The Royna is a special device in the form of a box, which is used to catch a swarm of bees and send it back to the apiary. This trap can be made independently, since it does not take much time and does not require special skills and materials.
Basic requirements and trap volume
Royne is a temporary refuge for bees. Beekeepers use it to catch and store bees escaping from constant beehives. There is a list of specific requirements for creating a swarm:
- when making a swarm, pay attention to its size, smell, remoteness from water;
- the form of the swarm does not matter for the bees, but the beekeeper himself should pay attention to how he will set a trap on the tree;
- barrels made of plywood are suitable for the war - after the notches are made, the roof is sheathed with roofing material, and inside are laid frames with wax.
To determine the size of the trap, you should also know some nuances:
- housing for bees should be as spacious as possible because they do not like crowding;
- too large a trap will be cumbersome, and small bees will be ignored;
- if the volume of the trap is 20 liters, then drive a small swarm there (such a family can be brought out at the end of summer), since the large swarm that was brought up at the beginning of summer will not fly into a 20-liter trap;
- the optimal trap volume is from 40 to 80 liters.
How is a swarm arranged?
In beekeeping practice, several types of swarm structures are known. Before you build it yourself, check out the following tips:
- Make a swarm in the shape of a basket or drawer with a lid. In it, a swarm is caught and located within a certain time.
- To the warrior, you also need a scoop for raking the swarm and a pickup (a net with a lid of an unusual shape). Using the hook, secure the net in the place where the swarm is located, then pour the swarm into it and close the net with the lid.
- To make a trap, take either three-layer plywood or fiberboard.
- The size of the box inside depends on the frames - for example, their length and depth are the same, but the width depends on the number (with five frames the size of the trap is 191 cm).
- In order for the bees to be able to freely fly out of the swarm, it is necessary to make a notch - special holes - the diameter of the top is 20-25 cm, the bottom is 7-8 cm. The top must be round, and the shape of the bottom is not important.
- The thickness of the rear and front walls is 20-24 mm, the side walls are 3-4 cm. For space under the frame, leave 10-15 cm.
- In no case should there be gaps in the trap so that the bees cannot get out of it.
What tools and materials will be needed?
To make a do-it-yourself war, first of all, you need to choose the material that will cover all the requirements. Beekeepers choose from this list:
- metal mesh;
- fiberboard or plywood sheets;
- boards and sheets of pressed shavings;
- cardboard sheets;
- tube of glue;
- tools for working with wood;
- scissors;
- tools for connecting parts to each other.
Plywood swarm
Plywood is ideal for a war, as it is an inexpensive, lightweight and durable material. Plywood is an environmentally friendly material, exists in several forms, which differ in thickness, cost and moisture resistance.
The following materials are needed to make a plywood swarm:
- plywood;
- metal and mosquito nets;
- wooden die or pressed boards;
- cardboard;
- waterproof glue;
- scissors;
- wood tools.
Roam dimensions:
- bottom - 35x45 cm;
- side walls (2 pcs.) - 30x45 cm;
- front wall - 35x20 cm;
- cover - 20x45 cm.
There are two ways to make swords from plywood, we will consider each.
1st method:
- Cut out the details.
- Glue them together.
- On the side wall, make a 1x8 cm tap hole.
- Make an air exchange frame.
- Put a net on the frame and secure with shoe studs.
- Fold the box out of the four walls.
- Attach the shoulders inside the back and front walls, and mow the bottom - frames with honeycombs will be placed here.
- Make a hole in the lid, cover it with a net, and then hang the lid on the latches.
- Attach hooks on the sides that are needed to hang a bee trap on a tree.
2nd method:
Cut the side rails and frame from the 4 cm wide rails.
- Make the folds in the frame necessary to establish the framework.
- In the front wall, cut a notch of 1x1 cm.
- Assemble the side and end walls.
- Fasten and tin the roof.
- Set sushi and at least 5 frames.
- To attract bees into a trap, rub it with wax, propolis or mint.
- Attach the handles.
- If you want the warrior to serve longer, proliferate and color it. However, this should be done so that all odors have time to disappear before the start of operation of the trap.
In the video below you can see the process of collecting swarms from plywood:
Styrofoam trap
Expanded polystyrene is a moisture and airtight eco-friendly material. It is lighter than plywood and mold does not form on it, however, excess condensate can collect, which is why additional holes are required in the expanded polystyrene foam.
Expanded polystyrene conducts heat well; mice and birds cannot harm it, but sun rays and mechanical damage can destroy this material.
It is not difficult to build a swarm from expanded polystyrene, as this happens quickly, and the materials are inexpensive.
Such a war consists of the following parts:
- cover and bottom - 51x36 cm;
- 2 side walls - 51x35 cm;
- front and back walls - 30x35 cm.
To build a polystyrene foam warrior you will need:
- polystyrene foam sheets (thickness - 30 mm);
- liquid Nails;
- glue;
- stationery knife;
- Ruler and pencil;
- screwdriver and screws.
To firmly close the lid, make a notch of 3.0 x 0.5 cm and secure it with self-tapping screws.
Cut a notch in the shape of a small square and, during transportation, fasten a net and a ribbon on it to make it convenient to hang a swarm on a tree.
It should be careful during transportation - due to the fragility of the material, the case of the rove can be damaged by tree branches.
Butlerov's War
Butlerova’s boar is the most popular bee trap model. It is a frame with hoops put on it. For its manufacture you will need such materials:
- thin plywood (previously soaked in water for a day);
- gun with staples;
- fixing material (bolts, bunches, hairpins, etc.);
- wire mesh;
- canvas;
- loop, hook or handle.
The height of the boar will be 400-450 mm, and the diameter will be 300-350 mm.
The process of creating a swarm is as follows:
- Cut a strip of plywood about 1 m long and 40-45 cm wide. This will be the body.
- Cut two strips of plywood 1 m long and about 3 cm wide. These will be hoops.
- The case plywood needs to be shaped like a cylinder, and for this you need to fix the hoop at the lower base of the future “cylinder” using brackets. The band of the hoop on one side should be fastened at least 5 cm further from the edge, and on the other hand, it should overlap. Do the same with the hoop at the upper base of the “cylinder”.
- Tighten the bottom of the structure with the canvas, securing it with brackets.
- Prepare another narrow strip of plywood, which is secured with brackets along the height of the “cylinder”. The result is a kind of pen in the basket (see picture below).
- Cut a strip of plywood for the cover, and secure it with a stud or bolt so that it is movable.
- First, cover the fixed part of the cover with a net, and then lower the movable part of the cover down and cover it too (as in the figure below).
- Fix a hook or handle on the side of the case, so that it is convenient to carry the structure or you can hang a swarm on a tree. The handle should be mounted on the opposite side of the movable cover.
The arrangement of the war
After the frame of the trap and its main parts have been made, it needs to be painted and filled from the inside to bait the bees. Painting and filling a war have their own nuances.
What and how to paint?
When painting a war, there are also several nuances:
- Use oil paints for painting. After painting, the trap becomes more resistant both to hot weather, which will save from premature cracking, and to rainy, as the paint will not allow the main body of the trap to get wet. Paint the swarm six months before the moment the bees colonize it, so that all the smells can disappear during this time.
- Choose green paint so that the trap merges with the surrounding trees.
- Do not use quick-drying paints because they retain an unpleasant odor for a long time and quickly become cracked.
- Paint only the outer part of the wall, as inside it must allow moisture, air and not to be covered by condensate when the temperature changes.
Trap filling
Inside the swarm, you also need to carefully prepare for the settlement of bees:
- Bees do not like the smell of dry wood. Therefore, to get rid of the smell, put the swarm with an open lid in the rain.
- To attract the attention of bees, rub the inside of the swarm with lemon balm or blackcurrant leaves;
- hang traps on the spruce, as they release volatile, which repel parasites.
- Also, rub the heated walls of the trap with broken mother liquors or wax, and coat the edges of the walls with an alcohol solution of propolis.
- A piece of pine resin dissolved in ether is applied to the wooden parts of the frames. After a while, the ether evaporates, but the smell of tar remains.
- Letok and its edge grate with wax or honey.
When to check a swarm?
During the swarming period, the bees can leave their feed base, flying 2.5-3 km away, so it is likely that someone else's swarm will be caught. Set traps in the last days of spring or the first days of summer. It is advisable to install everything already in the 13-15th of May, since by this time the scout bees discover a new dwelling and bring the rest of the swarm to it.
It is very difficult to make forecasts for the capture of swarms and this is a significant minus, since it takes a lot of time, and the result of the process may not be known. But, with due patience, in a couple of years you can get your apiary without investing serious finances.
You can learn about how to catch a bee swarm in a swarm, how to plant a caught swarm in a hive, what inventory is needed to capture, from the video below:
Making a trap for bees will not be difficult and will not take much time. Such a war will last for many years. The main thing is to follow all the rules for installing and catching wild bees.
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