Easy Way to Get Bees Out of a Honey Super Using Bitter Almond Oil. No Fume Board Needed!

There are lots of tricks the beekeeper has to saving time. This is one of my favorites. When I worked for an apiary with 4,000 hives, it was run by just 7 beekeepers. A trick I learned from them to save time while harvesting honey is to use bitter almond oil to get the bees out of a supery. 

When using bitter almond oil to get bees out of a honey super, it's recommended that you use a fume board or breeze board to disperse the scent throughout the hive. However, I really hate buying equipment that I will only use once or twice a year, nor do I have the room to store all of this stuff, so I try to use what I have laying around whenever possible. This makes for some "interesting" beekeeping on my part, but, hey, I find it fun :) 

 

In the YouTube video above, I show you my experience using bitter almond oil without a fume board or breeze board. First I try using a smoker to billow the scent into the super. This is recommended on Fischer's instructions as an alternative to using a fume board and it didn't work well for me. I billowed the smoker for so long I got a cramp in my hand, but there was still a lot of bees in the box. 

The second idea I had was to use a shop towel and a lid as a makeshift fume board. It worked pretty well! If you'd like to watch how I did it, check out the video.

A few tips I have if you try this:

If you want to use the smoker option, you'll have to use a larger piece of fabric and really soak it with the oil. Personally, I think this is an expensive option and I don't recommend it.

After you take the makeshift fume board off, leave the box on its side at least 10' from the beehive for at least 20 minutes. Ideally, until sunset. This will allow for the stragglers still in the box to get out.

Use the bitter almond oil for the first box. Do not use it for every super. To be honest, I'm not sure why. However, this is what I was told to do at the commercial apiary I worked for and what I read online. Does it mess with the queen's pheromones or overly aggravate the hive? Maybe? Either way, I was always told to use just once per beehive.

The first super where the fume board is used will have hardly any bees in it. The next super, will have more bees in it. You can get these stragglers out by leaving it on its side, away from the hive until sunset or by slamming the box over a stack of empty supers. 

 

What is bitter almond oil?

Something I want to mention is that this is bitter almond essential oil. Not sweet almond oil, not any other kind of almond oil. This is very important because sweet almond oil will not work. A lot of beekeepers seem to be confused as to what kind of oil it is. They just know it has "almond" in the name. 

Is Bitter Almond safe to use?

Bitter almond has been used historically in small amounts for flavoring in dishes such as almond syrup and amaretti.  However, due to its potential for toxicity, its use internally has been discontinued in the present day. Since the oil does not come in contact with the honey or comb and is only on the hive for under 5 minutes, I do not believe it has a harmful affect on the honey.

That being said, I use Fischer's Bee-Quick. I'm not positive they use real bitter almond oil or if they use a synthetic scent that is similar. All I know is that the label says it's "a natural, non-toxic blend of oils and herbal extracts for honey harvesting". 

Other ways to get bees out of a honey super.

This is the only way to get bees out of a super. If you're bringing the boxes into your house, this may not even be the best way to go. Although using bitter almond oil will get almost all of the bees out, you will usually have a handful of bees still in there. These bees will then be flying around your kitchen light for the next 24-48 hours. If you're harvesting in a shed or garage, this might not be as annoying. 

 

Check out the video above for other ways to get bees out of a honey super.

What to do with your empty frames of comb

Just a heads up, after you're done spinning your honey frames, you're going to have a bunch of empty honeycomb. If you're not sure where and how to store these frames so that they're safe from insects and rodents, I have a solution for you! Click the link to see what I do and other suggestions.

Honey Harvesting Options

There are three main ways you can harvest your honey - crush & strain (the cheapest), using an extractor (the recommended method if you have more than 5 hives), and the flow hive (the easiest if you have under 5 hives). Our online beekeeping class, Beekeeping for Beginners, goes through how to harvest using each of these three methods and includes a ton of tips and tricks so you don't make a huge mess! 

What I believe separates our class from the few other online beekeeping classes out there is that we focus on these backyard beekeeping techniques for people with just a few hives at their home. If you're just starting out beekeeping or about ot get started, check out our class. We offer a 60 day money back guarantee so you can give it a try and see if you like it. If it's not for you, we refund your money. Just email us. It's really, very simple. 

When you're ready to start selling your honey, check out our bee business blog posts for tips and tools to price, market and sell your honey.