>I try to place them facing South or East up in trees
around the neighborhood and a couple a good distance away at some
relatives' houses that will keep an eye on them for me.  

Hi Jeremy,

My experience in trapping bees has
shown success with the following, and
should apply to your area assuming 
conditions are similar to mine, as they
probably are.

I rarely put traps in trees, unless the tree
is very large, -a landmark.  Landmarks and
contrasting objects are like beacons for scout 
bees.  

I have followed home seeking bees, and
they seem to prefer searching large landmarks
such as houses, sheds, playhouses, woodpiles etc.
Ive seen them go from searching structures to 
focus on large trees, some observed starting at 
the base and working up.  With structures, Ive 
seen them investigating where the window and 
door jams meet the siding.  

The time spent by one scout bee searching a 
single structure can last several minutes,
perhaps up to 10 minutes, while in contrast, ive 
seen scouts zip up a side of a tree in about one minute,
spending very little time investigating.  I'e also 
witnessed severl dozen bees searching a single
structure, while a tree, never more than one bee
at a time, this during the 'initial discovery' process.

So, places where scouts are attracted more,
and spend more time searching are key to trapping
success.

Traps placed on the honeyhouse, stored bee equipment, 
sheds, abandoned farm equipment, chicken coop, areas
of contrast etc. would have a better chance at success.

>I use lemon grass
oil for a lure, I find a short piece of pex with cotton in either end holds
the smell well.  

I use about a cup of dark junk beeswax and
heat in microwave and add about 1/8 cup of
lemongrass oil.  This I paint on a 5 by 5 inch
section of the inside sidewall on the south 
side of the box above the entrance.   This will
hold the attractant for several months.

>I've been meaning to try nuc boxes for a smaller
alternative...

In an area such as yours where you have competition
from other voids which are probably abundant.  I would 
not use anything smaller than a medium deep super. 

>There's a lot of people that post for swarm calls in the area, but I've
been working on my networking.  

If you can establish friendship with a pest control
company that is pro bee, this would be of great
benefit.  

If your local bee association would place an add in the
pest control section of the phone book.  This is where
the public tends to turn to first.  You can also place adds
on free internet sites under 'pest control' and this will
boost referrals.

Remember, that people calling pest control companies
or finding your number under pest control are expecting
to pay for the removal, and I would charge them for
your troubles. 

Best Wishes
Joe 
Pennsylvania

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