Bee-quick

[gregior]

I got some bee quick for a trap out this year that didn't happen due to the lockdown.I am thinking of using it to clear my supers and was wondering if anyone has tried it? Does it work well? Any tips?

 

[Joseph]

I use it. Spray on a teacloth, and cover the entire super on a warm day, leave for around 5 minutes. Makes life easier when keeping bees in a urban area. Wouldn't do without it.

 

[gregior]

I use it. Spray on a teacloth, and cover the entire super on a warm day, leave for around 5 minutes. Makes life easier when keeping bees in a urban area. Wouldn't do without it.

Thanks for that I have some grumpy bees not too far from other people so want to keep disturbance to a minimum,do the bees become aggravated after use?

 

[Joseph]

Not much that I've noticed, I tend to use it the late in the day. It is more effective in warm weather because of evaporation.

 

[Repwoc]

How many supers do you think you can clear with one can?

 

[Hachi]

I Carry it; when on the rare occasion the bees don't go down thro the clearer board. Works quickly and effectively.

 

[Ian123]

How many supers do you think you can clear with one can?

Never counted and also depends on how warm it is they also do a fume board with metal lid, I’ve known some warm the lid with a torch to get the vapour going although it may be flammable!! It certainly works better in warm conditions.

 

[Joseph]

Many, once the rag is saturated with the smell, they keep moving and you don't need to respray for each super.

 

[Codford]

I make my own (much cheaper) 80% pure ethanol, 10% benzaldehyde and 10% tea tree oil. Old crown board with some linen tacked to it. Clears a super in about 5 mins

 

[Michael Palmer]

I use a fume board to harvest my crop. Have for decades. I've used three products. Benzaldehyde, butyric anhydride, and Fisher's Bee Quick. The fume boards have a metal top painted black. A sprinkle of chosen product is all that's needed....depending on product used.

Long ago the butyric worked well, but had issues. Crystal stalactites would break off and fall into super. Not good. Canada banned the product. Tried Bee Quick. Oddly it has an odor (almond) similar to benzaldehyde. Fisher assured me it isn't the same product. I found it didn't work very well. Might clear the top super, but the bees stopped there. Frustrating results.

Now I use Butyric...BeeGo. Just a light sprinkling on the pad will clear all the supers from 2-3 hives. We often have 100-200 pounds of honey to harvest per hive, 4-5000 lb.. a day, BeeGo does it, and fast.

I wouldn't waste my time with Bee Quick

 

[Stiffy]

I have used bee quick for a few years and found it works well, but one super at a time. The trick using it is to ensure the fume board is warm to ensure the vapours penetrate.
S

 

[Michael Palmer]

I use a fume board to harvest my crop. Have for decades. I've used three products. Benzaldehyde, butyric anhydride, and Fisher's Bee Quick. The fume boards have a metal top painted black. A sprinkle of chosen product is all that's needed....depending on product used.

Long ago the butyric worked well, but had issues. Crystal stalactites would break off and fall into super. Not good. Canada banned the product. Tried Bee Quick. Oddly it has an odor (almond) similar to benzaldehyde. Fisher assured me it isn't the same product. I found it didn't work very well. Might clear the top super, but the bees stopped there. Frustrating results.

Now I use Butyric...BeeGo. Just a light sprinkling on the pad will clear all the supers from 2-3 hives. We often have 100-200 pounds of honey to harvest per hive, 4-5000 lb.. a day, BeeGo does it, and fast.

I wouldn't waste my time with Bee Quick

It was Benzaldehyde that formed crystals not BeeGo.

 

[Sutty]

It was Benzaldehyde that formed crystals not BeeGo.

That's useful as it's quite easy to buy benzaldehyde.