Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The best way to remove the bees is to have a spare empty super available. Pull out each
frame, give it a shake to remove most of the bees and then brush the rest off in front of
the hive entrance. Place the now bee-less honey frames into the spare super and, once
full, cover it up.
Bee brushes can be purchased from any bee-supply company very cheaply and are
designed for the purpose. There are those who still advocate the use of goose-wing
feathers as a brush. I tried one once: it barely lasted for more than one super of honey
(in fact, it didn't even last as long as 10 frames), and it had no better effect than a bee
brush, which will last for years. Forget it!
Motorized bee blowers
I must confess I have never used a motorized bee blower, but I have spoken to those
who have and who tell me that they are fast and efficient if used correctly. They should
be used in conjunction with a stand, on which the supers are placed. This stand is
placed on the ground in front of the hive, and the bees are blown downwards out of the
super on to the ground in front of their hive, from where the bees can crawl back into
the hive. Bee blowers can be purchased from bee-supply shops.
Transporting the supers
Before progressing any further, it is as well to repeat the fact that honey should be
removed only from hives that have been checked for diseases, especially AFB.
Once you have removed the bees from the supers, you can load them into your car or
onto the truck if you are a commercial beekeeper. This part of the operation can be one
of the most unpleasant aspects of beekeeping. For the hobbyist with only a few supers
it isn't too bad but, for the commercial operator moving hundreds of very heavy supers
onto a truck surrounded by millions of bees that want to get their honey back, usually
on a boiling hot day, it can be a very tiring, sticky and slippery affair. Then, at the end
of the day, all these boxes have to be moved from the truck into a secure shed prior to
extraction.
