I know this is a bit early in the season to be asking about honey harvest. Perhaps I am simply an optimist. In any case, I am curious as to the best way to get the bees out of the supers in anticipation of a honey harvest. My reading has lead me to two options that appear as the best way: (1) triangle escape boards, or; (2) Fischer's bee quick with a fume board. I must admit that I am partial to the latter simply due to the apparant speed of the whole operation. That said, if it is dangerous to me or the bees, then I do not want to do it. So, what do you all think?
Quote from: Pond Creek Farm on March 29, 2008, 11:56:55 PM
I know this is a bit early in the season to be asking about honey harvest. Perhaps I am simply an optimist. In any case, I am curious as to the best way to get the bees out of the supers in anticipation of a honey harvest. My reading has lead me to two options that appear as the best way: (1) triangle escape boards, or; (2) Fischer's bee quick with a fume board. I must admit that I am partial to the latter simply due to the apparant speed of the whole operation. That said, if it is dangerous to me or the bees, then I do not want to do it. So, what do you all think?
Beequick with fumeboard works good and won't harm.
...JP
Leaf blower works good too.
I like triangle escape boards, but when hive numbers get high and instead of having a triangle escape board for each hive (expensive) a fume boards is cheaper and less work when you are working more hives ......
There you go. Ask three beekeepers get three answers...
I'd do abandonment during the flow or I'd wait for the weather to get cool and just pull them when the bees are down below. :) But if the timing is off, I use the triangular bee escapes or just brush them off the combs.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesharvest.htm#beeremoval
Do you have a lot of hives or just a few?
For a few:
I do the bee brush thing that Michael mentioned. I take one super off to harvest it, sometimes two in a day, but often only one.
I put an empty box off to the side sitting on a sheet or towel large enough to go both under and over the box.
I take the super off as in an inspection and set it beside the hive. Then I take one frame at a time, stand in front of the hive and give a vigorous shake, shaking most of the bees off of the frame onto the landing board or at least in front of the hive.
I take the bee brush, and brush any remaining bees off of the frame, put the frame in the super on the sheet and cover it quickly before any bee returns. Then I repeat that 10 times.
Here's a picture that I just found on my blog:
http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2006/09/brushing-off-bees-to-harvest-comb.html
I carry the covered super into the house and begin the harvest.
It's rather heavy and last year it dawned on me that I could take in five frames and return for the other five, cutting the weight in half.
OK, there you go,
Linda T in Atlanta anticipating harvest in a few months
Linda, be very, very careful if you've got five frames in a super and you're carrying it into the house. If they rack at all within the box (go a bit diagonal) they'll fall right out. Trust me, I found out the hard way - all five frames fell onto my foot, the only frames of honey we harvested off our Maine hives last fall :'( I did manage to save most of the honey, but the comb was a goner.
I think use a nuc or as Michael B recommended in another parallel post, fill the rest of the box with empty frames!
Linda T in Atlanta
If the sheet was wrapped around it, would that keep the frames from falling??
I like that idea a lot!
Great info!
The sheet keeps the bees out of the honey frames, but doesn't keep the frames from sliding if the box is not completely full. I did take in a super my first year in which one of the frames wasn't ready so I left it in the hive in and only brought in 9 frames with the idea of cutting the beautiful wax into chunk honey. Because the frames slid one of the prettiest frames was damaged and I had to crush that frame rather than cut the chunks out of it.
So the lesson is sheet or not, the box has to be full even if the frames include place holders that are empty of contents.
Linda T always learning in Atlanta