Bee Escape, the easy way to harvest honey

Adding the clearer board with 2 Porter-style bee escapes.

Brushing bees off honey frames I’m about to pilfer isn’t fun for anyone. The bees get testy, I get buzzed, and by the time I’ve cleared bees off all the frames in a box, everyone’s beyond foul in mood. Waiter, make that a double!

That’s why I simply adore the bee escape, aka “clearer board”. What is a bee escape, you ask? It’s essentially a one-way valve that allows bees to leave but doesn’t let ’em back in. Perfect for clearing a box of honey with minimal stress to me and the bees.

[Here’s a diagram of the original Porter bee escape.]

So how do you use it? Oh do allow me, darlings.

How to use a Bee Escape or Clearer Board

1. Buy a few bee escapes (either Porter style or triangle style). Insert the bee escapes in the hole in an inner cover or just buy one already constructed.
2. The day before you want to harvest honey, put the bee escape board beneath the box of honey to harvest. (Between the box to harvest and the box(es) to leave.)
3. Leave overnight. In places like Albuquerque with cool evening temps, the bees will descend into the brood boxes to keep brood warm.
4. The next morning, none of the bees will be able to pass up into the honey super thanks to the ingenious bee escape.
5. It’s honey day! Come back to your hive and pull off the honey super. Be sure to smoke the box in case there are a few remaining bees.
6. Remove the honey super, remove the bee escape and close up your hive.

Notes:

• In humid climes where evening temps don’t drop, you may have a larger number of remaining bees. Be sure to smoke or brush off the bees. Or, try using the Triangle escape. If that doesn’t work, go hard-core with the Vortex Escape.
• If you’re using the old-skool Porter escape (which works just fine in Albuquerque), consider adding 2-3 escapes per board. This clears the box more quickly.