Porter bee escapes - how long?

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Floss

House Bee
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Messages
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Location
Shropshire, uk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
3
I am trying to clear my supers using a porter bee escape so I can take some honey but also I want to apiguard them.

I checked yesterday (after 24hrs) but still lots of bees so I am leaving them another 24hrs but the weather is cold and wet!

How long can I leave the bee escapes on?

Tx Floss
 
Have you checked to see if the escapes are blocked,or springs are set correct.
You would be better to get some rapid clearer boards for future use,not porter escapes.
 
Generally after 24 hours mostly all the bees will have vacated if the escapes are set correctly. If the springs are together they may be stuck in the super and if too wide the 'escapes' will be two-way instead of one-way. The other thing new starters do is put them in the wrong way. That can mean a super 'boiling' with bees!

Regards, RAB
 
If a fair amount of combs aren't capped the bees tend to be reluctant to leave the supers .
John Wilkinson
 
There are two good reasons for not having Porter Bee escapes.

One they are prone to not working.

Two they encourage holes in otherwise perfectly good crown boards.

Far better are rapid clearer boards. Easy to make with no moving parts.

PH
 
I find the time taken to clear the supers depends on the height of the stack. The rule of thumb I use is a day for each super.

Dil
 
Escapes work better I find mounted in the corners of the board.

I can clear three supers over night with my board.

PH
 
Tx everyone! I am not even sure they are porter bee escapes because they are completely plastic - no spring - they came with the flat pack nat hive I bought.

Anyway - Ima gonna smoke 'em later if not clear but I am concerned about the waether - it is much cooler here in Shrops and breezy. I noticed a few dead bees (about 5/6) this am and I hope it is just the cold and the storms we have been having. I don't want to leave the board on any longer as the weather than necessary. Is it too cold do you think to be opening up the hive now?

Floss
 
Do they have strips of copper inside them ?
Like this:
 
Copper ? ....... should be Phosphor-Bronze ........ what say you Oliver90 ?
 
What do forum members think of the big white diamond shaped ones like in the Beehaus ?

I've made a couple of clearer boards with those in and a large 70mm hole in the middle, but sadly have not had any need to use them yet.

My mentor uses a spare super, two sets of cover cloths, and a goose feather. He clears a super in about 10mins.
 
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Why are goose feathers "better" than bee brushes?
 
They will be more gentle for a start, all bristles are....lets say... bristly.... unless you have something really expensive and the bee brushes have quite long bristles so they are a bit stiff. I brush my bees off the frames...with a bee brush, needs regular washing as it gets a bit clogged with honey, but I find it fine, a goose feather may be a touch too flexible, not tried so can't say really.

Frisbee
 
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I am informed by Stan and Eric, two of our most treasured, ahem, members .... That Goose quills (it has to be the long stiff wing flight feathers) are superior to a brush because of no entanglement or pick-up from the bristles (absent of course) together with the 'sweeping action' which is gentle on the bees.

I suppose it's whatever 'tickles your fancy' .... 'eh Fris ?

JC
 
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The diamond ones I cut in half and put them at opposite corners. Plus an 80mm hole for the bees to access them through.

Sorry but whether brushing or winging bees it is not for me. Tried it donkeys years ago and had a bee riot. Not good fun at all.

PH
 
Ah well, ........ 'different strokes' , 'eh Poly .... I've watched Stan and Eric doing it with little disturbance to the bees, but they are very practiced at it and I would not be confident myself as yet. Stan, particularly is very 'practiced' , he has a certificate awarded to him for 50 years continuous beekeeping I'm told, and he seems to get a barrow full of honey out of a pile of old firewood every year. I think he got his hives second-hand when he started, from Julius Caesar.

"Get a WBC, young John" he says to me, you don't want none of that other rubbish !

Ha Ha.
 

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