Blowing Bees out of Supers in cold weather

[buzzbuzz]

I am wondering how warm it must be outside for me to safely blow the bees out of my honey supers in order to harvest. Thanks.

[Ravenseye]

If it's warm enough for them to fly, it's probably warm enough to blow them out of the supers.

[Countryboy]

And if it is cold enough for them to be clustering, the cluster will likely be in a lower box, and it's unlikely there will be any bees in the super to blow out.

[Michael Palmer]

I've had to blow bees out of supers in cold weather. Here's how...

Place an outer cover in front of the hive...upside down. Slide it under the landing board. Place an inner cover or piece of plywood on each side of the cover and leaning against the sides of the hive. Stand super at edge of cover, and blow bees at entrance. The bees will mostly fall on the upturned cover. The two inners prevent the bees from being blown to the sides and behind the hive. The upturned cover keeps the bees off the ground and out of the grass. After the supers are cleared, the bees will be clustered on the cover. Make them a little ladder and they'll crawl up and into the hive. Temps in the 40s are ok.