How to Remove Bees Before Extracting?

[chrisd4421]

Hi all,
With my bees in my yard and my extraction location being my kitchen, my wife is not terribly keep on the straggler bees in the house on honey day. My present practice is effective but very time consuming.

I bring out an empty super out to the hive; it has a solid bottom and a solid top. As I pull a frame to be extracted, I brush all bees off and then place it in the empty super.

This seems OK but if I am pulling the whole super, I am still going frame by frame to get the bees off not to mention I am touching everything twice.

Doe anyone have a different method and are still married?

Thanks
Chris in NJ

[ycitybz]

If you only have a few hives the way you are doing it is the fastest way I think. If you have more than a few check out this video on YouTube.com; canadaprairiebee "honey collection"

[Mr.Beeman]

Build a bee escape board from an inner cover. Place it underneath the honey super and wait 24 hours. Most of the bees will be under the escape board.
The pic shows the underside which faces down.

249635.image1.jpg

[johng]

I think the way you are doing it is probably the best way if getting off all the bees is your main concern. Using a fume board and blower is more efficient but, I have yet to be able to get all the bees out of the super.

Building a small kitchen outside would be easier. Even if it is only a small screened in room. Sell it to the wife as a summer kitchen for family cook outs.

[MDS]

Fume board and brush off any remainders is what I do with 6 production hives.

[Ted adams]

I have tried brushing, but if you have more than a couple of supers it can be time consuming. fume board works great, with very few bee's left to brush off, try it you will never go back to just brushing off.

[chrisd4421]

Build a bee escape board from an inner cover. Place it underneath the honey super and wait 24 hours. Most of the bees will be under the escape board.
The pic shows the underside which faces down.

249635.image1.jpg

I have one but since I went with Top Entrances, this no longer works.....unless I temporarily move the entrance to between the supers and the brood...the I would be in business.

Anyone out there with Top Entrances and any good ideas?

Thanks
Chris in NJ

[Acebird]

I have a bee escape but have never used it.
If you want to move the super below the brood chamber you can put the escape on top of the super. It's more lifting work.

So far I waited until cool weather, pulled the box off and take it away. Put an empty box on the hive as a funnel and go get the honey frames one at a time and shake and brush them into the top of the hive. Put the empties into another box with a cover so the bees don't go back on the frames. Put the box into a freezer for a couple of days and if there are one or two bees left in there they are not going to fly again.

The wife has no problem with the sticky honey and propolise in the kitchen? Give her a good licken and that will sweater her up.

[My-smokepole]

I love my Leaf Blower. Just remember you need to sneak on them before they lock there legs.
David

[Rader Sidetrack]

unless I temporarily move the entrance to between the supers and the brood...the I would be in business.

You could add a shim to the bottom of the bee escape to allow an entrance at that point. Then just add the escape underneath the super you want to remove and close off the original top entrance.

[JRG13]

Do you shake the bees off the frames first then brush? I have an escape didn't try it yet, but if you have shb, you gotta be careful about using one, can't leave it on too long.

[Charlie B]

No matter what you do you'll probably bring in a few stragglers. That's why I don't extract in the kitchen anymore. That and family members bare feet being glued to the floor!

[NasalSponge]

leaf blower and a few hitchers that become harmless once inside the house.

[Acebird]

Do you shake the bees off the frames first then brush? I have an escape didn't try it yet, but if you have shb, you gotta be careful about using one, can't leave it on too long.

Yes shake then brush. I feel the foragers come off easy and then the young buggers hang on for dear life. The young buggers are less likely to fly at you though. How is SHB a problem if you are harvesting the frames? They can't do much in 24 hours.

That and family members bare feet being glued to the floor!

Soak your feet in warm water and then you can skate around the kitchen.

[Michael Palmer]

Anyone out there with Top Entrances and any good ideas?

I use bottom entrances, but I do have top entrances for winter. I close them in the spring, and open a crack between two boxes lower on the hive. After they learn the new entrance, I close it and down they'll go to the open bottom entrance.

So, you could place a triangle escape board under your full super, and make an opening between the next two boxes down by moving the corner of the top one back, leaving an opening big enough for the returning field bees. You'll be surprised at how fast they accept the new entrance. They may land where the former entrance had been, but will soon learn to crawl down to the new entrance. Once the honey super is removed, go back to using the top entrance. This will have no effect on the bees.

[Acebird]

The fact that they easily find another way in and out makes trap outs more difficult.

[libhart]

I have a couple of these. Took a shim, attached a sheet of hardboard over the top of it with a circle cut out. Just push this in that hole, on the hive for 24hrs and you're good. These were a little cheaper when I got them. It doesn't rely on a bee's inability to go through a small hole on tight angles, there's a physical barrier which works well. Still need to brush, but you're only brushing maybe 5-6 bees out of a whole super.

http://www.thorne.co.uk/index.php?ro...roduct_id=1924

[EastSideBuzz]

Doe anyone have a different method and are still married?

So I used my kitchen until I had 40 hives. Now I only use the inside for specialty extractions and bottling. My partner has a cowen 60 and full set up that I use for my 150 operation.

I totally feel you issues. I did it with a tarp on the floor but, the honey fumes still float around and make dust stick to surfaces that you would not expect them too.

[Mr.Beeman]

Honey fumes? For real?
Are you heating the honey and getting fumes?

[southeastflorida]

Do those high power gas leaf blowers, do a lot of damage to the bees?
I tried a small battery blower, but it didn't get many bees, the gas ones have 5x the velocity.