pulling supers using a triangle bee escape

[Tia]

Here's what I did last year at the strawberry fields: I put a triange bee escape on a hive stand about 10 feet back from the hives, stacked all the supers from all 5 hives on top and then put another triangle escape on top with an outer cover propped up over the escape just in case it rained. I came back in two days. There were still a few bees in some of the supers but no big deal; brushed them off, put the supers in the truck & drove home to extract.

This year they're all in my beeyard which is so much more convenient. Seven hives have honey to harvest. I plan to use the same method, but instead of using a stand, I'll just stack them in my wagon so the day after tomorrow I can just pull the wagon right to the door of my honey house and unload my booty.

I know you're supposed to put the escape between the supers and the hive body, but I have only two escapes and seven hives, so is it okay to do it this way? Like I said, it seemed to work well last year, but. . .

[power napper]

Hi Tia--sounds like a plan to me. Pretty clever also.

[DCH]

That sounds like a neat idea.

How do the girls from different hive react to each other, being stacked up together like that all of a sudden?

Do you think they find their way back home okay?

[Tia]

DCH, that's exactly why I was asking. They didn't seem to react adversely last year when they were all stacked together and they did all find their way to their respective homes, but just when you think you found a great way to do something, the girls usually turn around and do something contrary to past experience.

[Michael Bush]

>I know you're supposed to put the escape between the supers and the hive body, but I have only two escapes and seven hives, so is it okay to do it this way?

That's how I do it. Not only to save escapes, but to save having to take the supers off the hive, put the escape on and restack the supers on the hive. Too much work.

[Tia]

Thanks, Michael. So glad you agree. I always like the lazy, easy ways the best!

[dcross]

It's not lazy, it's energy efficient:)

[Tia]

Well, I'm still not pulling supers today! The temps in the high 80's with 80% humidity, my bum leg is killing me, there's thunder in the distance, but I figured, what the heck; go for it. Checked two hives. The honey's still not capped! Old timers say around here, "take off the honey at the full moon in June." Well, at the full moon in June (June 11), it wasn't even started to get capped. The ones I looked at today (17 days later) are still only about 25% capped! It is super humid around here, but that's only since the rains came. Is anyone in this area having the same problem? I don't care; I'm patient. But my honey customers are breaking down my door! It's gonna wait until after the 4th of July now. Company coming for the week. Be great if they'd come help, but you know non-beekeepers and bees.

[Parke County Queen]

Tia,

After reading your post I thought "Why didn't I think of that?" and felt kind of stupid. Good idea! I also use the triangle escape board. I guess you didn't notice any problems with the mixed bees.

[Jim Fischer]

> he honey's still not capped! Old timers say
> around here, "take off the honey at the full moon
> in June." Well, at the full moon in June (June
> 11), it wasn't even started to get capped. The
> ones I looked at today (17 days later) are still
> only about 25% capped!

If the frames are 25% capped, it is a very good
bet that a refractometer would reveal that you
can pull those supers.

Capping is labor and energy intensive.
The bees put them on, and you have to take them off.

Better to take a refractometer out to the yard,
and check the actual moisture content. I do
this all the time, taking no more than one or
two samples from every other uncapped frame in
a super, and based upon those samples, decide
if I can pull the super or not. To be honest,
my sampling methodology is "overkill", as I've
never seen much variation within any one super.

This is yet another example of how a less-than
$100 investment in a refractometer can pay for
itself directly, as those supers come off "earlier"
than they otherwise might, and you can put them
back on empty, giving your bees the chance to
fill them back up again.

I've pulled supers twice so far this spring, and
with all the rain we've had in recent days, I'm
expecting to do a 3rd pull in late July.

Super early, super every box you have.
Harvest early, harvest often. smile.gif

[Tia]

Jim, yes I know. I have to buy a refractometer. All my beekeeper friends keep prodding me and I keep putting it off. But you've explained it well and make a very good case for my spending that chunk of money. Can you give me some direction as to which one I should buy? The prices vary to such a degree. I believe if you buy quality the first time you won't have to buy again, but on the other hand I don't want to pay for more than I'm getting.

[Jim Fischer]

The cheapest one Dadant sells is junk.
The mid-priced one is fine - auto temperature
compensation and such, just like a $300 model.

[Michael Bush]

>I guess you didn't notice any problems with the mixed bees.

They are mostly busy with other things. Maybe if there wasn't a flow I might have a problem, but I haven't noticed one.

[Wee3Bees Apiary]

I don't have a refrectometer either and the logic in not having one has been bothering me . . . save $150 to $200 to guess why the bees haven't capped over the honey (after patiently waiting the last 6 weeks thinking in just one or two weeks, I will be able to pull my supers).

We have been in a strong flow the last 4 to 5 weeks and I have been sitting here twiddling my thumbs. By the way, my frames are also about 25% capped and have been that way . . . forever.

I bet that if my honey is ready and has been ready then it probably has cost me at least $150 per hive times 8 hives to not have already extracted and gotten more honey . . . you guys can do the math (I don't care to know; it is an expensive lesson).

Jim, thanks for your refractometer comments. I shall buy one tonight.

[Tia]

Would anyone trust the ones they sell on eBay? http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2 F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=beekeeping+refractometer&category0=

[Fuzzy]

The triangle boards, the double layer version or the Vortex version, seem to work well. But there can be some unexpected issues.
a. If used on the bottom side, too much dripping honey can result in bees trapped in the "channels"
b. If stored for any time, I find that small spiders tend to get into the channels and build nests or webbing and again the bees can become trapped with clogged channels.

So, now I stack the supers on a board or inverted cover, and place the triangle boards on top. Before starting, I run a propane torch along the channels to remove the unwanted webbing.

Works well -- Fuzzy

[Michael Bush]

Actually I usually put one on top and one on the bottom (make sure they are facing the right way for escape or you'll have MORE bees when you get done).

[palikaji]

I'd like to hear more about uncapped honey. I just posted on another site about a super that filled in the early spring flow but was never fully capped, also about 25%. I'm still a novice and not going to get a refractometer at this time, nor do I have professional customers to worry about.

Is there any health risk if the honey was just even slightly not cured? (seems like a good bet though based on the testimony here.

Thanks, palika

[iddee]

If the honey is cured enough, it will last "forever"...

If it isn't cured enough, you cannot stay in the house with it..When it ferments, It smells like a brewery with rotten meat in in the mash.

[John Cunningham]

I have had good luck with the triangle escape boards. I put 4 supers in a stack, two stacks to a palet. If there are any holes where the bees can get in I tape them. I have a lot less bees in the honey house since doing it this way.

[Jim Fischer]

Tia asked:

> Would anyone trust the ones they sell on eBay?

That unit, the "RHB-90ATC" is exactly the same
unit sold by many of the beekeeping supply houses,
and the exact model I happen to use myself. I
had 4 of them before I downsized, and they all
worked fine, even after being banged about in
ammo-box toolboxes in the back of Volvos for
several years, as all but one were used for
checking honey before supers were pulled.
Sorry, I sold all but one when I sold off the
bulk of my hives last fall.

I don't buy things on eBay on principle, but
this fellow at least puts his e-mail address
on his listings, so maybe you can order direct,
and save both him and you some money, rather
than doing business through eBay.

Palikaji said:

> I'm still a novice and not going to get a
> refractometer at this time, nor do I have
> professional customers to worry about.

Viscosity is another way to check, but it is
less reliable. In short, stick a coffee stir
stick into a few cells, pull it out, and look
at what sticks to the stick. It is LOOKS like
honey, and adheres to the stick like honey,
and travels slowly down the stick like honey,
then... its honey. Take out a jar of someone
else's honey to compare. Your eyes are better
than you might think at judging viscosity.

[Tia]

Thanks, Jim. I'll see if I can get one.

[Hillside]

Temperature is a huge variable when doing viscosity measurements. You almost need a standard to compare to if you want to be accurate at all.

[Jim Fischer]

> Temperature is a huge variable when doing
> viscosity measurements.

Sure, but not if he exposes both his "known good"
honey to the same temperatures as the uncapped
supers. That's why I suggested Take out a jar
of someone else's honey to compare.

[Hillside]

>> "Take out a jar of someone else's honey to compare."

And make sure it's well acclimated so as to be at the same temperature. Today was a hot one around here; about 96 degrees out at the hives. The bottle of honey sitting on my kitchen counter was at a comfortable 76 degrees. (I actually didn't ask, but the honey appeared comfortable to me.) How long would it take to heat that honey up to near 96 degrees?

I'm just sayin' -- be careful or it may not be as good a measurement as you had hoped.

[palikaji]

Thankyou, if it acts like honey, tastes like honey, and like someone else's honey, its probably honey! I can do that. Blessings, p.

[DCH]

Just cobbled together a couple of sets of triangle escapes last week and tried them for the first time this weekend. I gotta admit, I was skeptical about how in the world they would work but I watched the girls all line up to leave and, try as they might, none of them could find the way back in! Come Sunday morning, the supers had all of about three bees, total, in them. I'm sold! Worked better than the Portmans ever did and not nearly as messy as manually removing them with a bee brush and the fume board.

Tia, I used your setup, too. Worked like a charm!

Cheers,
Doug

[danno1800]

I had pretty much the same experience with the triangle bee escapes. Give them a day and most all the bees are gone form the supers. BE CAREFUL, however, that there isn't a corner you've damged with your hive tool over the years. I had one like this and the bees robbed half the super before I got back.

[Tia]

I always use masking tape to join the boxes together and seal all the little holes. It's just amazing what a tiny hole they can fit through when there's honey on the other side!