How to be less messy at cutouts

[montauk170]

Did a cutout yesterday and made a mess, honey dripping down, on the gloves, and of course on all the equipment and tools.
What's your method at making things less messy on the job.

[John Schwartz]

We vacuum all the bees out first, trying not to break any comb if possible. Then we can focus on cutting out comb with different gloves, etc to keep the mess to a minimum. (One idea...) :)

[Kathyp]

 :evil:

let me know if you figure that one out!!

to a large extent, i think it has to do with the cutout.  if you are doing a wall that is right in front of you, you can usually not make a mess.  if you are doing a tight space, ceiling, etc. there's no getting around some mess.  i always put down tarps.  that way, most of the mess is caught and easy to clean up.  be careful where you cut so that you minimize the honey leaking.  take lots of buckets so that honey comb can be quickly secured. 

the grass seed farm still hold the record for my messiest cutout.  the removal was easy, but by the time we were done taking out the two hives we had grass seed stuck all over everything :-)

[montauk170]

Yeah, we bee vac'ed this last cutout but more and more bees kept coming! And if you don't have attachments or a slim hose, you cannot get the bees inbetween the combs.
I'm not like some of you where you can go bare handed and remove the bees.  :-D

[iddee]

Now you know why most beeks say no to cutouts. It is hot, hard, messy, painful work. You are expected to work 2 or 3 people for 6 to 8 hours in those conditions, then thank the homeowner for those wonderful 50 dollars worth of bees, "if" you are successful.Don't worry, as time goes by, you will lose what little mind you started with and actually come to enjoy it.   :evil:  :evil:  :-D  :-D  :-D  :-D

[hardwood]

I find that it really helps me to keep a bucket of water next to me for rinsing hands and tools and always tarp off the area underneath.

Scott

[montauk170]

I can definitely agree with the hot. I wear a Mann's economy suit and it's thick cotton. It's horrible in it when it's hot outside! But hey Iddee, you always go naked so it can't be too hot for you.  :-D

[montauk170]

I'll remember to bring extra buckets for water next time. And towels! I got my Nikon D90 DSLR and lens all sticky!!!!!  :-x

[iddee]

But it is for the ladies around me.......  :-P   :-P   :-P   8-)

[John Schwartz]

Some things I've found to work well:

* Having a simple contract to have owner sign that limits liability, spells out who's responsible for what, etc
* Folks are usually willing to pay for your time if clear about it up front and they understand the options
* Ensure I'm only responsible for tearing things up--*not* putting them back together :)

[JP]

Messy removals? Well, it kinda just comes with the territory. :-D A few points to consider, that are really just common sense practices but anyway...

Cut overhead brood comb sections below the honey. Try to make as clean a cut as possible. After you transfer that comb remove the top portion.

Same thing would apply to vertically oriented colonies.

I try and get honey sections out first, then brood sections, if possible.

Keep a sharp serrated knife with you (IMO Ginsus are some of the best) keep a utility knife with extra blades with you. These are great for making clean cuts and work particularly well on older comb sections.

I never under any circumstances perform a cut out without a bucket of water (hot water is best) to clean honey from tools.

Tarps and paper towels come in quite handy as well.


...JP

[annette]

But it is for the ladies around me.......  :-P   :-P   :-P   8-)

Iddee I saw you and you aren't so bad :-*

[Kathyp]

baby wipes.  you can get them unscented if you are to manly for the smelly ones.

[montauk170]

Great tips.

[beekeeper1756]

New beek here, bought my first four hives and captured all the rest via cutouts and one swarm capture.  Here's what I have learned.

1.  Expose all the hive comb if possible from the very beginning, it helps alot to see what you are getting into.
2.  Vacuum as many bees as you can.  At a certain point though, you have to stop vacuuming and start cutting comb.
3.  Cutting through the honey line may be necessary, do the best you can.
4.  I like the bucket of water idea, it could help.  I use baby wipes to wipe down my gloves and equipment.  They are handy and do a pretty good job.
5.  Wipe down your cutting board clear of honey after every frame is rubber banded in place.  Again, the baby wipes help a lot with this.  Very convenient.
6.  I understand the honey is going to get on everything.  It's part of it.  My wife is very understanding.
7.  I use heavy leather gloves for cutouts.  I'm scared to death of using nitrile gloves.  They are so thin and those bees become very narrow minded when you start cutting on their comb that they worked so hard to create in the first place.

Good luck.

[Michael Bush]

I don't try to cut out honey, other than to brush the bees off of it and throw it in a bucket.  I have a bucket of warm water to wash gloves and brushes etc. in to keep them from being too sticky.  It's always messy.