Is it better to shake or brush bees?

[louborges]

I’m going to make splits and need to get bees off of the frames. I was wondering if the shaking causes problems to the larvae or brood and that I should just use a brush to get them off. Which is less stressful for the bees?

[honeyman46408]

When we make splits we move the bees with the frames and mabee shake a couple more frames of bees into the split, but when I want all the bees off the frame I shake first then brush.
Just my 2¢

[Solomon Parker]

I've noticed no problems with shaking. I just grafted three dozen larvae on Saturday and they didn't seem to be bothered by shaking, though I would probably avoid shaking them now. I brush full honey frames just because they're heavier.

[honeyshack]

I have shaked and can get almost all the bees off the frames with a couple of shakes.
The problem with the brush is it makes them testy, mad and down right displeasing to work with. I have two brushes and rarely use them

[MrHappy]

One thing that helps if you brush them is to spritz the brush with water. It gets on the wings a bit and makes them nicer. I've helped a few pros and they all spritz and use a heavy hand on brushing from the boxes. Frames most of them just shake.

[wcubed]

Bees don't mind being pushed along in front of the brush bristles, but if rolled under trailing bristles, they come up fighting mad. Brush with less pressure on the bristles.
Walt

[sqkcrk]

Shaking frames of brood for the purposes of splitting works well. Brushing works well too, if you have one. Don't shake frames of young larvae for grafting and never shake a frame of queen cells, brush both.

[Michael Bush]

Reasons not to shake:
1) if there is a queen cell involved it will damage the queen.
2) if you have fragile comb (new comb, comb that isn't partly attached on all four sides etc.)

Either way, remember, it is the element of surprise. It requires suddenness to brush (flick them) and it requires suddenness to shake. Never try to be gentle when brushing or shaking.

[wcubed]

When harvesting frame at a time, place your work-into box several yards away with a flat, oversized cover panel. Lift out a harvestable frame, shake vigorously over the open hive, and continuously while moving to the collection box. When you get to the work-into box, you will have no bees on the frame. The trick is to move the cover, get the frame into the box, and replace the cover without having airbourn bees alight on the frame.

[rweakley]

with harvesting honey I much more prefer brushing to shaking. If you have a full frame of honey you can shake it right out of the frame.

[quevernick]

I use a big feather to brush the bees now. I never can get enough bees off by shaking and since I use foundationless I'm a little worried about doing it to much, especially on the TBH's. When I used a brush the bees always burrowed into the brush and would be quite mad when they finally got out. I use quick short strokes with the feather and it seems to work much better, maybe I just never figured out how to use the brush right