Porter bee escapes not working

[Mymwood]

I recently posted asking about how long it may take for bees to vacate a filled honey super using porter bee escapes. I'm pleased to report, on that occasion, they were all out within 24hrs.

Another hive has now produced me a full honey super. I repeated what I had done a couple of weeks earlier but this time the bees are not vacating and quite a few are dead on the crown board. Whilst awaiting
your advice, I have ordered a rhombus type bee escape. I'm thinking to remove the porter ones later today and use the rhombus when it arrives in the post?

Thoughts?

 

[The Poot]

I recently posted asking about how long it may take for bees to vacate a filled honey super using porter bee escapes. I'm pleased to report, on that occasion, they were all out within 24hrs.

Another hive has now produced me a full honey super. I repeated what I had done a couple of weeks earlier but this time the bees are not vacating and quite a few are dead on the crown board. Whilst awaiting
your advice, I have ordered a rhombus type bee escape. I'm thinking to remove the porter ones later today and use the rhombus when it arrives in the post?

Thoughts?

Ditch the Porters and use the rhombus

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I recently posted asking about how long it may take for bees to vacate a filled honey super using porter bee escapes. I'm pleased to report, on that occasion, they were all out within 24hrs.

Another hive has now produced me a full honey super. I repeated what I had done a couple of weeks earlier but this time the bees are not vacating and quite a few are dead on the crown board. Whilst awaiting
your advice, I have ordered a rhombus type bee escape. I'm thinking to remove the porter ones later today and use the rhombus when it arrives in the post?

Thoughts?

you've done the right thing, chuck the porters in the recycling. Porter bee escapes are notorious for malfunctioning, especially the new ones which have plastic tines not spring steel, you need to check the gaps between the tines before each use to ensure they are neither too wide apart or too tight for the bees to push through, a couple of drones up in the supers trying to get out will jam in the escapes blocking the way for any other bee in the supers, the escapes can also quickly get propolised and jam up.

 

[JamezF]

Ditch the Porters and use the rhombus

Couldn't agree more. I'm going to have to order a few more to make up boards for harvesting myself.

James

 

[ericbeaumont]

remove the porter

Make sure to seal the Porter holes unless you use them for the rhombus.

 

[enrico]

Mkae sure to seal the Porter holes unless you use them for the rhombus.

Have you got an eke under the porters? It helps. Then bin them!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

 

[W0otz]

View attachment 32627View attachment 32628

What's the benefit of having it like that rather than a whole rhombus in the centre?

 

[Swarm]

Not a lot, the rhombus works just as well. In saying that, I had a colony refusing to clear last year. All my boards have two inch ekes under them, rhombus two way and one way and I had to put a separate board under each super in the end. Very frustrating.

 

[Mymwood]

Porters removed today. Many thanks for the tips. I'd not thought to ditch the porters after the first use but I can see that makes sense. And they do seem
to be made from very cheap material.

 

[JamezF]

What's the benefit of having it like that rather than a whole rhombus in the centre?

I think the idea is just that it allows the bees to move more quickly as there are two holes.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What's the benefit of having it like that rather than a whole rhombus in the centre?

Theory is bees tend to move down on the hive walls so they get to the holes quicker - and there's two holes not one.
I've tried complete ones and halvedx2 and can't really say there's much in it but I would say that in general they clear away quicker with holes on the sides - I certainly get 100% bees out of the supers overnight - and they stay down, for days

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I recently posted asking about how long it may take for bees to vacate a filled honey super using porter bee escapes. I'm pleased to report, on that occasion, they were all out within 24hrs.

Another hive has now produced me a full honey super. I repeated what I had done a couple of weeks earlier but this time the bees are not vacating and quite a few are dead on the crown board. Whilst awaiting
your advice, I have ordered a rhombus type bee escape. I'm thinking to remove the porter ones later today and use the rhombus when it arrives in the post?

Thoughts?

I made my clearer board with a generous space underneath for the bees.

 

[The Poot]

I made my clearer board with a generous space underneath for the bees.

I did the same

 

[Amari]

Re space below: me too. I've experimented with one rhombus under a central hole, two half rhombi(?) as JBM above, and four half rhombi with an entrance at each corner of the board. I've found the first option just as good as the other two.

 

[rook66]

Ditch the Porters and use the rhombus

I can't fault the curtain escape, they have come down in price in the last couple of years, the first couple I bought as a trial cost over a fiver each, guess from who?
The hinges can get propolised if left on too long so they get a drop of veg. oil

 

[thorn]

I've got 8 way and rhombus escapes. Both work well. But at this time of year I leave porters in the holes in my wooden crown boards so that those who get caught above the board after an inspection can rejoin the colony.

 

[Mymwood]

Thanks for the advice. In an earlier post I asked about gloves (leather) and repeated attacks. As a result, I switched to rubber gloves. I washed the leather ones and treated them with clove oil then left them in the garden to dry in the sun. A friend sat on the chair they were resting on and a few minutes later a bee zoomed in to attack. Stung him on the face! I had been in the garden for some time prior to that with no issues so, I'm surmising, it was the proximity of the gloves that caused the attack? Thoughts?

 

[Murox]

Thanks for the advice. In an earlier post I asked about gloves (leather) and repeated attacks. As a result, I switched to rubber gloves. I washed the leather ones and treated them with clove oil then left them in the garden to dry in the sun. A friend sat on the chair they were resting on and a few minutes later a bee zoomed in to attack. Stung him on the face! I had been in the garden for some time prior to that with no issues so, I'm surmising, it was the proximity of the gloves that caused the attack? Thoughts?

Maybe. They don't like strong odours and sometimes clove oil definitely triggers the 'attack mode' in them; I have one hive that will really go for it if there is any odd odours around when I tend them. You do of course always run a risk with keeping them in your garden unless of course you have an acre or so.

 

[Tonyf]

Annoyingly want it ditch the porters and move to rhombus on every hive but annoyingly the rhombus is thicker than the bee space on the Paynes crown boards we use so the crown board wobbles around all over. Thinking about solutions