To trap these swarms, catcher boxes or bee hives are baited normally using bee products like honey, beeswax, and propolis or non-bee products like lemon grass and other synthetic lures that are produced to be used as baits to attract bees.
Trapping swarm bees
To increase the chances of bees colonizing the beehives, spread the bee hives in a forest because when you set the hives in one place, a swarm can pass a few meters away and the swarm can be missed out.
Before setting out your hive, first clean the hive body, and the entrances of the bee hives and ensure that the queen can pass through.
Bait the hive using honey, bees wax or other bee attractants and using a ladder, suspend the hive up a tree but as you suspend the hive, ensure that the top bars are in a good position because if they are in a bad position, the hive will colonize and the bees will build combs that lap and entangle into each other.
Ensure that you monitor your hive against pests that can colonize the hive before even the bees colonize the hive.
When the bees colonize, give it about 2 to 3 weeks in which period the bees will have constructed about 2 to 3 top bars before transferring the swarm to the main hive.
