Sugar roll mite test

[Bryan]

What is the easiest (on me and the bees) way to collect a couple of hundred bees to do the sugar roll mite test ?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Bryan

[Michael Bush]

Get a very large funnel and put it in the jar and shake a frame of bees. Just make a fast downward movement with a sudden stop. With practice quite a few will fall into the funnel and therefore into the jar. Do it until you think you have enough. Then, if you like, you can measure them in a measuring cup so you get about the same number of bees every time. Just shake the jar up well (not so hard you hurt them, but enough to disorient them) and then pour them into the cup.

[Bryan]

Mike;
Thanks for your help, it seemed like such a simple thing to do until I tried to.

Bryan

[Michael Bush]

Of course it helps if the funnel is as wide as a frame. Glad it helped.