Need help with Trapping strategies

I've been a B/P ranger for a long time and wanted to try trapping so I could farm solo...but I really need some help with my build/strategy (translation: I suck! )

So...here are my noobish questions :

1) My main agony: Is trapping only meant for melee foes? I was hoping to trap avarica but some ranged dwarves have been causing me a lot of trouble.

2) What is the general idea for trapping strategies? Is it pre-setting multiple traps to cripple/weaken a group immediately followed with setting additional traps in their faces?

3) To avoid intteruption, is Whirling Defense better than Trapper's Focus?

Thanks! 1. The code of a trapper. If it follows you, its dead. Pretty much everything in the game could be killed using a trap team (1-8, take your pick on size). The thing that dedicates whether they are or not is, is it worth the time? Trapping is slow, but powerful.

2. If your with a trap team, or if your not but thats how they want things to progress pre-trapping is pretty much the only way. You trap, you lure, you conquer. If its a melee mob, lure as many as you can safely before heading back, everyone MUST stand over traps vs melee mobs, retreating can just cause some to spread out too much. High level areas generally work with the aim to blow things up with no survivors. Offensive trapping afterwards is possible vs melee foes if they stay crippled or blind. vs Ranged they must stay blind, vs casters its usually not worth it.
If your not with a trap team, it differs, A pug, i'd probably say your wasting your time pre-trapping. The chances that they all have the competance to lure a melee attacker over your traps or even wait for you to finish and lure something onto them to make things easier are slim. An organised team you may only need something like a Barbed Trap, chances are someone somewhere has melee hate in your team and Dust Trap is better for plain damage and annoying casters/rangers/paragons.

3. If your under heavy fire Whirling Defences will just stop you dieing, you would still get interrupted. Trappers Focus won't help if your enemies have skill based interrupts. If your running Trappers Focus i'd suggest Natural Slide. That way you can protect yourself if things go bad and flee.

I haven't actually tried On Your Knees+Spike Trap yet. I'm assuming you could do the same using Barbed Trap/Snare with Tripwire letting you use Echo or Smoke Trap instead while still renewing Whirling.

If your in a Trap team though, Echo Dust Trap is definatly the way to go. Spike Trap is a very good assist because of the knockdown making em stick around longer, but isn't overly needed.

Solo trapping i wouldn't advise on too heavily for making money. Semi-solo trapping however, never underestimate the power to make heros leave the area in a high level area Oh how i love Stygian Gems.