[Stone]

I had a thought and I wanted to put it out on the forum for feedback:

I find working TBHs to be slow going because I'm taking great care not to crush bees as I close up the bars. I haven't used smoke and I really don't want to depend on doing so. I have tried Phil Chadler's idea (Biobees.com) of some cider vinegar diluted in water in a spray bottle. It works but not effectively enough. So I started thinking about an idea to put a little Bee Quick on a cotton ball inside a small bottle and giving the bees between the bars a whiff to get them to go down inside. Has anyone tried this? I don't want to order the stuff before I get some of your opinions.

 

[Maine_Beekeeper]

I don't get your logic.
Why use bee quick and not smoke?

 

[peacekeeperapiaries]

Im not sure what your trying to accomplish here? :scratch:

 

[Stone]

Glad you asked, guys.

Smoke is like, "My house is burning down! Let's get out of here!"

I'm thinking that Bee Quick is like a bad dog fart. You hold your breadth and walk out of the room (and put on the fan if you have one).

In my opinion, it seems one makes for a great deal of stress, the other makes for some discomfort.

I'd choose the less stressful route, if indeed this is the case. That's why I asked the question to begin with. (I never smelled Bee Quick and I never saw anyone use it or spoke to anyone who did.)

 

[Maine_Beekeeper]

Bee Quick and other product like it smell so bad to bees that they will abandon their brood to get away from the smell.
Use smoke.

 

[Beethinking]

I use neither and when placing bars back together simply line up the bars and then set the one I'm holding down flush with the next bar. This generally pushes the bees hanging below downward and those on the side out of the way. It takes some practice, but once you become proficient you can open a TBH and put it back together very rapidly.

Cheers,
Matt