In reference to the article "Harvesting Your Honey" by John Iannuzzi which was printed in the American Bee Journal (May, 1993), I would like to tell you about my method of removing bees from honey combs when taking honey. My experience during more than 50 years with beekeeping in a large apiary has included all the honey removal methods Mr. Iannuzzi mentions in his article.
However, I have discovered that the best way to save time and effort is to use an air compressor to produce about 10 atmosphere air pressure to remove the bees from the honey supers. The handle used is like those found on air hoses that garages use to fill tires. The compressor is connected to the power take off of the tractor which pulls the trailer on which the full supers are loaded.
This works well without making loud noise, creating the unpleasant smell of exhaust or producing tiring vibrations as does the bee blower. It cleans out the bees from the honey supers very fast!
The use of an air compressor saves time and back-breaking work. To compare: Working with bee escape boards requires lifting the honey supers twice and disturbing the hives twice. With fume boards the strong smell of the chemical repellent is very unpleasant to the beekeepers and the honey house employees, not to mention the beekeeper's family. Chemical repellents also create one more opportunity where pure, natural honey could be contaminated with chemicals.
My many years of removing honey with air compression has proved most successful. Why don't you try it for yourself?
David Sadeh, beekeeper
Kibbutz Amir
Upper Galilee
Israel