have one last thought. What could be less difficult than watching two friends doing all the work, and being entertained all the while?
In hindsight, l shouldn't have scolded Brandon for saying how easy it was, but didn't want to destroy my Tom Sayer moment letting them both know that l had done so very little. l will tell you now what l wanted to retort to him saying how easy it was, but you mustn't tell Brandon. "It was like taking candy away from a baby".
