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How to Remove Bees Before Extracting?

7K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  Charlie B 
#1 ·
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
 
#7 ·
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.

View attachment 3858
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
 
#4 ·
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.
 
#8 ·
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.
 
#14 ·
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.
 
#12 ·
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! :eek:
 
#17 ·
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?route=product/product&filter_name=escape&product_id=1924
 
#18 ·
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.
 
#21 ·
Hi all,
My present practice is effective but very time consuming.


Doe anyone have a different method and are still married?

Thanks
Chris in NJ
it would be just as simple to use a leaf blower and blow the bees out. Then your handling the boxes and not the frames. You can also pretty much get all the bees out if you want to
 
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