Hello all! I have been using Honey Robber or Beegone for the last few years and it is unavailable locally. I am wondering what
you creative sorts have done as an alternative to using a stink board to clear out a super...n I have a bee brush and shop vac, but
I have one very aggressive hive which would not respond well to these more invasive procedures... What's another good idea?
Fischer's BEE-QUICK on a fume board
the triangular bee escapes work well if you have no brood in the supers. Fischers product was a total waste of time for me. The bees don't seem to mind the smell either. I like judiciously using bee go. It works well under a wide range of conditions.
Welcome to the forum and update your profile with your location.
I have used the product 'Natural Bee" I believe the name is from Brushy mountain with success. Lose the stink stuff they make others that won't make you puke!
The key to Bee Quick, Natural Bee etc is enough warmth on the fume board or a fan/ breeze source to get it to circulate/fume.
I take the super a short distance from the hive. Then I remove one frame at a time, shake or brush the bees off and put that frame into an empty super that I keep covered with a towel. Fold the towel back just to insert the beeless frame of honey and recover quickly. This isn't the quickest method I know but it requires no chemicals or special equipment. Perfect for managing just a few hives. Also, removing the super away from the parent hive greatly reduces the number of bees you have to deal with so even mean bees are more manageable.
I tried Honey Bandit this year. Won't use again. IMO Bee Go is by far the best product to use
brush the comb in the grass helps if it has not been mowed yet
almond extract on the board
I dislike the smell of the products I have used on the fume board - although those products worked well. Triangle board worked when under one super but when under two there became a traffic jam and many bees perished. On Saturday I will be trying a leaf blower. I read about using such a couple years ago. Bought an inexpensive electric as I have a small generator. Nothing ventured...
I like the almond extract products like bee quick or bee dun.
I strongly recommend against using a brush. I only used it once and it took 3 weeks before I could let anyone else go in my back yard. With bee quick, I usually do not need protection for honey removal. I would not do that with a brush. Bees do not like being rolled by them.
Jim
Quote from: PeeVee on September 24, 2014, 09:40:21 PM
I dislike the smell of the products I have used on the fume board - although those products worked well. Triangle board worked when under one super but when under two there became a traffic jam and many bees perished. On Saturday I will be trying a leaf blower. I read about using such a couple years ago. Bought an inexpensive electric as I have a small generator. Nothing ventured...
You just about need a hurricane force wind to remove all the bees from a honey super.
Don't know if a small hand held blower will get the job done for you.
I find that even the big backpack blower still leaves some hanging on.
one frame at a time swipe the frame along the grass. they are gone!
Quote from: jayj200 on September 25, 2014, 09:48:49 AM
one frame at a time swipe the frame along the grass. they are gone!
I never tried doing that. Sounds interesting although it does sound back braking. Might have to get a piece of sod to put on a table.
Jim
I've never used fume boards so I cant help with that. What i do is use a shop vac and a bee brush. I take a picnic table over near the hives. Lay some cardboard on the ground. Run an extension cord over to the house (actually several cords) I remove all the supers off a single hive, line them up , on end, on the table. taking one super to the edge, I blow the bees out and over the card board. I use quite a bit of smoke in this operation too. Sumac for fuel, of course. I take the cleaned out super over to the truck, a few feet away and put an outer cover on it and duct tape the entrance hole. I repeat this one super at a time, one hive at a time till I'm done. Time consuming, not perfect and a lot of lifting but its the best system i have found. been doing it this way many many years.
straight almond extract sprayed on thin cardboard for those bigger jobs.
one to ten frames wipe them on the grass both sides hand it off. and do another
Hi guys,
Since I made foam boxes this year,the escape boards did not fit. So on two hives I just used the brush. I must have very docile bees: I did it in my short sleeve shirt,no gloves,no veil. I did get stung ones !! In fact I don't own gloves! I noticed that the bees build and fill comb in the outside frames too. What is your experience with foam boxes??
Also,I made them only 8 frames wide,easier on my 81 year old back.
Have fun!
Cor Van Pelt.