Must stop thinking, it's bad for me.

[Cazza]

As I don't have a bee brush and my beementor used to do it too, I am in the habit of brushing the last few bees off a frame with any flora which comes to hand.
Today it was the seedy part of nettles. Do you think nettles would sting bees or is their chitinous (is that the right word???) body too hard, I assume so? They never seem to take much notice.
Thoughts please.
Cazza

 

[BeeNice]

Invest in a bee brush?

 

[Cazza]

Invest in a bee brush?

Nah, far too tight.
Cazza

 

[victor meldrew]

Invest in a goose wing , far kinder than a bee brush!

John Wilkinson

 

[Cazza]

Do you think a pheasant feather would work too? Those I can procure for nowt.
Cazza

 

[victor meldrew]

Do you think a pheasant feather would work too? Those I can procure for nowt.
Cazza

Shouldn't think so!
Even a pheasant wing would be too small .

Could always put it in your cap

John Wilkinson

 

[madasafish]

I use turkey feathers.. Ideal.

Our male moults every year... anyone want a feather? Or three? Free.

 

[Repwoc]

Shake + blow the remaining few off.

 

[Cazza]

I do shake but blowing makes them madder than a light brush.
Cazza (must be the garlic dogbreath,)

 

[MuswellMetro]

I do shake but blowing makes them madder than a light brush.
Cazza (must be the garlic dogbreath,)

why are you removing Bees?

i only remove bees when clearing the super for extraction and thats with a rhomus clearer


so i have no disease ridden bee brush and the geese can still fly in my area

 

[Heather]

Rhombus are great. Clear to just the last half dozen in 24 hours. At the bees pace so not stressful.

 

[Cazza]

why are you removing Bees?

i only remove bees when clearing the super for extraction and thats with a rhomus clearer


so i have no disease ridden bee brush and the geese can still fly in my area

Removing bees is not a regular occurrence for me either as I normally would use a clearer but I wished to remove only two full frames prior to extraction to make up to 9 to extract. Hence I have little need for a bee brush but the geese should be frightened.
Cazza

 

[BeeNice]

Nah, far too tight.
Cazza

You live in suffolk, Yorkshire I would understand about being tight! (joke) yorkshire folk are great, think I got away with it!

 

[kazmcc]

You live in suffolk, Yorkshire I would understand about being tight! (joke) yorkshire folk are great, think I got away with it!

My mum is a Yorkshire lass, family tree goes back generations in Yorkshire. Father is Irish ( hence the McCartney surname ) ....great mix lol

 

[Poly Hive]

Cut your rhombus in half and put each half in diagonally opposite corners.

Much more effective.

PH

 

[Rosti]

You live in suffolk, Yorkshire I would understand about being tight! (joke) yorkshire folk are great, think I got away with it!

I'd say you almost got away with it!
Nowt wrong wi a ded wippets tail by the way.

 

[kazmcc]

I'd say you almost got away with it!
Nowt wrong wi a ded wippets tail by the way.

I disagree! Now if you used a ded ferrets tail, that would be a different story

lol

 

[milkermel]

dont think much of either of those options!!

I am waiting for a customer of mines goose to molt they have promised me a few feathers!

have to admit though I have gone through the year with out any brush at all!

 

[Finman]

.
In Russia beekeepers take honey away so that one put bear suite on. When bees attach on that guy, another guy rob honey frames. To that you need agressive bees.

 

[m100]

Rhombus are great. Clear to just the last half dozen in 24 hours. At the bees pace so not stressful.

Unless you are using smoke or chemicals a bee goes through any design of escape when it wants. It's not forced though. If you clear a super in an hour or a day it makes no difference to anyone but the beekeeper. Leave it long enough though and the bees will find their way back up through most, but not all all designs of escapes.