Indeed, a deep is a pain when its loaded with bees...
i stopped putting my boxes UP in trees.. I put them as high as I can comfortably reach, but a deep full of bees is still difficult when trying to support it with one hand and get the screws out/ ratchet strap off with the other hand....
I use all mediums, so tried different things.. a 5 frame med nuc, an 8 frame med box, and a ten frame med box.. I have yet to catch anything in the 5 frame box. Eight and ten have both yielded results.. The ten frame is cumbersome to deal with, so I built more 8 frame boxes for this year.. If you use deeps, the 5 frame DEEP box is about the same size as the 8 frame medium.. I also use foundation-less I dont know how much difference it will make, but the empty frames may make it look more spacious.. I add two frames to the box to split it up a little, and hopefully keep them from drawing cross comb if I dont check it for a couple weeks. I tried drawn comb but the wax moths usually had a field day in it, so use plastic PF 120's (small cell) from Mann Lake undrawn instead.
So far, swarm lure and lemon grass oil seem to have a similar effect.. I buy the swam lure just because I dont want to take any chances on a miss.. I normally put the swarm lure in, and put a few dabs of the lemongrass near the entrance.. Didnt have enough lure this spring so used lemongrass alone in four traps and had two swarms in them, and two swarms in the lure prepped boxes...
use the frames you want to go with, as you said, DEEPS.. so all you have to do is swap them into your normal brood box.. I TRY, to leave them alone in their box for about a week.. In that time they will draw a LOT of comb.. so far only one of them has made a mess that required doing a lot of cutting to get them hived. Letting them get comb going and eggs laid will help root them to the frames you put in the new hive.
I am still torn about the drawn comb.. I am SURE it would be a lure to them, but at the same time, if Wax moths move in before the scouts get there, it may also be a deterrent to them. I tried freezing the frames before I put them in, but still had about half the frames/boxes all webbed up when I finally did open them...
Once a box has been occupied by bees, its effectiveness increases. As I begin replacing old boxes I intend to cut them down into swarm boxes.. If you know any beeks who have been at it a few years, you might be able to talk them out of a couple deeps in need of repair to cut down for your traps.
The bottoms of mine are nailed in place, the tops screwed so they can be removed. I make a notch in the front board a little bigger than an inch and 3/8 high.. some folks like bigger entrances, but they also usually have to cross nail them to keep birds mice etc out of them.