Last couple years I only had a few boxes to harvest. So I went frame by frame and removed all the bees before bringing a cleared box in for crushing and straining. This year my recent inspections show that we have 12+ boxes I will have to clear the bees from before the processing can begin. I've got a few different bottles of Be Go, Be Gone, and some other concoctions that I don't want to use this year. I want the bees to leave the honeycomb some other way. I don't want to use the leaf blower either.
Can I take the capped honey off the hives a few days before the harvesting session? Will the bees on the comb eventually leave the comb and fly back to their hives? How can I harvest without fuming, brushing or blowing all the bees off the honeycomb?
Can I take the capped honey off the hives a few days before the harvesting session? Will the bees on the comb eventually leave the comb and fly back to their hives? How can I harvest without fuming, brushing or blowing all the bees off the honeycomb?