I'm thinking for a bait hive I'd perhaps have the one frame of old comb, then fill the rest using frames with starter strips in the hope that they'd draw comb from those whilst leaving the majority of the box a single void so it looks like a nice space when the scouts check it out.
When I've collected a swarm one evening in a cardboard box and not been able to put them in a hive until the following morning they've often started drawing comb from the top of the box, so they're certainly keen to get onto it as soon as they've decided to stay. Hardly surprising perhaps when there can be a very large number of house bees in a swarm and they don't have a whole lot else to do.
James
