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Author Topic: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess  (Read 8235 times)

Offline giant pumpkin peep

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Re: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess
« Reply #20 on: August 24, 2009, 08:33:05 pm »
that stinks. can you put honey supers back on to get the honey they robbed out?
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Offline Natalie

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Re: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess
« Reply #21 on: August 24, 2009, 09:03:58 pm »
You can put them back on and if there is still a flow going on the bees can repair any damaged comb and refill the cells but if there is no flow then you are out of luck.

Offline BoBn

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Re: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess
« Reply #22 on: August 24, 2009, 09:27:09 pm »
I have my honey supers as deep, never migrated yet to any other size. I like the deeps, kind of stuck on things I guess.
When I go to take the honey frames, I have an empty super alongside that hive.  That empty deep sits inside a telescoping lid.  No bees can get in (usually I will have this set up in a wheelbarrow).  I take out a frame, bump the frame, many bees fall off, I brush off as many as I can, quickly and sharply, one must brush in this manner, or you just REALLY irritate the bees.  I place this frame inside that empty super and put my cover cloth over it.  I do this as many times as required.  I then take the wheelbarrow up to the house. 

This is an eloquent description of what I did for years.  It's also a good method for topbar hives.
I'm gradually switching over to all mediums and use a modified triangle escape board.  The supers are usually empty in a couple hours, but I leave them overnight and usually only need to brush off a few bees.  I pull the supers in the early AM before there is much activity.
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Offline irekkin

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Re: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess
« Reply #23 on: August 24, 2009, 11:02:35 pm »
thanks again for all the comments and advice. it's given me plenty to think about between now and next year. i really can't complain seeing as how i started this spring with one hive and now i have five healthy and hungry hives. our flows in southside va. are pretty much over, theres alot of golden rod out, some asters and a few other wild flowers but from what i can tell they're (the bees) are getting mostly pollen. if they do make any more honey, it's theirs, they worked their little arses off for it :evil: :-D
now the challenge is to get ready for winter.
when you're dumb, ya gotta be tough.

Offline GJS

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Re: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess
« Reply #24 on: September 09, 2009, 12:04:43 am »
Why is no one speaking of bee excluders?  I thought you put one under the honey super for a day and the super will be empty of bees.  No? :-\
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess
« Reply #25 on: September 09, 2009, 12:26:07 am »
i think someone mentioned the escape boards.  same thing.  they work pretty well as i hear it.
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Offline annette

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Re: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess
« Reply #26 on: September 09, 2009, 12:29:43 am »
I know Michael Bush said the triangular escape boards are the best to use. I purchased one of these and still have not used it as I just brush the bees off the frames and place the frames quickly into my car.

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: taking off honey supers = big freakin mess
« Reply #27 on: September 09, 2009, 09:51:32 am »
When harvesting the honey (or robbing it depending on your perspective  :-D), I always keep a big sheet around to cover the supers taken off.  Little pirhannas is a pretty good description of a robbing swarm, but pirhannas aren't nearly as aggressive.

Lessons learned: start up leaf blower BEFOREHAND  :-P.

I use bee-quick and also a shopvac blower to clean them out.  Even with a sheet covering I'm blowing a lot of would-be robbers away too.

Rick
Rick