My bees won't clear out of the super

[Fatbee]

Rhombus are so effective - although did put one in the wrong way round the other day! Lots of angry bees came out when I lifted the crown board.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Clearer boards do not work in absence of Q on right side.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Clearer boards do not work in absence of Q on right side.

Nor will they work if you install them under the supers upside down - I speak from experience - you end up with the supers stuffed full of bees when you expect them to be empty - Doh!

CVB

 

[einsteinagogo]

This is my first attempt at honey extraction, having had my bees for 15 months.
I moved the bottom super (the fullest as it was put on first) to the top of the hive, and put a clearing board with two porter bee escapes below it to clear the bees. 24 hours later it was still full of bees. I bought a Canadian clearing board and put that below the super instead, and 30 hours later (dusk) the super is still full of bees.
Could the problem be that some of the cappings were ripped off when the frames stuck to the super above, when I was moving it?
Do I need to forget that super for now to let the bees recap the honey, and try to clear a different super?
Any advice is most welcome! Thanks.

same problem I had with my two largest colonies last year, and I discovered brood in the supers, queen must have got through queen excluder and laid, and gone back down!

they would not budge no matter what I tried, so I had to remove each frame, and shake off.

 

[Millet]

It's a start gents - and better than B*gger all, it can only get better from here on

Thanks and hopefully i get some of the summer crop of for my friends and family soon, i tasted a bit from one of the brood combs that had the drone laying worker and it was loads nicer than the mixed forage + rape honey.

 

[BeesNees]

Thanks for your help, everyone. There was definitely no queen in the super as I'm using a queen excluder, and I agree, my bees were probably not keen to clear out of the super because of the huge number of bees in that hive. I used the Canadian clearer board in my other hive and that worked easy peasy, but I shall try a rhombus next for my very busy hive.
Thanks again.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thanks for your help, everyone. There was definitely no queen in the super as I'm using a queen excluder, and I agree, my bees were probably not keen to clear out of the super because of the huge number of bees in that hive. I used the Canadian clearer board in my other hive and that worked easy peasy, but I shall try a rhombus next for my very busy hive.
Thanks again.

Having a deep space below the rhombus overcomes the crowding reluctance by giving them somewhere to go in the short term. Once the super has been removed you can shake any bees clinging to the underside of the rhombus down into the hive.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Having a deep space below the rhombus overcomes the crowding reluctance by giving them somewhere to go in the short term. Once the super has been removed you can shake any bees clinging to the underside of the rhombus down into the hive.

I agree although if I have the time I now tend to prop the clearer board against the entrance and all the bees walk / run into the hive. A bit gentler than shaking them into the box below!

 

[deanrpwaacs]

I agree although if I have the time I now tend to prop the clearer board against the entrance and all the bees walk / run into the hive. A bit gentler than shaking them into the box below!

+1 . Move onto the next hive whilst they walk in .

 

[BeesNees]

Don't chuck the Canadian board. Tape up the central hole and remove the cone escapes in the corners. Get two rhombus escapes. Cut each in half and secure over corners. Deepen that side to 10cm with an eke

Sounds like a great idea, thanks!