Final stages of Scion creation. Another coat of propolis, essential oils, and wax and it’s ready to hang.
After reading about the Russian Scion last year I have been eager to make and employ one in my own bee yard. Having used swarm traps with great success I know that swarms can often be retrieved before flying off. However, sometimes issuing swarms choose high branches or remain out of sight of the beekeeper. The scion adds another opportunity to the beekeeper prior to the swarm trap. Since I am home most days and walk my bee yard daily, hopefully I’ll be able to attract them to the easily retrievable scion, and hive them instead of relying on the traps which are also located on site. Below is a good post found on http://www.beesource.com posted by DocBB with some nice pictures:
I found a almost unknown device for us but which is of a common use in every Russian apiary is the “Scion” – (Привой и роевня)
It is a trap or a shelter to catch the swarm as early as possible without (may be) climbing trees.
Can you find it here on the plan?
There are many “designs” but it is commonly settled not far and in front of the hives entrances , one or several of them according to the size of the apiary
The traditional model is a 20-30 cm wide and 30-40 cm plank with one cleat fixed vertically in the middle , more or less rolled with burlap and coated with
alcoholic solution of propolis and flavoured with essential oils (lemongrass, etc.)
as on this blog
the “scion” is then hanged at around 2 to 2,5 m high.
It seems to work !
and the use of one or more old frame is not forbidden
or an old propolised burlap
Beekeeping365 
I’d not heard of this system before. We used to use bait hives (happy homes waiting for swarms to move into), but I never liked leaving unoccupied combs exposed to robbing. (In some places, it’s illegal to leave equipment where it may be robbed by neighbour bees.)
Smelly, strategically-positioned scions seem like a great idea. Would the addition of q-pheromone help?
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Ron, I don’t know about the queen pheromone. I also use bait hives and will continue to do so. This is another option to catch them before they fly off or choose a bait hive. Actually I think it’s just going to be a lot of fun lowering them down and into a hive. 🙂
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Oooh, now that’s cool. And easy to make. Since I’m committed to a small hive experiment (for varroa control), and that guarantees some natural swarming, this would let me have my swarms and keep them, too.
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AV, I too am hoping this helps “save” a swarm or two this year. Try bait hives also if you haven’t yet. Spring is almost here! Cheers!
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What a great tool! Thanks for sharing this.
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We wish you luck. Your original article inspires us to set one up but the swarm ignored it and went for a much less convenient location. We do not know how to figure out what went wrong. Not smelly enough? Too near the “better” location? Who knows what bees think?
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We should have said “inspired”. Fingers can be as contrary as bees on occasion.
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