A Bit Confused..... Frame Cleaning

[mgates61]

Ok.....Ya got me talkin to myself.

SOme say "NEVER" Leave Honey, syrup, sugar in the open where the bees can get at it as this will cause robbing.  Now I see topics stating that peeps taske their frames, after extracting, out to the hives and let the bees clean them.......



WHat gives?????

WOuldn't leaving the frames by the hives cause robbing??????

Someone please explain..........


THanks

Mike

[JP]

If you leave frames out for them to rob, place them away from the hives, can't give you an exact distance but I would say at least 50' away. This is most important during a dearth, when there's a flow on its not as crucial.

......JP

[Jerrymac]

I do about 100 yards away from the hives.

[Michael Bush]

>WOuldn't leaving the frames by the hives cause robbing

It all depends.  Sometimes.  I'd rather put them on the hives if I have the energy, time and the weather is nice enough.

[Cindi]

Mike, there are many ways of allowing the bees to clean up the frames.  Yes, one would be to set them outside, away from the apiary.

But I think what Michael was saying is about the best method, and this is if you have the time to do this.  This year I will be extracting honey (I hope, hee, hee).  When it comes time to have the bees clean the frames, I will be trying to make the time to set the box of extracted frames on top of a colony for cleaning out.  This will mean lifting off the lid, the inner cover and setting the super on top of this box and replacing the inner cover and lid.  And then a couple of days later, removing that super of now cleaned up empty frames. 

That would be the method that I would employ.  I have seen what a frenzy can happen if feeding is done openly around the apiary. I did this last year and won't be doing it again.  I did that with communal sugar syrup feeding and it got a little bit crazy out near the bees.  Been there, done that, lessons lived and hard lessons learned, not to be repeated.  Have a wonderful and great day, Cindi

[Robo]

I will be trying to make the time to set the box of extracted frames on top of a colony for cleaning out.  This will mean lifting off the lid, the inner cover and setting the super on top of this box and replacing the inner cover and lid.  And then a couple of days later, removing that super of now cleaned up empty frames. 

Cindi,

You may want to consider putting the extracted supers on top of the inner cover instead of under it, and maybe even an empty super between them and the inner cover.   Otherwise you might find them putting stores into the extracted supers.

[Scadsobees]

Yup, NEVER leave them out by the hives, especially during a dearth.

Only put the frames/wax to be cleaned where they won't get in your or any other person's way.

I leave mine around 100 feet away from the hives, but there is a shed in between and I've not had any problems.

Empty wet supers get put back on the hive, at least for a little while.  More than a couple of days and yes, they try to re-fill them.

I've tried extracting in my driveway once and all of the hives emptied out and flew over trying to rob back the honey that I robbed from them!! :roll:

[mgates61]

Wonderful info.  Thanks all.

I have made about 8 extra deep and medium supers so I guess that is the way to do it. 

[Bee1]

I've been feeding back two frames at at time by lying them on top of the inside cover... It didn't occur to me till reading this post to put the whole super on top.  That would have saved me a little time and fretting. 

ciao,
Bee1

[pdmattox]

I never leave them in the bee yard to be cleaned for reasons others have already stated. but I do take them across the property next to the neighbor that I don't like for proper clean up. :evil: If needed i would put them on hives that need them before i would let them rob them clean. No need to extract syrup honey that is just a waist of time.

[reinbeau]

It is absolutely amazing how fast those girls will clean up those extracted supers.  We put them on and three days later pulled off perfectly cleaned and repaired frames - all ten of them!  They work so fast....

[Sir Stungalot]

I do it both ways...on top the hive (under the cover, of course) and out in the open. I too learned the hard way when it came to open cleaning to close to the hives.
That being said...when I put the super to be cleaned on the hive, I try to put it on a weak hive(gives them a cheap boost)  BUT(!) I always reduce the entrance way-way down.  I have seen a small hive get attacked when I have put supers to be cleaned on them.  Reducing the entrance gives them a chance to put everything away without the worry of robbing.  In a couple days, off comes the clean super and out comes all the grass I stuffed into the entrance. I have pretty much gotten in the habbit of entrance reduction when ever I place a wet super on a hive...unless it is really booming.

[Cindi]

Rob, good, will keep that one in the back of my mind (the hole in the centre of the inner cover is left open I would suspect).  Have a wonderful and best of day.  Cindi

[Brian D. Bray]

Anne,

That bug on the bottom of your posts must have been hitting a mead a bit much, don't you think?

[reinbeau]

Anne,

That bug on the bottom of your posts must have been hitting a mead a bit much, don't you think?

Cute little bugger, isn't it?  I wouldn't want to try to follow that beeline!  :lol: