Removing Honey Supers
Beekeepers use the term ‘super’ for the boxes above the hive body used to store honey the beekeeper will harvest for themselves. Whether you have an 8 or 10 frame hive, and use a deep, shallow or medium box as a super, the removal process is the same. A top bar hive is a complete different process.
Removing a super when it is full can require lifting a heavy box – for 40 to 100 pounds. Some beekeepers prefer to harvest one frame at a time, replacing the single full frame with an empty one to continue the process until honey flow is over.
Once the bees are removed, the super with frames or the individual frames need to be secured to prevent bees from returning to the frames. A storage tub works well, or stacking supers and closing the top and bottom to prevent bee re-entry works. It is easier to extract honey on a warm day, or keep at room temperature until ready to extract.
BEES NEED TO BE REMOVED FIRST
Fume board: this is a 3-4 inch frame with a heat absorbent top (usually black) that is lined inside with felt. The felt is lightly sprayed with a product that produces a vapor when warmed by the sun on the box. BeeDun or Honey Bandit are 2 examples of sprays. Bees dislike the smell and leave the super. This method generally works in about 10 minutes.
Leaf blower: a fast but not so gentle removal method. The super is placed on it’s side and the leaf blower is used on low setting to blow bees out of the box.
Bee escape: this requires a day or two to get bees out of the super. It is a ‘one way’ device that is placed on top of the super, or replaces the inner cover. Any entrance into the super must be closed off – an entry hole into the super, or the notch of an inner cover. Bees can get out, but are unable to find their way back into the super.
Another bee escape photo
Bang and brush: this is done one frame at a time. The frame is pulled out of the box and vigorously given a quick down up shake, or a gentle ‘bang’ against something outside the box (banging on the box can agitate the bees still in the super). A brush (a goose feather works well too!) is then used to gently brush the remaining bees off the frame, and the frame is placed in a closed tub.
Once the bees are removed, the super with frames or the individual frames need to be secured to prevent bees from returning to the frames. A storage tub works well, or stacking supers and closing the top and bottom to prevent bee re-entry works. It is easier to extract honey on a warm day, or keep at room temperature until ready to extract.