Removing Bees before honey harvest

[BMogardo]

I'd like to try another method of removing the bees before taking the honey crop other than with a fume board. The beekeeping outlets seem to carry, porter, triangle and cone escapes as alternatives to fume boards and chemicals. I was curious to know what anyone has to offer by way of suggestions or recommendations.

[power napper]

The bee escapes work fine. Put the bee escape on at least a day before you wish to remove the super of honey and make sure there is no brood in the super,bees won't leave their brood, some times there will be a few bees left in the super.

[Action]

If using bee escapes
Make sure your boxes are tight-no cracks or holes. If you have holes plug them.Masking tape will work (short term)
Jack

[BMogardo]

What type of bee escape do you prefer? I realize of course that no one escape is 100%, but which ones do most people use?

[Sundance]

Are bee escapes that effective??

How long does it take to clear supers?

Thanks

[clintonbemrose]

A bee blower does it in seconds and works for me.
or you could even use a leaf blower altho it would be dificult to handle.

Clint

[BMogardo]

I have tried the blower but it knocks the hell out of the bees. I prefer to use the blower after I have cleared the super with as many bees as I can. I'm looking for a a method other than using a fume board and stinky stuff. The cone and triangle methods look to be worth trying. Does any have plans for either method?

[SilverFox]

Remember I'm no expert.
Just from my experience with a blower. If you use a blower, blow them up and out, I find that way to do it with the least bit of damage, it appears to confuse and disorient them. As for controlling a leaf blower, I made a stand for mine, you can see it in my post in the "equipment/hardware review" forum dated Oct 29,2005.
The 'leaf blower' I use has 2 speeds, I use the lower one first then kick it up to remove the stubborn ones. It clears a shallow super in under 2 minutes. With maybe 1 or 2 bees left.

[ March 21, 2006, 12:27 PM: Message edited by: SilverFox ]

[Jim Fischer]

> I'm looking for a a method other than using a
> fume board and stinky stuff.

Who says you have to use STINKY stuff?

http://bee-quick.com

[Focus on Bees]

I only use smoke, it takes a while to get the supers clear. I take the super apart frame by frame. Hey, its my "hobby" right ?? smile.gif

[kenpkr]

>I only use smoke, it takes a while to get the supers clear.<

Focus, aren't you afraid of giving your honey a smoke flavor. I've always read that one shouldn't use smoke before pulling off supers for honey extraction. Anyone else do this?

[Michael Bush]

While I have used none of them, I HAVE smelled all three products. Bee-Go. Honey Robber. Bee-Quick. IMO Bee-Go smells like vomit. IMO Honey Robber smells like cherry flavored vomit. IMO Bee-Quick smells like Amaretto or artificial Almond flavor (or Benzaldehyde, which is what Maraschino cherries are flavored with).

There is really no comparison.

[TwT]

I tried a couple bee escape's last year and the best one I liked was the Triangle Escape Board, worked fine....


http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=1223

[BMogardo]

Looks like I'll give the triangle type a go. I visited Dave Cushman's site and he has many other types to choose from as well. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

[Michael Bush]

The only time the triangular ones fail is when some drones get it clogged up or some brood keeps the bees from leaving.

[Sundance]

What do commercial guys use??

[Michael Bush]

>What do commercial guys use??

The ones I know use a blower.

[Jim Fischer]

> when some drones get it clogged up or
> some brood keeps the bees from leaving.

I dunno Mike, but maybe your bees are just
more gullible than any I've flown. smile.gif

Of all the designs, I have found the types
that use cones to be the best, as they frustrate
attempts to move back up into the supers.

If it is fall, and the nights are cool or
cold, one really does not even need a bee
escape - one can directly lift supers off
in the early-morning hours while the bees
are still down in the brood chambers.

That said, getting bees to leave the supers
during warm periods can be problematic, and
leaving supers "undefended" for long in SHB
infested areas would be a very bad idea.

But, to each his (or her) own.

[Jim Fischer]

>> What do commercial guys use??

> The ones I know use a blower.

Then they aren't very big, as blowers are
just too darn slow on a supers per hour basis.
If you talk with large operators, the usual
set-up is two beefy guys, a truck, and anywhere
from 4 to 6 fume boards. With this set up,
supers come off as fast as they can be lifted
off and slid onto the flat bed.

The two guys switch off between moving the fume
boards around (rest) and hefting the supers (work),
so that they can keep going until the truck is full.

[sqkcrk]

They use solar fume boards, regular fume boards, wind boards (fume boards with a stove pipe elbow on top, blowers and nothing.

Nothing? How does that work, you ask?

A friend of mine, who runs about 1,000 colonies, will quite often take off honey before the nectar flow is completely over. He takes the supers of honey off of the hives and stands them up on end. He does the whole yard this way. Once the honey supers are all stripped off this way we go back through the yard and put the supers on warehouse pallets, 40"X48", and put them on the truck. The bees will be out of the supers, 99%. It worked real well last fall.

[JJ]

Hi everyone, The keepers Ive talked to about blowing the bees out of supers say it dont take much time at all, plus you dont have to worry if the sun is out or if the wind is blowing. Most of the big beekeepers ive talked to say blowing is the way to go. I guess everyone has there way to do it. Silverfox has a nice set up and says it works great. Take care JJ

[Sundance]

Not to smitten with the blower concept. The most I wll be running is 500 colonies and I have time.

Leaning toward fume boards.

Anyone entertained the idea of powered fume boards?? Would be easy and cheap to add a computer case fan. A battery on a 2 wheeler could easily power 6 boards.

[Sundance]

Disregard the fan idea......... forgot I moved to North Dakota...... wind is not in short supply :D

[sqkcrk]

Bruce, that's what happens with the "Air Boards" made with the stove pipe elbow. Turn the opening towrd the wind and it really moves those bees outa there. No batteries needed.

[Ben Brewcat]

Anyone care to share plans (or measurements) on a triangle board? Trying to make as much as I can at home...

[Michael Bush]

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/triangleescape.html

Basically just make it fit on the size hive you're putting it on.

Here's a whole assortment:

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/clearerboards.html

[Ben Brewcat]

Thanks! For the math-challenged, what angle would one miter those corners to?

[Alex Cantacuzene]

Hi, Ihave made a couple of the Double Quebec boards from the plans on Dave Cushman's site (thanks Dave!) and they work fine. I put them on about 24 hrs ahead of harvest and had a minimum of bees in the boxes. For the stragglers I use a leaf blower with a long hose and one of those flattened vacuum cleaner nozzles. It gets them out with a minimum of fuss. Hope this helps, take care and have fun.

[Alex Cantacuzene]

Hi Ben et al, I built the board first, cut the hole in and then ripped the cleats. I then laid the cleats that I cut a bit long and then laid them out on the inside of the board until I was satisfied. From that I marked the angle on the cleats and set the radial arm saw for the final cut. A bit of caution: The angle is steep and you have to be careful! I am sure that you could cut these angles with a hand saw as well, just a bit more tedious. Take care and have fun

[Ian]

Kind of need a boom loader if you are to use escape boards. There is alot of lifting involved with them. Otherwise you lift honey off, to lift it back on, and then off again in two days. You have just handled your honey crop one more time!!

[Michael Bush]

>Kind of need a boom loader if you are to use escape boards. There is alot of lifting involved with them. Otherwise you lift honey off, to lift it back on, and then off again in two days. You have just handled your honey crop one more time!!

I set a bottom board behind and stack them on the bottom board. Then I come and get them. So I don't put them back on the hive.

[Joao Campos]

> For the math-challenged, what angle would one miter those corners to?

Take a look at escape board (http://br.geocities.com/jbacampos/tabesc.htm)

Translation tips:

Remark 1: C1 and C2 are mounted on the upper side of the board, in opposition to B1 and B2.

Rem 2: The board can be of MDF, 4 mm thick.

Rem 3: Over the triangle T1 must be stapled a piece of metallic or plastic screen (nylon works ok).

Read "3 sarrafos 1x1" as "3 slats 10mm x 10mm".

All other measurements in mm.

Adjust the external measurements to your hives'.

This model has served me well for several years, but I suggest you to make only one piece first, test it and check if it needs some adjustment. Since the measurements were guessed from a picture (taken by Allen Dick), maybe the board can be improved further.

João

[Ben Brewcat]

Thanks! Those are millimeter measurements then?

[Joao Campos]

That's right, millimeter (mm).

João

[JJ]

Hi everyone, Clinton and Silverfox I made a blower like the one Silverfox made and it works great, I mean great. I went to the yard this morning and smoke the hive a little tilted the super up on top of the brood box. Blew them right out in front of there home. Save a whole lot of time as to it was real cloudy here this morning. Thanks Silverfox for the idea on how to make and the stand, it works great. Take care JJ

[SilverFox]

Your welcome, JJ. Glad you liked the idea and that it works for you. :D