Southern Florida harvest

Acebird · November 05, 2020, 08:04:18 AM

To the folks in South Florida, does an escape board have any chance of working down here?

BeeMaster2 · November 05, 2020, 09:46:09 AM

It doesn?t work up here in N Florida.
Jim Altmiller

Acebird · November 05, 2020, 01:15:44 PM

Then I suspect it won't work in southern Florida.

The15thMember · November 05, 2020, 02:06:37 PM

Why won't an escape board work in FL?

BeeMaster2 · November 05, 2020, 02:57:23 PM

Small Hive Beetles larvae destroy they honey by the time You are extracting it. As soon as there are not enough bees in the supers to keep the SHBs locked up, they start laying their eggs.
Jim Altmiller

The15thMember · November 05, 2020, 03:03:38 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on November 05, 2020, 02:57:23 PM
Small Hive Beetles larvae destroy they honey by the time You are extracting it. As soon as there are not enough bees in the supers to keep the SHBs locked up, they start laying their eggs.
Jim Altmiller

Oh, I get it. Wow, it is terrible that you guys have that many hive beetles.

Oldbeavo · November 05, 2020, 05:20:51 PM

how long do you leave the escape boards on?
if we have we can put them on today with an empty super underneath and then tomorrow morning, early, take the supers off.
You may only get 80-90% clearance, but stand the supers on their end on the escape board and hit the rest with the leaf blower.
Also we are only taking one super at a time from a double or triple hive.
Escape boards work best with cold nights, but are still effective in summer here in combination with the leaf blower.

Acebird · November 05, 2020, 05:28:14 PM

Quote from: Oldbeavo on November 05, 2020, 05:20:51 PM
how long do you leave the escape boards on?

I have always used mine overnight. On in the evening and harvest in the morning. If you leave them on too long the bees figure out how to get through the wrong way and it defeats the purpose.
But in the north you are assured that the bees will cluster in the fall overnight.