Clearing Supers

[Beedogg]

Silly question, maybe. But when clearing supers of bees do you put the clearer board on the bottom or the top of the stack?

I've always done it on the bottom so far, with a crownboard on the top. But I'm wondering if I've been doing it wrong.

 

[Anduril]

Clearer board on the bottom to get the bees down into the brood chamber.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Clearer board, supers, crownboard.

 

[Anduril]

This will sound pedantic, crownboard under the roof and on top of the highest super. Clearer board on top of the brood chamber and under the bottom super. Although I have known people to place a clearer board on top of a hive stand and place all their supers on top of the clearer board with crownboard on the top most super and then a roof on top of the crownboard. But that is an idea to be frowned upon.

 

[Erichalfbee]

This will sound pedantic,

OK
Hive stand
Floor
Brood box
Clearer board
Supers
Crown board (feeder holes closed)
Insulation (no need if a poly hive)
Roof

 

[Swarm]

plus a brick on top.

 

[Erichalfbee]

plus a brick on top.

Forgot that

 

[JamezF]

plus a brick on top.

Which way up?

James

 

[Anduril]

Which way up?

James

Brick with a different coloured paint on each side.

 

[Olbe]

sounds a bit Jethro Tull to me

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

more like Denzil Penberthy

 

[Carl]

This will sound pedantic, crownboard under the roof and on top of the highest super. Clearer board on top of the brood chamber and under the bottom super. Although I have known people to place a clearer board on top of a hive stand and place all their supers on top of the clearer board with crownboard on the top most super and then a roof on top of the crownboard. But that is an idea to be frowned upon.

Hello, why is that to be frowned upon?

 

[Anduril]

Hello, why is that to be frowned upon?

You might be adding supers from different hives or different apiaries. Will be OK if you know they are disease free. Another aspect to think about is, if one super has an opening for robbing, then you could lose a fair amount of your crop, it is mitigated if the supers are on each hive.

 

[Carl]

Appreciate the reply, i guess i have no issue then as i will not be mixing hive parts as i only have a few.

 

[pargyle]

Don't make the mistake that someone 'ermmm ....' made many years ago in their excitement at a first real honey crop ... and put the clearer board in upside down ... and then wondered why there were still supers full of bees !

 

[North End Bees]

Also, add an eke (or spare empty super) under the clearer board so the bees have somewhere to go to. Especially if you're clearing more than a couple of supers although I do it even if only clearing one.

 

[Ely]

Forgot that

Don't forget the odd spot of bird poo as well

 

[Beedogg]

I feel that I'm still not getting this Clearing process right.

On the last occasion I put in the clearer boards beneath the supers which I left on the hives. But 24 hours later they were still pretty full of bees.

I then took the supers off and stacked them on a clearer board off the hives. That got rid of most of the bees over a few hours. But I still had to contend with quite a few bees on the frames as I took each into the room I use for extraction.

I feel that I'm not doing this right.

And, in a follow-on question. If I end up stacking supers full of bees from different colonies in one pile in order to clear them, do the bees from colony A fight those from colony B? Or are they happier together in the absence of queens and brood?

 

[Garry R]

Don't make the mistake that someone 'ermmm ....' made many years ago in their excitement at a first real honey crop ... and put the clearer board in upside down ... and then wondered why there were still supers full of bees !

Mmmm ..... that was me putting my hand up and I was not an excited beginner. I also know a very experienced beekeeper (not me this time) who put an empty super with no frames on their colony during a heavy flow. Now that was fun to clear up!

 

[enrico]

sounds a bit Jethro Tull to me

Lived next door to David Palmer from Jethro Tull for a few years. Now changed sex and is Dee Palmer