Trying to harvest and screwing up, help!

Beewildered61 · May 30, 2014, 03:36:56 PM

I have one large hive with 4 supers on it, I was going to put a bee escape board on it and harvest this weekend..... Things didn't go exactly like I planned and I overlooked some stuff....I had to take all the supers off to get the board on, by the time I would set one super on the tailgate of my truck, pry another loose off the hive, bees would be caked all around the top edges of the super on the truck....then I would try to smoke them, and they didn't seem to be paying much attention to it... because of this I had to take one super around to the side of the bed and put it in behind the ones stacked on the tailgate. When I tried to put them back on the hive, went through the same thing, put one super back on the hive, go to the truck to get another and before I could get back, bees covering the top of the super.... I squashed a few more than I would of liked....

Then, the bad discovery, got finished, after 2 stings, drove the truck back up to the house, looked in the bed and there was two or three larva....So evidently the queen has moved up into what was the bottom super. After having trouble stacking them the way I did, they weren't put back on in the same order, and I am wondering what will happen, or if all the bees go out through the board and none is left in, but the queen? Or will it be ok for a couple of days....I was under the impression, the bees would be cleared of the supers in 2 or 3 days.....I feel like I've got a mess, and am not thrilled to have to go back and try to straighten it out....my bees were getting pretty testy with me, about as bad as I've ever seen them, but not too many trying to sting, maybe 4 or 5, couple stung my gloves, one got my wrist before I put the gloves on, two or three more "hazed" me the entire time, but went away after I got in the truck and drove away....

Steel Tiger · May 30, 2014, 04:40:00 PM

First things first. I would go through the supers to make sure the queen isn't in them. If she's found, reunite her with the hive. While going through, look for frames with brood. Put all the frames centered into one super and add empty frames on the outer sides and set it back on the hive.
If the queen keeps climbing back up, try keeping a supper full of honey right on top of the brood box.

I released my queen into a deep and put two mediums full of honey on top. She decided to climb into the top medium and the workers cleared enough honey for her to start laying up there. Bees are going to do what they want :roll:

Kathyp · May 30, 2014, 04:42:46 PM

ST is right. sort it at home before you go back to the hive. do it now. take the brood and the queen, if you find her, back to the hive.

i don't know that i'd bother keeping honey over the queen if i wanted to harvest it. they will end up backfilling the brood area later anyway. your choice.

sort your frames and make sure she is back. that's priority.

Beewildered61 · May 30, 2014, 05:02:31 PM

oh, I don't have any supers at home, they are still on the hive, I just pulled them off and put a bee escape board on the top deep and then the supers back on.... I just discovered a few larva laying in the bed of my truck after I finished up and came back to the house.....so I am figuring the queen might be in the super. I am doing this alone and have a little back trouble, why I am careful and it's not real easy getting the supers off and on again...especially when I pick one up and have to find someplace to sit it, to clear the bees off the top of the hive, then pick it back up and set it in position.

I was hoping they might be ok until tomorrow or Sunday and I could just pull the supers, without the queen.

Kathyp · May 30, 2014, 05:15:38 PM

you may be fine. the brood you saw could have been from burr comb at the bottom of the frames.

Steel Tiger · May 30, 2014, 05:19:53 PM

It might be easier on your back to bring an empty super and move one frame at a time. Pull a frame, shake the bees off over the hive and put it into your empty. Use a piece of cardboard or something to cover it so the bees don't start robbing frames as you collect them.
That's pretty much my plan due to a neck injury.

Beewildered61 · May 30, 2014, 05:20:54 PM

thanks kathyp.... I am going to keep my fingers crossed and hope the supers are cleared and I can pull them soon....

thanks Steel Tiger... I had bought 10 extra frames to try and swap them out, and a big rubbermaid tub with a lid, to put the full ones in, this is my first time harvesting, so I am kinda undecided. But I do need to try something easier for sure....

hjon71 · May 30, 2014, 07:11:01 PM

No doubt moving frames one at a time is much easier to handle. I do like Steel Tiger and use an extra box. Keeps the frames nice and neat and you wont damage the caps and avoid having honey leak everywhere. Just be sure to shake or brush ALL the bees off and keep the box you are putting them in COVERED top and bottom. If the bees find where you put it they will be all over it.

I'm not sure how to handle a queen in a super with brood over a bee escape. But IF that is the case, I can't see the bees moving down and abandoning the brood and queen. Others have more experience, that's just my thoughts.

Wolfer · May 30, 2014, 08:57:41 PM

Since I don't have that many I take one frame at a time. Shake, brush the bees off and drop it in another box. I immediately cover it with a towel.

Once in a while I'll have a bee that I missed but pretty rare.

Beewildered61 · May 30, 2014, 10:44:32 PM

thanks ya'll....all good ideas

MsCarol · May 30, 2014, 10:58:49 PM

Beewildered,

Don't feel awful. This New-bee did something similar a week ago. That particular hive is still pi**ed at me and I have another hive in the same yard that needs working. Gonna have to pull up the big girl panties, cover up and go through the other big hive with a stand-by box ready to hold the honey frames. It will be the shake and brush to pull off only the capped honey. Hope to condense the boxes enough that the top isn't over my head.....and I am 5'9" .

Here is to success :cheer:

Joe D · May 30, 2014, 11:12:06 PM

What I did the first of the week, carried a couple of empty supers and some with drawn comb and some with foundation. I would set an empty super on top of the hive next to the one working on. Smoke the one hive, pull and inspect a frame for capped or uncapped honey and if there is any brood, brushed bees off and put it in the empty super, after adding two or three frames I would give the super a puff of smoke. Had almost no bees on the super when finished. When I had three or four frames out of the hive super I would start adding a frame of drawn comb or frame with foundation. The bees would start covering them so less to bee on the frames trying to remove. Good luck

Joe

BeeMaster2 · May 31, 2014, 07:26:58 AM

BW,
I have tried using bee escapes. They take a day or 2, usually 2 to get the bees off of the supers. That works great where SHB's are not a problem. Since you live in GA, that is not the case. By the time you get the supers cleared and ready to extract, the SHB larvae are hatching and starting to slime your honey.
I recommend you get Bee Quick, staple an old towel over the bee escape board to make a fume board, since you have one and it is the right size, spray a light mist on the towel and put it on the top super for 7 minutes. While waiting, place a towel in a spare upside down cover or on a flat board in the back of your truck, place a spare empty super on it. Just before you pull the super, give towel a light mist. Then you remove the top super, remove the frames, shake any remaining bees, place the frames in the empty super, keep it covered. Repeat until you have all of the supers. Shake the frames in front of the hive, do not walk in that area. Have the truck about 20 feet from the hives.
Add a little Bee Quick to the fume board each time up put it on a new super.
Check each frame for brood and if found, put it back on the hive.
I never use a brush, makes for some very mean bees for the next 3 weeks.
Good luck.
Jim

Beewildered61 · May 31, 2014, 04:05:49 PM

Hey thanks ya'll....I had wondered about the SHB, sawdstmakr, with no bees there to protect the super....I was hoping since I'm not seeing a lot yet and I have beetle traps, they wouldn't be a problem.... I think I heard some guys in my club talking about using a leaf blower, but I don't own one and it seems like it might just make the bees mad to me... I notice everyone mentioned "shaking" the bees, you mean you can just vigorously shake the frame and most of the bees come off? or do you tap it against the hive or something?

Thanks MsCarol! Yeah, it ain't no fun to get your bees mad at ya....and I only have a hooded jacket and gloves, no pants, but so far haven't been stung through my jeans! I have had a slight sting through my gloves twice so far, once was the other day.

Well, I got all my gear washed up, uncapping tub, bottling bucket, bottles etc....now hopefully to get up early in the morning and see what we can do.....

BeeMaster2 · June 01, 2014, 02:50:41 PM

BW,
Yes, just shake them vigorously in front of the hive. The trick is to not step on them.
Jim

Beewildered61 · June 18, 2014, 10:52:05 PM

Well, thanks everyone... got the Bee-Quick, worked like a charm! :-D Took an extra inner cover I had and stapled an old t-shirt to the bottom of it, then sprayed some Bee-Quick on it, set it on the super, walked to my truck and waited 5 minutes...When I opened it there were 3 bees in it, and they came flying out as soon as I raised the cover...took that super to the truck, covered it with a towel, went back and did it over again, got 2nd super.
I probably have at least 1 super in each of my 2 other hives...Going to check Saturday.... So far got 39 pounds, and got about a1/3 of a 5 gallon bucket to bottle. :cheer:

sc-bee · June 18, 2014, 11:21:19 PM

Yeas a fume board is the way to go. Just stay away from honey robber and Bee go. You will be glad you did smell like puke. Beequick and Natural Honey Harvester (Brushy) is the way to go.

BeeMaster2 · June 19, 2014, 06:33:45 AM

My bee supplier carries Beedun. It works but not as good as bee quick. She used to carry the Bee Quick but it melts the plastic and the manufacture refused to change the spray bottle. I have been keeping the Beedun bottles so that when i find Bee Quick i can switch the bottles.

BW,
Unless you are using queen excluders, bee sure to check your supers to make sure there is no brood in them. I also check to make sure they are capped at least 80% and I shake them to see if there is any nectar in them.
Jim

sc-bee · June 19, 2014, 08:46:31 AM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on June 19, 2014, 06:33:45 AM
It works but not as good as bee quick. She used to carry the Bee Quick but it melts the plastic and the manufacture refused to change the spray bottle.
Jim

I think the Beequick maker had issues with the producer of the original "special" bottle he used. It was a different thicker materiel for lack of a better description. The last I got was in a standard pump bottle with paper label where the bee supply distributor. I think, had broke it down from a 55 gal drum.

I have had good luck with the Natural Honey Harvester. There is also a new one out there Honey-B-Gone. I have never tried it? Anyone tried it?

http://www.honeybgone.com/