On Sun, 12 Mar 1995, Crawfords Electronics wrote:
 
> >box of new frames and foundation does a good job.
>
> For nearly 30 years I've been putting out bait boxes around remote out-yards
> and for customers in commercial and residential buildings
> The first, worst mistake, I made was to place foundationed frames in the bait
> box. This not only never attracted / caught warms,  but wasted the foundation.
> Returning to the bait box several months later always  showed the wax  curled,
> and/or melted, slumped down  in the bottom of the super.
>
> Several times, I've observed that scouts looking at the stored supers will
> enter the empty  boxes, ignoring the ones with frames. If they like the box,
> they pause at the entrance and spray their marker - even, in several cases,
> I've observed the scouts removing cob-webs and garbage from the box  several
> weeks before the swarm arrived.
>
> If you don't have several dozen extra old supers in reserve, a new box (even as
> quick as a cardboard apple box) can be rendered attractive by rubbing it down
> across the entrance with a piece of old comb and then tossing it into the box
> before screwing a top board down. A good rule is to always  place the bait box
> off the ground. This is usually an  easy in a home situation - just put it on
> the garage roof (or equivalent). In the out-yards, garages are scarce, so the
> solution is a pallet or a  piece of plywood under the super and make the
> entrance at the top side instead of the bottom.
>
> Also remember to observe that if only 2 or 3 frames of old, solid, dark comb
> are used (this is the step taken after the foundation lesson is learned) that
> the bees will fill the empty space of the hive with natural comb before they'll
> touch the old frames.
 
This is about as good advice as I've ever seen on the matter.
 
I wonder if you have any advice as to whether a single or double is better?
 
My experience has been mostly with brood chambers left in a yard because
of lack of room on a truck, or stacks of supers stored outside under cover.
 
I also wonder where you are located and what percentage of swarms you
think you catch -- and how many pass by?
 
What you mention about seeing the scouts there weeks ahead is probably
one of the key points.  I wonder if you have ever put a box in place,
only to find it occupied the next day?  Has anyone?
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                        VE6CFK
Rural Route One   Swalwell   Alberta   Canada  T0M 1Y0
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