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My second super of honey and Bee Quick

2K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  Slowmodem 
#1 ·
The early spring in Alabama got everything off to a good start. I pulled another honey super off in just under 6 weeks yesterday filled with capped honey. This is the first time I've used "Bee Quick" to clear the super of bees and was surprised how well it worked. I'm not sure I used it correctly but here's what I did.

I pulled the super off, bees and all and moved it away from the hive and placed in under a covered shed. It was heavy! I sprayed the "Bee Quick" on the felt inside the special made top cover and placed it on top of the super. The super was sitting on a disc harrow so they had plenty of open space underneath to exit. In just a matter of seconds after I placed the top on the super, the bees came boiling out. In just under 2 hours the super was empty of bees except for 8 who came into the house with me and the super. They came out one by one and I gave them a ride on my finger to freedom.

I tried to take some pictures of the event but had several that didn't turn out so good, especially the one or two I took as I was leaving the area when the bees started leaving the super! Right after the second photo the bees came out in a huge wave. I've never seen anything like that in my life. So many bees leaving at once actually surprised me and I left with them.

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#2 ·
I leave the honey super on the hive when I put the fume pad on. I want the bees to go further down into the hive and not out and about the yard. It doesn't happen often, but what if your queen had been taking a stroll amongst the honey frames. I have seen it. Normally, if the sun is shining on the top of the hive and the fume pad, it takes about 5-10 minutes to clear the super of all but 10-15 bees after having sprayed the Bee Quick on the pad and placing it on the honey super.
 
#4 ·
I have used beequick for some time now. I also use it on top of the hive after adding a small quantity of smoke prior to placing on the fume board. If you listen carefully you can hear the bees roar as the flee the box. After this roar I remove the box and set it on my tail gate as I move to the next hive. A few minutes later most of the bees remaining in the prior pulled box have flown back to their hive.
 
#5 ·
When Fischers was experimenting, trying to develop bee quick, there were tests that were too strong and did run the bees out of the hive. After further tests and formula changes, they got it down to an acceptable strength. Now it works well in the right conditions, without emptying the hive.
 
#7 · (Edited)
i use fischers bee quick, they must have changed the formula, because i don't experience the bees running out of the hive. i do something a little differently. i put the fischers on the fume pad, over the super, (like others here) and i hit the top of the fume box(metal) with a propane torch (to heat it up quickly)......the super empties in minutes. i can do this on multiple hives using the fume boards, and time it so i am not standing around waiting for the bees to move.
i sometimes have up to 7 supers on, so this method works very quickly, but also works with fewer supers on.
 
#9 ·
you keeps in the south are always ahead of us in the north, but it is an odd year, i do one extraction only, usually late august or early september, depending on the weather......but this year i had supers on in mid april, .....unheard of up here, normally not until mid may, and i am thinking i am going to run out of them,....so plan BEE....:grin:
 
#10 ·
I wouldn't leave the Bee Quick on the hive for more than 3 minutes. I'm afraid the stuff will permeate the comb! I put the fume board on the super on the hive (I don't remove it first), let the girls go down into the box and after a maximum of 3 minutes, remove the super. Most if not all of the girls are out. If some remain, I blow them out with my indoor/outdoor vac.
 
#11 ·
i am not too concerned about the bee quick permeating the combs.....now if you were using 'bee go' or 'honey robber', might as well buy a new rig, (good luck selling it) truck or car, new clothes, a new house......especially if that stuff gets spilled.....
and your wife or husband will have you 'in the penalty box' or sleeping with the chickens!
 
#12 ·
bee go... now there is a revolting item. of course after a while in using the stuff (and it is extremely effective) you do get use to the smell. you don't ever get use to the ugly looks you get in a country store when you stop for a soft drink after pulling honey all day.
 
#14 ·
Well, which one is the preferred "concoction"? The other day when I helped my mentor pull some supers he used "Honey Robber". I didn't really smell an objectionable odor but then again I could just about eat dinner sitting on a dead mule. My mentor stated that "Bee Go" was definitely a "NO NO"...that it stinks worse than that dead mule.

I've got a small bottle of "Bee Quick" that I'm figuring on using when I pull my honey. When I bought it I had concluded that it was more nose-friendly than the rest of the pack. ????

Now to rig up a fume board...

Ed
 
#18 ·
Well, which one is the preferred "concoction"? ......
My mentor stated that "Bee Go" was definitely a "NO NO"...that it stinks worse than that dead mule.
Ed
The only concoction I ever used (and I have pleny of it left) was Bee-Go. It really smells terrible and when I used it I was worried about how it would effect the fragrance of my honey. I was relieved when I discovered that the smell wears off and doesn't leave any tell-tale smell with the honey.
 
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