Blown Away

[3bees]

Hi All,
Does anyone here on the forum use a blower to remove bees from supers? If so, what are your experiences? What equipment do you use and where do you source it?

Many thanks for your constructive input.

 

[Brian Bush]

Used it for the first time this year in an emergency. The supers had not cleared after 48 hours with the escapes in. Worked like a dream. Even the 'devil's disciples' were cleared with none of their usual mobbing and following.
I am certainly going to use it again.
Incidentally I was told about this technique by Peter Kemble about 8 years ago and had always avoided it.
It is a wise man who learns from his own mistakes, but an even wiser man who learns from the experience of others!!!

 

[3bees]

Thanks BB, what blower did you use? Where did you buy it? How much??

 

[Jimmy]

I've used one for the last 2-3 years. Indispensable if you have out-apiaries and the logistics of clearer boards don't suit.
Pro - single visit clearing and collection of supers possible.
Con - there always seem to be a few stragglers that can be a pain in the extraction room, not viable on a wet cold day, bees can be surprisingly good at holding on, especially if any unsealed patches.

I've not noticed any damage to bees by using a leaf blower. In an apiary of 10-12 hives it looks very chaotic for a few minutes afterwards but within 20-30 minutes there is no outward sign of anything amiss.

I use a standard leaf blower, I convinced myself that it would be useful for the garden as well. Importantly for the honey, the exhaust is separate from the blown air. The standard attachment generates a strong enough blast of air to be effective without modification. There is an argument for buying cheap blowers as they will inevitably get blocked with bees/honey/propolis but I have yet to have that problem.

I still use clearer boards where it's possible to visit an apiary twice in one day and then use the blower to clear the laggards.

 

[Brian Bush]

I used my Makita petrol leaf blower. We bought it some time ago from screwfix.
I place each super on its end on a hive some distance from the donor hive. I steadied the super with one hand and blew the bees out with the other. Put the super in the car and continues with the other supers.

 

[Tim.S]

I use a Stihl blower without any problems. Much quicker than the other methods and I am a landscaper by trade so had one in the shed anyway!

 

[Anduril]

Hi All,
Does anyone here on the forum use a blower to remove bees from supers? If so, what are your experiences? What equipment do you use and where do you source it?

Many thanks for your constructive input.

Look at this thread. http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5741&highlight=blower+exhaust

 

[Stiffy]

Used a Stihl for a couple, clears well but not kind to bees. Use beequick with a little heat now, can clear a super in minutes.
S

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I used my Makita petrol leaf blower. We bought it some time ago from screwfix.
I place each super on its end on a hive some distance from the donor hive. I steadied the super with one hand and blew the bees out with the other. Put the super in the car and continues with the other supers.

Used a Stihl for a couple, clears well but not kind to bees. Use beequick with a little heat now, can clear a super in minutes.
S

I've usually cleared a super or two in a few hours with my rhombus but on a few occasions when the rhombus was not available I found I could clear a super into a spare box with cover cloth by taking a frame at a time and brushing the bees off back into the source box. Working smoothly it takes seconds per frame. It's handy but not essential to have an assistant to manipulate the cover cloth in the recipient box.

 

[Ely]

Do all the bees make it back to the hive after being blown out?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Do all the bees make it back to the hive after being blown out?

Not always, no, I noticed the last time when blowing out 30 supers that five bees never made it back.

 

[maddydog]

Not always, no, I noticed the last time when blowing out 30 supers that five bees never made it back.

Snigger.

Have purchased a blower to try this year as the other methods have drawbacks. Don't suppose there is a perfect solution but when is there ever?