Also known as a fume board, beekeepers use this when getting ready to take honey supers off of their hive.
It is designed as a temporary hive cover that holds a bee repellant (the “acid” or “fume”).
The frame of the board is made of a strong, sturdy pine. The top of
the board is covered with a heavy-duty, dark-gray plastic. The dark
color of this plastic absorbs the warmth from the sun making the cover
heat up slightly. The underside is covered with a beige-colored felt.
It is this felt side that you will spray and saturate with the bee
repellant. For directions on how much to spray, refer to the
instructions on for your choice repellant.
This method of removing bees from your honey supers is much faster than the escape board or Porter bee escape methods.
It does tend to work faster on warm, sunny days, but depending on the
repellant you choose, it can also work on cloudy days although taking a
little more time. The warmer the air, the more fumes or vapors are
produced.
To use, spray the inside felt with bee repellant, place the board on
top of the honey supers and wait. Depending on the temperature, bees
will leave as soon as 15 minutes. You can periodically check in 10 to
15 minute intervals to see if the bees have moved down into the brood
boxes.
It measures 20” long by 16.5” wide by 3.5” tall and will fit on a
10-frame hive. They do not need to be painted since they are only used
temporarily on warm, sunny days. When not in use, we suggest to store
them in a sealed plastic garbage bag to prevent vapors from escaping to
areas you may not want them.
