Clearing not working

[Gilberdyke John]

ok just been back to Apiary, and yes i had fitted a rhombus clearer to a standard crown board. Im pretty sure now i fitted it on the wrong side. the top side not the lip side. So have removed and put in another crown board with two rectangular slots to which are fixed two porter bee escapes.
Now i have never done this before and only bought the porter and rhombus escapes yesterday. I hope i have done it correctly this time.
Else im back to brushing the bees off and making a run for it.

On the basis a picture paints a thousand words try these
Top view, side view and bottom view

 

[beepig]

so which way does the super sit

 

[Gilberdyke John]

so which way does the super sit

Try this photo of Brood, empty super, part filled super, rhombus clearer and two full supers being cleared. Roof on top of stack.

 

[alanf]

so which way does the super sit

The plastic bit is on the bottom, in the space over the frames you want them to move to. If you look at any of the rhombus/vortex/muliti point/cone escapes they are essentially funnels. It's easier for bees to go in the wide end and out the narrow than find the narrow entrance in the dark. The rhombus makers expect the bees to go down in the middle (through open hole of the board to the top) and pass along the narrowing passage ways to the small gaps at the end. It's not that difficult for bees get back, which is why most use them for only 12-24 hours or so before they learn. It's also easier to find for the bees if they can walk over frame tops and reach the rhombus, which is why a gap of 25 mm or more over the frames is far better than the 8mm or so a bought crown board will have.

 

[beepig]

Ok then, i have been back and removed and using an old stand (minus the legs) i have combined with rhombus clearer and replaced. So now bees have a reasonable space to clear into.
Thanks to you all. Talk about learning from your mistakes eh?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Ok then, i have been back and removed and using an old stand (minus the legs) i have combined with rhombus clearer and replaced. So now bees have a reasonable space to clear into.
Thanks to you all. Talk about learning from your mistakes eh?

You should find the super is clear tomorrow don't leave on much longer than that to avoid bees learning the way back in. One or two bees might be left but don't worry, they will find their way home from your extraction room later.

 

[Arfermo]

Along with all the others who have robbed it?

Can't when there is a lid on - unless they got some woodworking tools from somewhere !!!!

 

[Arfermo]

Try doing that it the rain - with a hundred frames

Apiary at home so no need to work in rain and don't have enough hives to find 100 frames for extraction - and nor did beepig who started this thread.

 

[Swarm]

So how do the bees inside get out to fly back home?

 

[Arfermo]

So how do the bees inside get out to fly back home?

By opening the box when evening is drawing in. Surprised you needed to ask.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So how do the bees inside get out to fly back home?

By opening the box when evening is drawing in. S.

Clever bees! do they put the lid back on tidily after they have exited?

 

[Arfermo]

Clever bees! do they put the lid back on tidily after they have exited?

Only if they don't forget the combination.

 

[Dishmop]

so which way does the super sit

It sits on the clearer board as it is shown in left hand picture....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You should find the super is clear tomorrow don't leave on much longer than that to avoid bees learning the way back in.

Popped down to the Garn cottage apiary to check on a nuc I had been feeding and realised that the last time I was down there (last Sunday I'd put a clearing board on one of the weaker hiive to move a super elsewhere as the colony is struggling to build up after swarming. SUper was devoind of any bees still but the BB was now pretty packed with them