Modular Bee Swarm Trap & Trap-Nest (Eco Garden Bee Catcher)

Overview

Traditional stingless beekeeping swarm traps rely on improvised 2-liter PET bottles wrapped in cardboard and plastic bags. This project modernizes the trap-nest into a durable, reusable, and biologically optimized enclosure engineered to print seamlessly on compact 3D printers like the Bambu Lab A1 Mini (180 x 180 x 180 mm build volume).

With a total height of 304 mm and an internal volume of ~2.2 L, it closely matches the proven proportions of natural cavities preferred by native stingless bees while providing non-invasive colony monitoring.

Key Design Features

• Dual-Wall Thermal Insulation: Uses a hollow perimeter filled with 3D gyroid infill to create thousands of micro-air pockets, minimizing thermal fluctuations without requiring messy manual EPS/foam filling.

• Integrated Sensor Housing: Fits a standard diameter 41 mm round digital mini hygrometer/thermometer. The interior features a built-in 1.2 mm perforated barrier that allows continuous climate monitoring while preventing bees from sealing the sensor vents with propolis/cerumen.

• Modular 2-Part Assembly: Split horizontally into two interlocking modules (~152 mm tall each) with light-tight tongue-and-groove joints to prevent light leaks, water ingress, and hive pest attacks (Phorid flies / Pseudohypocera kerteszi).

• Flat Floor & Clean Entrance: Features a bottom-side entrance port with a landing chamfer for wax tube anchoring, elevated above the base floor to prevent waste or condensation buildup from obstructing flight traffic.

• Integrated Tree Mount: Features a concave back profile with 8 internal zip-tie/cable channels for solid, flush mounting to tree trunks or posts without external brackets.

Recommended Print Settings

• Printer: Bambu Lab A1 Mini (or any 180 mm3+ build volume printer)

• Material: White or light-colored PETG (recommended for UV/outdoor durability) or PLA (strictly under full shade)

• Wall Loops / Perimeters: 4 (ensures total opacity and water tightness)

• Infill Pattern: Gyroid

• Infill Density: 12% to 15% (optimal for thermal barrier performance)

• Supports: None needed (all overhangs and bridges are self-supporting)

• Wall Generator: Arachne (recommended for clean 1.2 mm sensor grill holes)

Deployment & Usage Tips

1. Attractant: Generously coat the interior walls, landing cone, and entrance hole with stingless bee propolis extract (cerumen/propolis dissolved in alcohol). Allow it to dry completely before assembling.

2. Mounting: Secure the trap vertically to a shaded tree trunk or wall using heavy-duty zip ties through the built-in rear channels.

3. Monitoring & Transfer: Check the external hygrometer for temperature/humidity stabilization. Once a swarm establishes and brood development begins, unclip the modular front shell for smooth, clean colony transfer to a definitive wooden hive box.