# What makes a good bad bee brush?



## LeifLiberty (Sep 23, 2014)

I did a powdered sugar application to encourage the bees to push out shb, but realized that I could really have benefited from a brush. I did not order one on my last order and was wondering if the brush has to be special in some way or if I can simply get a brush from a discount store? I have seen brushes that I think people use to clean their car windshield. Would something like that work fine? I have seen plenty of videos where people brush bees around with their hands. Do not think using my hands would be as effective for the powdered sugar...


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## Dave Whitmer (May 6, 2016)

Just to brush sugar through screen, I might use an old, but clean, paint brush.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

Most brushes sold outside bee supply shops are too thick causing the bees to become entangled. The Fuller brush man use to sell one that was perfect in both texture and size. He would even deliver it to your home. But alas the fuller brush man no longer plies his trade. With that. What gave you the idea that feeding SHB would entice the bees to evict them?


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## Agis Apiaries (Jul 22, 2014)

The bee brushes you find at beekeeping supply outlets are designed to have very soft bristles, so as not to injure the bees. Bristles made to get snow and ice off a windshield would be too stiff and cause injuries.


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## DavidZ (Apr 9, 2016)

I use a baby red tail hawk feather I find below the nest in my Catalpa Tree, I pick up a bag full of them every year.
I'm NA so have the legal ability to use them. 

I saw another person here using bird wings.

Bees do not like the chinese horse tails brushes, I tried one time, talk about pissed off bees.

Grass works great, it doesn't bother them, I also use grass when i don't bring my bee tool box with me.


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## LeifLiberty (Sep 23, 2014)

How about a feather-duster?


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## LeifLiberty (Sep 23, 2014)

Tenbears said:


> What gave you the idea that feeding SHB would entice the bees to evict them?


Hope. 

I am willing to try anything short of pesticide, or things that might harm the bees, to get rid of these infernal beetles.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I use a thin horse hair drafting brush. They are commonly sold at Staples, Office Max and bigger stationery stores. I also use a bunch of soft grass blades from the edge of one of my fields.

Enj.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

Bee brush or one that a draftsman would use. 

About this powdered sugar dusting for SHB. Someone has misunderstood something somewhere. 
That's a mite-treatment (sort of).


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## LeifLiberty (Sep 23, 2014)

Need to somehow re-direct the mites to attack the beetles. Ha


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

A bad brusher?


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

A goose feather is said to be good. The goose is also a nice pet (I had one that lived to be more than thirty years old).
Bill


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## LeifLiberty (Sep 23, 2014)

Ah good idea. I know just where to find goose feathers.


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## Bee scared (May 21, 2016)

LeifLiberty said:


> I did a powdered sugar application to encourage the bees to push out shb, but realized that I could really have benefited from a brush. I did not order one on my last order and was wondering if the brush has to be special in some way or if I can simply get a brush from a discount store? I have seen brushes that I think people use to clean their car windshield. Would something like that work fine? I have seen plenty of videos where people brush bees around with their hands. Do not think using my hands would be as effective for the powdered sugar...


What makes a bad bee brush, any brush that is used on two consecutive hives. All bee brushes in my opinion are great spreaders of disease and the practice should be stopped.
Virtually every frame has some leakakage of honey when you pull it out and brush it that honey is transfered to the next hive. When you brush brood comb all those bristles ent the un opened comb.If you have a disease that is then passed directly to the next hive you brush. Save your self time and if you want to get bees off a frame shake them off. Its faster and doesnt spread disease.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The absolute best bee brush is the wing of an expired goose or just the three feathers on the pinion.


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## Nordak (Jun 17, 2016)

fieldsofnaturalhoney said:


> A bad brusher?


I think there is a lot of truth in this statement. It's all in the wrist, more like gently flicking than brushing. After having done it incorrectly for about a year, the girls definitely let me know the difference.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

I use a wing off of one of our leghorn chickens that got killed by the neighbors dog. It is 1000x better than the couple of yellow bee brushes that I have. We also have a poultry processing plant down the road that I understand will give you goose wings if you want them (call first to determine different processing times, they are not going to hold them for you)


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I use a piece of flexible sponge to flick and brush the
bees off the frame. At any one time I can brush 20-30 of them off.
The best part is the sponge is soft enough to not kill the bees even when I
knock it on the frame. I'm sure you can use it to push off the sugar too.


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## LeifLiberty (Sep 23, 2014)

I wonder if a turkey baster would work well? 

It would not actually touch the bees, frames, or anything else. The air movement could push sugar and or bees around w/o too many problems, I would guess. 
I think I will give it a try.


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

I haven't tried the feathered variants of a bee brush, but I certainly like my yellow ML brush...I do agree with the poster that mentions that the brush tends to pick up nector ect, from the frames and gets quite sticky after a while. I havn't tried washing it out yet but I'm sure it will clean up to a usable tool again before next spring....good luck..

==McBee7==


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