Rhombus bee escapes?

[Teemore]

I wonder if hivemaker still has the photos from the thread below so users can see
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11959

The quoted thread prompted me to buy a few rhombus clearers and to cut them in half and use them on home made clearer boards over two corner holes...... They have always worked well, even clearing a couple of supers at a time.

Every so often i find a super that hasn't cleared. Usually it happens in August when I am clearing off all the supers on colonies and I have put the clearer board on for a second or third time in succession. My colonies tend to be very strong at that point in time and with the increasing conjestion and successive use of the clearer board, some appear to figure out how to get back up into the supers. Another observation is that when this has happened, it has been in conjunction with the use of one of my shallower clearer boards (Sides are probably only 25mm). Deeper sides on the clearer board helps them work effectively, another point learned from this forum and backed up by experience.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I wonder if hivemaker still has the photos from the thread below so users can see
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11959

took some today

 

[REDWOOD]

[emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JC47]

As a new beek I was advised that beginners are surprised, when they remove clearer boards, by the number of Bees present underneath. I have made my own clearer boards using 70mm X 18mm framing and 9mm plywood. I have cleared 2 supers in 4 hours using them and the Bees were 'dumped' out of the board on the ground in front of the hive, they soon walked/flew into the hive.

 

[Erichalfbee]

No need to dump just pop the clearer board upside down in front of the hive. I prefer knocking them into the top of the hive however

 

[Heather]

Agree with Erichalfbee.. A little respect and help for the bees.
Some of the bees you may be 'dumping' may be newly hatched bees and throwing them onto the grass makes life difficult to fly back as not orientated yet. Bees always walk uphill, so popping the board, tilted, at the entrance is much more helpful to them.

 

[Teemore]

Just knock the bees off into the brood box or a super that is yet to be cleared. Dumped on the ground, you end up with crawling bees that will often clamber up over your boots and upwards......

 

[JC47]

These Bees came out of the Supers, how do you get them all in the brood box through the frames and the QE ?
They would not be newly hatched if in the Super and they were back inside the hive in less than a minute.
If I was foolish to walk amongst them I would expect them up my legs. I work from the rear of my hives.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you are going to 'dump' them, why do it on the floor? Just do it on top of the remaining frames, that's what I do, they're usually scuttling down between the frames in a thrice once the clearer board disappears.

 

[JC47]

The point of the post was the depth needed for the cleared Bees. Perhaps I should not have used the word DUMP ? I believe that there was a post about new Beeks being afraid to post due to comments from the experienced, a lesson I have now learnt.

 

[REDWOOD]

No need to dump just pop the clearer board upside down in front of the hive. I prefer knocking them into the top of the hive however

They do take a while finding their way out so I just leave them leaning against the landing board until the next day

 

[mbc]

When clearing honey and selecting bees to move to the heather I sometimes collect the bees festooned under the clearing board from ones which didnt make selection for the trip and take the bees collected up from several hives in ventilated boxes to augment the foragers on the heather. It sounds like a fantastic use of resources in theory but in practice I'm not sure if its worth the faff.

 

[Teemore]

When clearing honey and selecting bees to move to the heather I sometimes collect the bees festooned under the clearing board from ones which didnt make selection for the trip and take the bees collected up from several hives in ventilated boxes to augment the foragers on the heather. It sounds like a fantastic use of resources in theory but in practice I'm not sure if its worth the faff.

These festooned bees are also good for making up nucs into which you can readily introduce mated and laying queens.

 

[mbc]

These festooned bees are also good for making up nucs into which you can readily introduce mated and laying queens.

Indeed, though late july/ early august is a bit late to be making up nucs brood free.

 

[Teemore]

Quite correct and a very valid observation.
Failing to remember that this is the beginners section, I didn't want to mention it as i didn't want to get into the whole whys and wherefors of making up late nucs, boosting them with frames of BIAS or taking single frames of sealed brood and no bees from several hives and then dumping the aforementioned festooned bees on top. This is probably covered in threads on Nucs elsewhere on the forum

 

[Erichalfbee]

*****

 

[Hivemaker.]

Indeed, though late july/ early august is a bit late to be making up nucs brood free.

Depends also on the bees and location I would think, such packages if made up strong into nuc boxes or even stronger into full size hives over winter really well here, even when made up in mid to late September.