Can I take honey super and run?

[Beetime]

I need to get a few honey supers off. Can I just grab it and throw a empty one on and run like %*!! I still have one hot hive I really need to check. How should I go about this? Can I just set the whole super off, then set the medium super off to get to the deep so I can check it? or do I need to take the frames out of each super one by one?

[Pete0]

I'm far from an expert but here's my opinion. As for removing and replacing supers - there will still be bees in the super you remove. You could take it some distance from the hive and then pull the frames and at least not have as many bees around you. I sure wouldn't put it in the front seat of the truck for the ride to the extractor! When I do my reversing I just move boxes and leave the frames inside. Or if I can look down between the frames and see that the foundation is not drawn I'll just pull that super and put it aside and go on to the next one below. Much depends on what your inspecting for and how much you want/need to see. Good luck with your hot hive.

[K.A Pogge]

You could, but there are probably better ways. For some strange reason everytime I even *think* about robbing a stray frame guard bees come a thumping and I don't even need to be standing near the hives when it happens. <g>

But to run the list, there are chemicals you can use with fume boards, you can wait until dusk when the bees will be more likely to go home instead of chase you, bee escapes placed between the super and the body below it the day before you plan on harvesting. etc. Try running a search on HARVESTING or possible COLLECTING RENT for lots of information.

[Michael Bush]

If you have a hot hive, I'd requeen. Now. The longer you wait the stronger they will get.

But as to taking a super it will be full of bees. If you take it in the dark the bees will be meaner and more tenatious than if you do it in the daytime when they bees are busy.

If there is a good flow on, abandonment works. Just pull the super off and set it on a bottom with no lid a ways away and the bees will leave and go back to the hive. If there is not flow this will not work as the robbers will find it and you will have a feeding frenzy.

If the flow is over and you want to take the honey you have several choices. I usually set it on a triangular bee escape (you can build one or buy one. Brushy Mt. has them). Wait 24 hours and then take it. There will still be some bees in it, but not nearly as many. I brush off the remainder. Sometimes I set a bottom board behind the hive and the bee escape on that and stack the supers on that with a lid. That way I don't have to stack them off, put on the excluder and stack them back on. Saves moving them once.

Other choices are fumes. The better smelling less toxic version of this is Fischer Bee Quick. The rest are more toxic, really smelly varieties.

[Beetime]

Michael,
I have some of those triangular bee escapes that came in some equipment I bought. So I need to set it on a bottom board and then the honey super, and then a top. Which way to I turn the triangular bee escape? Triangle up or down?

[Michael Bush]

The triangle goes away from the supers. If you put it on the bottom board, that would be down. I have been known, if I have the extra equipment, to put one on top and one on the bottom to speed things up, in which case both the triangles go away from the supers. The round hole goes toward the supers.

[Branman]

Two questions -

do you guys smoke when pulling supers?

do you nonchem guys think using repellents compromises your nonchem honey? I noticed in the organic honey specs that you cannot use chemical repellents(dunno if this is ignorance on the part of the organic rule people). I realize that the almond stuff is used in cookies and stuff, but can I still call it 'nonchem' honey? I haven't FGMO'd or OA'd at all...I'm going to OA as a last resort if things go south, but so far so good.

[Beetime]

Michael,
I think your Idea sounds good. Is it ok to stack several supers from different hives on top of each other? How many can I stack on top of each other?

[Michael Bush]

I suppose if you have only one from each hive you could get away with it. But they may fight trying to defend their supers. My guess is that most of the time they won't but why set that off?

You can stack as many as you want on them. They are usually MOSTLY clear in 24 hours. They are never completely clear of bees until you do something else, like brush them, blow them etc.

[Tia]

Branman, Bee Quick is listed as the only "organic" repellant. That's what I use and it works well.

[Beetime]

Thanks to everyone for your input....I'm gonna give it a try and see how it goes. We haven't had rain in months and just as soon as I start talking about robbing honey,
it rains...LOL

[Daisy]

Yes, take the super off late evening but not after dark. They have to see to fly back inside the hive but not early enough to start a feeding frenzy.... the time depends on the length of the day.

So I can't say what time you should do it.

The bees start coming back home for good when the sun starts to go down. I guess they judge by the sun etc.

Living by the Sun. LOL

[Scot Mc Pherson]

I have a hive that is getting meaner than ordinary, but that is most definately relatively speaking. I work Top Bar Hives, and I have been getting stung by the time I gotten 3 combs deep into their nest. I have been working the bees for heat management reasons, but Dee Lusby shared with me that the bees will be most docile in the afternoon. I just working the hive this after noon (about 4:30pm), and I worked through the whole hive without getting stung. One time isn't exactly a definate result, but the fact is that the last 4 times I have tried to work through the hive I have been prevetned from finishing because my hand gets stung...And you know that once you get stung, you have a better chance of getting stung a 2nd time, and then an even better chance of getting stung a 3rd time and so on.

[Michael Bush]

>And you know that once you get stung, you have a better chance of getting stung a 2nd time, and then an even better chance of getting stung a 3rd time and so on.

It's the same thing if you smash your thumb with a hammer...

But seriously, have you considered gloves and a veil? Although my TBH has been very docile I wouldn't consider an occasional bee trying to sting me as unusual. But that's why I have a jacket with a zip on viel and a pair of gloves on. It's also why I smoke them.

The difference between first thing in the morning, the middle of the afternoon and last thing in the evening is very noticable. The more active the bees are, the better mood they are in.

But with a TBH I'm not sure I'd want to be working it when it's really hot out for fear of the comb collapse problems.

Of course, the difference in the demeanor of a hive that has been smoked five minutes before you open it is drastically different too.