Swarm lures from ebay

[Ben Smith]

I have the lemon grass oil, I have borrowed some frames of drawn comb and I have made up two traps. I want to increase my chances of catching a swarm and was thinking of purchasing lures. I have seen reasonably priced lures on eBay but I am not sure if they are any good.
Has anyone used lures purchased from eBay with success?
Do they actually contain the chemicals that mimic the nasanov pheromone (or will I just be purchasing some expensive phials of lemongrass oil or some other liquid)?

 

[thenovice]

(or will I just be purchasing some expensive phials of lemongrass oil or some other liquid)?

very likely . if you want to make your own nasonov mix: 2:1 citral and geraniol oils. will not be cheap but you know its the real deal.

 

[Ben Smith]

very likely . if you want to make your own nasonov mix: 2:1 citral and geraniol oils. will not be cheap but you know its the real deal.

Hmmm. OK where do you buy this stuff from?

 

[thenovice]

if you want pure stuff, Sigma-aldrich or Fisher or another supplier of lab reagents. Otherwise, any of those health shops might have them for aromatherapy.

 

[Ben Smith]

Thanks
Are these the same components of the lures sold by the likes of Thornes?

 

[thenovice]

Thanks
Are these the same components of the lures sold by the likes of Thornes?

I have no clue. I am sure if you ask they will give you a reasonable answer...

 

[pargyle]

I have the lemon grass oil, I have borrowed some frames of drawn comb and I have made up two traps. I want to increase my chances of catching a swarm and was thinking of purchasing lures. I have seen reasonably priced lures on eBay but I am not sure if they are any good.
Has anyone used lures purchased from eBay with success?
Do they actually contain the chemicals that mimic the nasanov pheromone (or will I just be purchasing some expensive phials of lemongrass oil or some other liquid)?

Well ... they haven't caught me any swarms but the ones I bought on ebay certainly attract bees ... I made the mistake of opening the vial on the garden table on the patio last year ... spilt some of it - table plagued by bees for two weeks ... the smell doesn't half hang about.

 

[Cazza]

I'd have thought it would be better to buy from a beekeeping supplies rather than a possibly dodgy ebay seller. Paynes swarm lures work very well and a pack of 5 is much cheaper than buying citral and geraniol to make your own.

I use these to try to mop up any escapees from my apiary and also to tell me that a colony may be about to swarm.
Cazza

 

[Roola]

I'm using a combination of lemongrass oil and the vita Europe swarm attractant wipes this year. I've torn the bottom off the sachet and nailed to a frame, few drops of lemongrass on top frames and outside certainly gets them interested. The prime swarm I caught even went into a hive with just foundation in so think it works.

 

[MartinL]

Got to be worth a fiver of anyone's money.