Rhombus Escape Times

[Swift Nick]

I am going to put some Rhombus escape boards on my hives today to clear the supers, probably a single super to clear and a stack of two supers, I can put them on at 4pm to 5pm this afternoon, will they have cleared by Saturday morning, say 8am?
Thanks, Nick

 

[Erichalfbee]

Probably
If only one super and its capped there are likely to be few bees in it. You can probably brush them off. Just a thought.

 

[drex]

Mine usually clear overnight, regardless of number of supers. If a few remain I just brush them off.

 

[Curley]

Hi Nick

Overnight is usually enough with rhombus escapes - some report clearing in as little as four hours. Leaving them much longer than overnight and they can start to find their way back in.
You will nearly always have a few bees hanging about in the super after clearing even if its been very effective - remove the supers from the hive and take some distance away then check thoroughly with brush in hand before bringing right into the kitchen / honey room.
If it is important to get all the bees off before taking them in (and it usually is for those with partners and kids) then having two people helps.
At the 'checking station' have an empty super with boards top and bottom. Check each frame, one at a time. Helper operates as a gatekeeper on the empty super and as a second pair of eyes. Lift up the top board and put the frame in , put the board back before any bees get in! Carry on until all frames in super done. Brush out the super you have just done and add to the clean stack, and carry on.

Have fun! Let me know how you get on with that new extractor.

 

[Wingy]

Did mine 2 weeks ago left it just under 24 hours and there was only 1 bee in the top super when I removed it

 

[Beefriendly]

Hi Nick

Leaving them much longer than overnight and they can start to find their way back in. .

I've never experienced this, even when I forgot I'd put clearer rhombus boards on. 1 week later not even a single solitary bees had found their way back....

 

[Curley]

I've never experienced this, even when I forgot I'd put clearer rhombus boards on. 1 week later not even a single solitary bees had found their way back....

Fair enough - I have seen quite a few bees in a super (high dozens) when rhombus left on for two days - there again they might not have cleared in the first place.
In a different example, when clearing two similar hives with Rhombuses overnight, one was down to a handful of bees the other still had loads so responses vary to clearing - perhaps how ripe the honey is? Fully capped supers at the top of a stack usually have very few bees to start with.

 

[fatshark]

I've noticed that queenless hives appear to clear supers less fast than queenright ones ... not a big sample size (but larger than I'd like )

 

[REDWOOD]

If you are removing supers make sure the bees have enough room and not over crowded. It is good practice to add an empty super/s below the supers to be cleared before, or at the same time as you put the escape boards on

 

[Eyeman]

I've never experienced this, even when I forgot I'd put clearer rhombus boards on. 1 week later not even a single solitary bees had found their way back....

They don't find there way back, only problem leaving them on for days is needing to remove brace comb. Porters frequently found their way back

 

[Beefriendly]

only problem leaving them on for days is needing to remove brace comb.

Yup...that is what I find (or should say found after a week)...you often find the waxers hanging in threads from the Rhombus the next morning.

Porters frequently found their way back

Not had this problem with the plastic sprung jobs which did the job okay...seen figure of 8 clearer's where they figure out how to get back, but never in significant numbers.

Had rhombus clearer's fail to clear overnight but that only seem to happen in very congested colonies and in warm weather. My suspicion is they leave because they are seeking heat below. All my current clearing is resulting in higher than usual bees remaining in the supers in this heat wave...
My garden sun trap where I often sit with a G&T on warm evening recorded 45.5C this afternoon.

 

[bingevader]

My garden sun trap where I often sit with a G&T on warm evening recorded 45.5C this afternoon.

Lol!
You've exceeded the British record by nearly 10°C!
Or do you live in North East Arizona?

 

[madasafish]

I leave rhombus boards on with an eke underneath for 24 hours- still about 20 odd bees in each super.
When I leave them on for 48 hours, the 20 becomes 1-5. Not seen any brace comb in the eke.

 

[Beefriendly]

Lol!
You've exceeded the British record by nearly 10°C!
Or do you live in North East Arizona?

I think you will find that temperatures for weather records are recorded in the shade....my weather station (with sensor in the shade) recorded 25C today...my gintrap in direct sunlight was at 45C

 

[Eyeman]

I leave rhombus boards on with an eke underneath for 24 hours- still about 20 odd bees in each super.
When I leave them on for 48 hours, the 20 becomes 1-5. Not seen any brace comb in the eke.

Leave them on for a week as I did once and plenty of brace comb as there was a strong flow on

 

[Dadnlad]

having two people helps.
At the 'checking station' have an empty super with boards top and bottom. Check each frame, one at a time. Helper operates as a gatekeeper on the empty super and as a second pair of eyes. Lift up the top board and put the frame in , put the board back before any bees get in!

Yep same as - thats what grumpy 14year olds who want a new rucksack for DofE are for !

 

[Jambo]

To aid clearing in warm weather, I expect there would be some merit in removing any top insulation and putting something drafty in the crown board feed holes?

I think you will find that temperatures for weather records are recorded in the shade....my weather station (with sensor in the shade) recorded 25C today...my gintrap in direct sunlight was at 45C

Yes, in the shade thermometers measure air temperature, in direct sunlight they cannot.

 

[madasafish]

To aid clearing in warm weather, I expect there would be some merit in removing any top insulation and putting something drafty in the crown board feed holes?




t.

I leave my insulation on...it keeps the hive cooler in the sun...If you put your hand on the roof of a hive at 1pm (or thereabouts) on a clear hot windless day, you can burn it - especially if it is a metal roof.. I could fry eggs on the slates on my hive roofs. ( I don't - beefburgers instead

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

To aid clearing in warm weather, I expect there would be some merit in removing any top insulation and putting something drafty in the crown board feed holes?

No

 

[Jambo]

Fair point madasafish - I was thinking - but didn't make it clear - about clearing overnight.

Jenkins - a well thought out, polite post backed up with a sound rationale as always, thank you.