Buy or make a bee escape?

[Nannysbees]

Not counting my chickens just yet but what's the best way to clear the bees from supers if you are lucky enough to have honey. Should I buy a bee escape or have you clever beeks made them yourselves. We have the small escapes for the national but one of our colonies is very successful so I thought one with more exits may be quicker, what are your thoughts and which do you use?

 

[Murox]

There are some pictures somewhere on the forum of rhombus escapes mounted on clearer boards. As has been said elsewhere just buy a rhombus escape and temporarily pin it over the central hole in a feeder board.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I reduce the feeder hole down to a centimeter or two on my Rombus clearer boards which helps.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There are some pictures somewhere on the forum of rhombus escapes mounted on clearer boards. As has been said elsewhere just buy a rhombus escape and temporarily pin it over the central hole in a feeder board.

Here - it's one I made earlier I used an apiguard eke (a few pieces of 2x1" PAR will suffice) and a piece of 5mm ply

 

[pargyle]

Not counting my chickens just yet but what's the best way to clear the bees from supers if you are lucky enough to have honey. Should I buy a bee escape or have you clever beeks made them yourselves. We have the small escapes for the national but one of our colonies is very successful so I thought one with more exits may be quicker, what are your thoughts and which do you use?

Rhombus bee escape . Cut it in two and mount each half in diagonally opposed corners of your clearer board ... I have 25mm holes for them to escape through. Put the clearer on in the evening, supers clear by morning. You don't get many returning either ...

I have some with the holes in the centre and used as intended and they work but I seem to get a very quick result with them in the corner.

I think JBM put a photo of his up on here a week or two ago in another thread on clearing supers.


Edit: There you go - your wish is JBM's command.... needs no more !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We have the small escapes for the national but one of our colonies is very successful so I thought one with more exits may be quicker

Those Porter bee escapes are awful, and the newest ones with plastic springs, even worse. Just make one with a rhombus escape and be done with.
for information, most of mine are as my previous post with the rhombus split in two. I have one 'traditional' rhombus clearer board with the intact escape over a 1" hole in the centre of the board and it seems to clear the supers just as fast.

 

[Nannysbees]

Those Porter bee escapes are awful, and the newest ones with plastic springs, even worse. Just make one with a rhombus escape and be done with.
for information, most of mine are as my previous post with the rhombus split in two. I have one 'traditional' rhombus clearer board with the intact escape over a 1" hole in the centre of the board and it seems to clear the supers just as fast.

Thank you, yes I agree they are awful had numerous issues with them. I'll have a look for you post, that's great thank you

 

[madasafish]

Rhombus bee escapes cut in two - as above- are ideal for me. I have several crownboards with built in eke below set up just for clearing.

 

[Erichalfbee]

 

[drdrday]

I made one of the vortex bee escapes on the Dave Cushman site a couple of years ago:
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/vortexescape.htmlI made it mainly because I already had everything I needed, and without a bee supplies shop close by it was better than paying more in postage than a couple of rhombus escapes were worth if I bought them online.
It works really well, but now that I could do with a second escape board I'll probably just make one up from halved rhombus escapes like most have recommended.

 

[Curly green finger's]

View attachment 26829

Now that's just damn fancy! and creating art at the same time.

 

[Pugmitch]

Rhombus every time! I used to use the Porter bee escapes but they get clogged with propolis AND there were always some bees left in the supers.

 

[Swarm]

I tried some of Poly hive's design with the rhombus cut in half, they are ok but no quicker or better than a normal rhombus on a centre hole, I drill a 38mm hole in my boards. You can convert your 'normal' twin porter board by sealing the outer hole, piece of ply, gaffer tape each side etc and locate the rhombus over the other hole.

 

[user 819]

I made one of the vortex bee escapes on the Dave Cushman site a couple of years ago:
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/vortexescape.htmlI made it mainly because I already had everything I needed, and without a bee supplies shop close by it was better than paying more in postage than a couple of rhombus escapes were worth if I bought them online.
It works really well, but now that I could do with a second escape board I'll probably just make one up from halved rhombus escapes like most have recommended.

Quite a fancy set up so I had to have a go, I made a couple about 10/11 years ago and the bees clear quickly.

 

[bobba]

View attachment 26829

Why is there a hole in the middle?

 

[BoStor]

I have a problem with a Crown Board with Porter escapes which I assume has been wrongly manufactured:
It is not made so that it can sit flush on the Brood Frames. I.e. its impossible to use it without a gap between brood and super above.

See photo attached from which shows that the top frames of the brood frames overhang the frame of the crown board.
Any advice

 

[Poly Hive]

You don't need to buy the rhombus at all. Four bits of 10mm strips of wood at right angles to each other with one end cut at 45 degrees / \ with the gap between the points 8mm and a bit of mesh stapled on and you have a very cheap clearer board. KISS

I use corners as Mobus said he had trialled center against corners and he was convinced the corners were better. Never failed for me I have to say.

PH

 

[drex]

I have a problem with a Crown Board with Porter escapes which I assume has been wrongly manufactured:
It is not made so that it can sit flush on the Brood Frames. I.e. its impossible to use it without a gap between brood and super above.

See photo attached from which shows that the top frames of the brood frames overhang the frame of the crown board.
Any advice

I don't see the problem. I think all my original bought crow boards were the same, but I now make my own. If used as a clearer it will only be between boxes for 24 hours. Am I missing something? I hate porter escapes anyway.

 

[Poly Hive]

There are two things I would vanish if I had the proverbial wand. Plastic spacers and porters.

PH

 

[rolande]

Must admit that these haven't had a proper trial run yet but as I pinched the idea they may be OK... All I've done is cut out the middle man