Build A Swarm Box

Starter Colony
Ed Simon

I’ve tried both a Cloake Board and the Horizontal Frame Support to raise queens. Now it’s time to try a Swarm Box. The swarm box is an artificial, extremely highly populated nucleus size box with large areas of screen that provides massive ventilation. The ventilation is required to dissipate the heat that an extremely large volume of bees produce.

This is the better way to produce quality queens, as recommended by The University of Minnesota in their bee raising class, and Dr. Larry Conner in his book “Queen Rearing Essentials.” The premise behind this method is that a massive number of nurse bees feeding a relatively small number of grafted queen cells will produce a large quantity of royal jelly to feed the larvae which then gives the larvae an excellent start on their life as a queen.

Basically the swarm box is a five frame nuc with extensions to the bottom that allow for ventilation and a place to put a water supply. There is also a sliding top that can be easily shut and secured so it won’t be opened by mistake. The need for the secure top is because the swarm box is usually placed in a cool dark area for eighteen to twenty-four hours. In my situation this means a basement room and I don’t need five to ten thousand bees loose in the house.

Parts
(Thickness x Width x Length) – for a five frame swarm box
1.¾” x 9¼” x 19⅞” – Sides (2) (1” x 10” board)
2.¾” x 7¾” x 15” – Ends (2) (1” x 10” board) – vertical orientation
3.¾” x 9¼” x 20¼” – Box bottom sides (2)
4.¾” x 9¼” x 20¼” – Box bottom ends (2)
5.5.¾” x 9¼” x 20¼” – Box sides (2)
6.¾” x 9¼” x 20¼” – Box ends (2)
7.¾” x 2½” x 19⅞” – Sliding top side (2)
8.¾” x 2½” x 10¼” – Sliding top closed end (1)
9.¾” x ¾” x 19⅞” – Sliding top side guide (2)
10.¾” x ⅜” x 7⅛” – Sliding top closed end guide (1)
11.¾” x 1½” x 10¼” – Sliding top open end (1)
12.¼” x 9½” x 21” – Sliding top (1)
13.¾” x 7¼” x ??” – Frame stabilizer (2) (Deep on medium)
14.⅛” hardware cloth or aluminum window screen

Construction
This swarm box is designed for use with deep frames. If it is used with medium frames there is a little more room for the bees and the ventilation should improve.
The building of a swarm box is more complicated than the usual devices I build. This is because of the number of parts needed. Be sure you study and understand the drawing before you cut any wood. Remember it’s impossible to cut a board longer or wider that it’s current dimensions.

Step 1: Trim a ⅛” slice from one end of the board to square the end of the board.
Step 2: Cut the sides (parts 1) from your board.
Step 3: Cut the ends (parts 2) from your board.
Note: The ends are used with the wood grain running vertically. This provides strength to the wood that holds the screen on the bottom ends and sides. They look like legs in the pictures.
Step 4: Cut a ⅜” x ⅝” frame rest in one end of each of the end boards.
Step 5: Cut the ventilation windows in the ends. Leave a 1” wide leg on each side of the ventilation cutout. See the diagram marked “Front View” for the positioning and dimensions of this cutout.
Step 6: Using the ends and sides (parts 1 & 2), construct the body of the box.
Note: The box must be square so the top/lid will operate correctly and smoothly and not allow any bees to escape.
Step 7: After cutting the parts for the framing of the bottom of the box (parts 3, 4, 5 and 6), assemble the bottom of the swarm box as follows:
A.Attach the box bottom sides (parts 3) to the bottom of the legs.
B.Add the box sides (parts 5) to the sides of the pieces attached in step “A”.
C.Add the box ends (parts 6) to the end of the swarm box.
D.Finish the bottom by installing the box bottom ends (parts 4) inside the box ends and between the box bottom sides (parts 3).
Note: What you are accomplishing in this step is providing a frame on the bottom of the swarm box to which you will attach the hardware cloth.
Step 8: Cut the sliding top parts 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 from available wood. Glue and screw the sliding top pieces 7, 8, 9 and 10 into an open ended assembly. This assembly should just slip over the top of the swarm box with the slide guides resting on the top of the box. The sliding top open end piece (part 11) will be used after this assembly is attached to the swarm box.
Step 9: Select a ¼” piece of hardboard or plastic and cut it for the sliding top (part 12).
Note: I like to use plastic because it doesn’t swell and bind up when used in a groove.
Step 10: Place the sliding top (part 13) on top of the swarm box and then put the sliding top assembly built in step 8 on top of the sliding top. Add a set of shims under the sliding top guides to provide the spacing so the sliding top (part 13) will be able to move in and out with ease. Then screw the sliding top assembly into the sides of the box.
Note: The top must be able to be closed very easily. You will have four to seven thousand bees milling around and you need them confined in the swarm box.
Note: Do not glue the sliding top assembly to the box. You may want to remove it at some time in the future.
Step 11: Finish the top by adding the sliding top open end (part 11) to the open end of the top assembly. It needs to allow the top (part 12) to glide in and out of the grooves with minimal resistance.
Step 12: Drill a hole through the sliding top (part 12) into the sliding top open end (part 11). This hole should be big enough to allow a nail or a piece of wire to be inserted to hold the sliding top closed.
Note: You don’t want the swarm box to lose its lid when you are moving it around. Five thousand bees loose in the house would mean the end of your beekeeping career and possibly a divorce.
Note: If the wire or nail is loose then give it a slight bend to make it stick in the hole. Then add a tether to the wire so you won’t lose it.
Step 13: Cut the frame stabilizers (parts 13) and drill the holes in them. These are used to provide a path for the bees to get to the water on the bottom of the swarm box and to keep the frames from moving.
Note: The length of this part is entirely dependent on whether you are using deep or medium frames in your swarm box.
Screw the frame stabilizers in place. Do not glue these in. You may want to use different size frames in the future.
Step 14: Paint your swarm box.
Note: Free paint is usually available at your local recycling centers.

Step 15: Staple the hardware cloth (part 14) to the swarm box. Use plenty of staples. A hole or leak for bees to escape through is not a good situation.
Note: Because the staples are in tight corners use a staple hammer and a hammer to apply the staples.

Conclusion
This swarm box is solidly built and a little complicated to build, but if constructed carefully, it will give your queens a good start for many years.

Thoughts
A queenless swarm box with an over population of nurse bees and no larvae to attend to, is the recipe for queen cell building. Adding the grafted cells with a vertical orientation kicks the nurse bees into a nursing frenzy and the grafted cells will be well filled with royal jelly. In less than twenty four hours, a batch of queens will have an excellent start.

Usage
It is just like baking a cake (take two cups of flour and add…)

  1. Place a shallow container of water with a wet wash cloth or a wet sponge, on the bottom.
  2. Add two frames of honey & pollen (uncapped honey works just fine, pollen should be fresh).
  3. Add two frames of drawn comb for cluster space.
  4. Add a frame of young larvae in the center position in the box.
    Note: This will start the nurse bees producing royal jelly and at the same time provide a second check for a queen that you missed when you shake the nurse bees into the swarm box.
  5. Shake five to 10 frames of nurse bees into the box (no queen).
  6. Let it sit in a cool, dark place for 24 hours.
  7. Check for the start of queen cells to make sure that there is no queen in the swarm box.
  8. Fill your grafting frame with young larvae.
  9. Replace the young larvae frame with your newly grafted frame in the center position in the swarm box.
  10. Return the swarm box to the cool ,dark place.
  11. Wait 18-24 hours.
  12. Place the newly started queen cells into your finishing hives.
  13. Return the nurse bees to their original hives.