Has anyone ever used blowing to make bees get off the top of frames and covers so you can remove wax and replace the covers ? It works real good,better then a brush.Just telling you some of my thinking.A leaf blower on low blow would work good I think.I just blow on the top frames with my mouth now but a leaf blower to get them off the covers would work good I think.Think i'll try it next time.
Quote from: Joelel on June 24, 2009, 02:56:03 AM
Has anyone ever used blowing to make bees get off the top of frames and covers so you can remove wax and replace the covers ? It works real good,better then a brush.Just telling you some of my thinking.a leaf blower on low blow would work good I think.I just blow on the top frames with my mouth now but a leaf blower to get them off the covers would work good I think.Think i'll try it next time.
Too what purpose, to agitate the bees? Purposely agitating the bees serves no useful purpose, over time it will not only get the beekeeper stung but other people as well. It's kind of like banging on the sides of the bee hives during a demonstration, knowing it makes them mad and then wondering why people got stung.
If removing a number of supers during honey harvest then the use of a blower makes sense as it saves times and gets the bees out the supers. Anyother time it is an invitation to getting stung too many times.
I do not consider it well thought out beekeeping practices.
A little puff of smoke will achieve the same thing. A blower would be over kill besides bees dont much like the viberation from running motors
Just thinking like an Admin here for a second: New members posting an average of 14 messages a day scare me a little. I love such exuberence from any member, it's just strange to see anyone "Out of the gate" kick it into high gear this quickly. And mot to sound paranoid, but seeing long posts with awveral quotes embedded looks way to familiar :catchchick:
I think the idea of using a blower of any kind is a bit strange and would never do it myself. Smoke is truly magical stuff and I would never PURPOSELY get my bees airborn when smoking them gets them nicely tucked away in the hive, busily doing bee stuff that keeps them active until I'm out of there!
There was a guy on dirty jobs that did it when he was taking honey supper's off he was from Eugen Oregon. My self I would not use one.
Quote from: Joelel on June 24, 2009, 02:56:03 AM
Has anyone ever used blowing to make bees get off the top of frames and covers so you can remove wax and replace the covers ? It works real good,better then a brush.Just telling you some of my thinking.a leaf blower on low blow would work good I think.I just blow on the top frames with my mouth now but a leaf blower to get them off the covers would work good I think.Think i'll try it next time.
Joelel14 messages a day scare me a little all so
Use blower for honey supers if you got a few you can use repllent DO NOT BLOWER THE BROOD CHAMBERS
http://www.dadant.com/documents/2009DadantBeekeepingCatalog-fullcopy-reducedsize.pdf Pg 59
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
Quote from: beemaster on June 25, 2009, 04:27:55 PMNew members posting an average of 14 messages a day scare me a little. I love such exuberence from any member, it's just strange to see anyone "Out of the gate" kick it into high gear this quickly.
I wanna grow up to troll like that some day!! :evil:
Quote from: beemaster on June 25, 2009, 04:27:55 PM
Just thinking like an Admin here for a second: New members posting an average of 14 messages a day scare me a little. I love such exuberence from any member, it's just strange to see anyone "Out of the gate" kick it into high gear this quickly. And mot to sound paranoid, but seeing long posts with awveral quotes embedded looks way to familiar :catchchick:
I think the idea of using a blower of any kind is a bit strange and would never do it myself. Smoke is truly magical stuff and I would never PURPOSELY get my bees airborn when smoking them gets them nicely tucked away in the hive, busily doing bee stuff that keeps them active until I'm out of there!
I'm not saying use a blower instead of a smoker,I'm saying to us it instead of a brush, a little blowing with my mouth runs them off the top of the frames down into the frames so I can scrape wax off the frames.. I figure a blower would do a good job getting them off the covers to replace them instead of brushing.Just light blowing makes the move.No hurting them as a brush can do.I'll try it sunday on my covers only,NOT INTO MY BOXES,my mouth does fine there on top of the frames. I'll let you all know how it works.
Quote from: Joelel on June 25, 2009, 08:36:26 PM
I'm not saying use a blower instead of a smoker,I'm saying to us it instead of a brush, a little blowing with my mouth runs them off the top of the frames down into the frames so I can scrape wax off the frames.. I figure a blower would do a good job getting them off the covers to replace them instead of brushing.Just light blowing makes the move.No hurting them as a brush can do.I'll try it sunday on my covers only,NOT INTO MY BOXES,my mouth does fine there on top of the frames. I'll let you all know how it works.
Who use a brush ? I do not.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
Good luck Joel.... let us know how it works. I use 4.0 reading glasses, keeping frames 6 to 8 inches from face to look deep in cells, I put my lower lip inbelow my upper teeth and breathe out, it lets me breathe straight down and not at the bees. That works very well and WHAT a great view with those 4.0 glasses, it's surrealistic looking.
Quote from: Jim 134 on June 25, 2009, 09:27:55 PM
Quote from: Joelel on June 25, 2009, 08:36:26 PM
I'm not saying use a blower instead of a smoker,I'm saying to us it instead of a brush, a little blowing with my mouth runs them off the top of the frames down into the frames so I can scrape wax off the frames.. I figure a blower would do a good job getting them off the covers to replace them instead of brushing.Just light blowing makes the move.No hurting them as a brush can do.I'll try it sunday on my covers only,NOT INTO MY BOXES,my mouth does fine there on top of the frames. I'll let you all know how it works.
Who use a brush ? I do not.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
I know some people hit their covers and knock the off. I don't like that either. I know knocking them and brushing makes them aggressive. I found blowing on them don't.