Difficulty clearing supers

[garlicpickle]

I put clearing boards with rhombus escapes on both my colonies yesterday morning with a shallow home made eke underneath each clearing board, to allow the clearing bees space to disperse. Both colonies have 2 supers which need to come off. Last year I did this and 24 hours later the supers were almost clear of bees. I was expecting the same today, but today the supers were still full of bees and it looked like hardly any had exited. I was somewhat bemused by this and also pushed for time because i had been hoping to get the supers off and dropped off at home before I went to work, so I didn't have much time to decide what to do. In the end I took the clearing boards off and decided I would try again in a few days.

Any ideas why would they not have gone down? Should I have waited a bit longer before checking? They are both quite large colonies on double brood but I thought 24 hours would be ample. I live 10 miles from where my bees are so it's not very convenient for me to just pop down to check if the supers have cleared or not.

(before anyone asks I had not put the clearing boards on upside down)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

One reason could be is that there wasn't enough space for them - maybe you should give them an empty super to go down into.

 

[Hawklord]

I had the same problem and wondered if it was because there was still some comb that hadn't been capped.

 

[VEG]

That's the beauty of a leaf blower. 2 mins and no bees at all.
I use a clearer board first then blow out what ever is left.

 

[Finman]

.
Take the box off and put on the side of the hive. In 15 minutes bees become nervous and they suck themselves full of honey. Then they drop down like rippen berries.
Then shake the bees in front of the hive. It does not take long.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

.
. In 15 minutes bees become nervous and they suck themselves full of honey.

The object of the exercise is to remove the honey and take it home!

 

[Finman]

.
Shaking 2 boxes of bees is easier than drive 20 miles.

do you know how honey combs should be shaken?

 

[Finman]

The object of the exercise is to remove the honey and take it home!

Oh, I thought that idea was first remove bees from combs.......,I have done it 50 years. To take honey home and extract and leave bees into the hive.

In many cases shaking is quicker than using clearing board. In late summer bees stand on combs even one week when I use clearing board.

 

[dn170221]

.

do you know how honey combs should be shaken?

is there a trick to it i might be missing?

 

[Dishmop]

is there a trick to it i might be missing?

You put your left hand in, your left hand out, in out in out shake it all about...

 

[Dishmop]

Shaking 2 boxes of bees is easier than drive 20 miles.

and of course it also saves petrol!!!

 

[Finman]

is there a trick to it i might be missing?

How could I know... When bees are filled with honey, they drop easily.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

do you make them sick afterwards toget the honey back - don't want the bees getting any of it - far too good for them

 

[Batcher]

Just take the frame out, brush 'em off... replace each one you take with another frame... then make god your escape.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Just take the frame out, brush 'em off... replace each one you take with another frame... then make god your escape.

Batcher, you bring a smile to an ageing cleric's face!

Dusty

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just take the frame out, brush 'em off... replace each one you take with another frame... then make god your escape.

yerrs - O.K. unless you've got a couple of hundred to take off. Tried it once for a laugh (just so I could discuss from experience) what a farago that was

 

[Swarm]

Just take the frame out, brush 'em off... replace each one you take with another frame... then ..snip.. pray to god you make your escape.

?

 

[Headnavigator]

Just take the frame out, brush 'em off... replace each one you take with another frame... then make god your escape.

I think Batcher may do what I do:

Place an empty super with coverboard/crown board with no hole both above and below, next to hive. (Fits in my wheelbarrow which is ideal, as it's a good height to work from). Take frame from hive, shake and then brush all bees off, slide frame into empty super and down a frame's width so there's a space for the next one, and quickly seal again with crownboard. Repeat until all frames are in.

If you have a second empty super you can stack and repeat but I wouldn't stack more than 2.

Remove to where you extract, open crownboard and either bang the sides to send the last errant bee home or flick out with a feather (there's always one sneaked back in).

Works for me.

 

[bobh1969]

I use rhombus escapes and would generally only leave them on for 6-8hrs, After that I've found that they make their way back up. I generally put clearers on in late morning / early pm and take them off in the evening. There's usually a couple of hangers on which can be brushed off.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I don't even bother with the odd 'hanger on' nowadays, they eventually make their way to the window so evry now and again when the buzzing gets too frantic I open the window to let them back out.