# Triangle Escape Board



## akaneo (Jul 12, 2008)

I noticed no one talks about using these boards anymore, are they ineffective? I only have one super to remove right now and was thinking about taking one of my covers (3/4" plywood with hole cut out to fit a mason jar) and just building one to get this one box cleared for right now for I do not have any need for a fume board or anything else yet. 

I see almost everyone of the suppliers sells them but never hear about people using them so I thought I would ask before I made it.

Richard


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Only one super? You don't need anything. Place a rock or brick on the ground in front of the bottom entrance. Take first frame of honey. Hold it by one end bar. Hit the opposite top bar lug on the brick twice, and all the bees will fall off. Place comb in empty super and repeat with the other combs.


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## smoke (Jan 17, 2006)

*escape boards*

They work extremely well for me though they do require a 2nd trip to the yard to retrieve the super the next day. They are most effective when used prior to a cool night--might take 2 days to vacate super if night temps remain hot. Make sure there are no holes or bee access to the super or it will get robbed out.


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

I built myself 4 of the ones that have two sets of triangles (one inside the other). They work great. I just pull the boxes and stack them to the side and place the escape on top. Have done as many as 4 supers high with one escape. Just make sure that there are no other entrances.

Fuzzy


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

I love mine! With only a hive or two, and time not being an issue, I think they are the best way to remove bees and minimize disruption.


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## akaneo (Jul 12, 2008)

Thanks everyone for your insight. I built it and have it on the hive now. Hopefully be able to take the super of tomorrow or so. I would have just bought a bee escape but I live in FL and don't have any inner covers so thought this would be easier 

Thanks again
Richard


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## JordanM (Jun 6, 2008)

Fuzzy and akaneo, could you please tell me how you made your and some pictures might help also.

Thanks


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## akaneo (Jul 12, 2008)

I am surprised that http://www.beesource.com/plans/index.htm don't have the plans for this item on it. I just made mine from seeing them before and looking at pics.

I don't have any pics but if you look at this you can see what I am talking about

http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=1223

I just used a 3/4" piece of plywood cut to the size of the top of the hive, mine had a hole in it already but all you need to do is cut a hole in dead center. A 1 inch hole should be good then I am a scavenger so I just took some old used frame wedges I had around and stacked two on top of each other and nailed them to the plywood. You cant really tell from photo but there are two triangles one little just bigger than the hole and one bigger around first. Just make it so that the bees can move threw it easy and leave the points of both triangles open about 1/2" or so and then tack some screen over the triangles. Make sure you tack the screen to both triangles. Then I used the same wedges to make a lip around the outside of the plywood so that the bees still have space under the screen.

They say it works due to the bees will never turn left. I don't know if I believe this or not but if it works why not use it.

Richard


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

Jordan,

This link will show you what you need to know. 
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/vortexescape.html

Also, if you follow this link there are other bee escape plans.
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/clearerboards.html

Fuzzy


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

akaneo said:


> They say it works due to the bees will never turn left. I don't know if I believe this or not but if it works why not use it.


Funny you say this. We've been laughing about the statement all summer...after reading it in the Betterbee catalog. Bees only turn right??

First, I'm not really sure what they mean by "right." Clockwise? If the bees are moving right on the far wall of the hive, they're moving left on the near wall. So, wording aside...

I've been catching queens in my mating nucs for the last 6 weeks. These are 4 frame mini's. Sometimes the queen can't be found on the combs. So, I have to look in the box, because she's on the sidewall somewhere. In order to get the bees moving, so I can spot the queen, I blow into the box. The bees run around the box, and the queen shows up. 

I've seen it enough times now to say...sometimes they move clockwise, and sometimes they move counterclockwise. I find no rhyme or reason to their movement.


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## JordanM (Jun 6, 2008)

Thanks, i might try to build one.


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## JordanM (Jun 6, 2008)

Can you tell me what the fractional measurements would be for this:
Quote from: http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/vortexescape.html
"All parts are 9 mm exterior grade plywood... The outer three parts are 18 mm wide and 260 mm long with 60 degree ends. The three small parts are 18 mm wide with 30 degree ends. The long side of the triangle is 100 mm. All gaps are 9 mm wide and are controlled during assembly using a scrap strip of 9 mm ply as a spacer. The central hole is 33 mm or 38 mm or 44 mm (according to what cutters you have available)."

I think he just said the dimensions of the 2 rhombuses and didnt give the dimensions of the 3 outside pieces. Some fractional measurements would really help?

Thanks, im just a little confused


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

aproximately:
9mm = 3/8 inch (just enough room for a bee to be comfortable)
18mm = 3/4 inch

The central hole is 1-2 inch diameter

As for the earlier comments on right turns vs left turns. I don't really care as long as the bees leave the super and I don't have to deal with them.

Fuzzy


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## Ken&Andria (May 2, 2007)

> Funny you say this. We've been laughing about the statement all summer...after reading it in the Betterbee catalog. Bees only turn right??


I bought a couple of these awhile back, haven't used them yet. But when I got them I gave them a look, then re-read the no left turn thing in the catalog, went and had another look, just couldn't figure out what they were talking about. I thought I was just being stupid...


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## JordanM (Jun 6, 2008)

Fuzzy said:


> aproximately:
> 9mm = 3/8 inch (just enough room for a bee to be comfortable)
> 18mm = 3/4 inch
> 
> ...


Thanks, but i still dont know the dimensions of the outside 3 pieces that form a triangle?


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## blammer (Jul 28, 2006)

Here's an odd question about bee escapes.

If I have a honey house and have bees clustering at the window to get out.

could I put one of these escape boards "vertical" like a window and have it work?

the bees go to the window because they see the light and want to leave.

Was thinking about building this one

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/vortexescape.html

and installing it at the top part of the window.


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## JordanM (Jun 6, 2008)

ya, thats the same one i want to build to blammer but i dont know the dimensions of the outside pieces?


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## smoke (Jan 17, 2006)

*triangle escapes*

I actually have had one mounted on the outside of my hot room door for several years (cut a hole in the door). I does work however in my situation was not too effective until I put a light near the exit on the outside. The problem with that is that the light must be monitored as it of course attracts bees as evening approaches.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I wonder what the right turn thing has to to with it anyway. I mean...it's a triangle with 3 points of escape. Why would right turning bees clear any faster than left turning bees?? Bees can't figure it out if they're bassakwards?

I think I'm feeling the wool slipping down over my eyes.


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## akaneo (Jul 12, 2008)

The boards from the store has the triangles built so that if you are looking at it with the flat down and the point up the bottom slat goes fully to the left with the left slat stopping on top of it and the right slat coming all the way down to the outside edge of the bottom slat, same with the inside triangle. OK if you draw this out the thery is that when the bees come threw the hole in the middle and only make right turns they will make it out and if a bee is trying to come in only making right turns it will just exit the next point on the triangle. 

The only thing I dont understand is who is telling the bees they have to walk on the board and not the screen because if they walk on the screen then none of this thery works.

I don't know how it works but I built mine and it worked good, only about 20-30 girls left that I had to brush out when I was taking super off.

Richard


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## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

"Thanks, but i still dont know the dimensions of the outside 3 pieces that form a triangle?"

Put your thinking cap on now... The tip to tip length MUST be less than the narrowest dimension of your box -- RIGHT !! other than that it doesn't matter.


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## JordanM (Jun 6, 2008)

Thanks, i didnt think the actual dimensions were there, but i guess it dont matter as long as you got the pieces in the right place and the space all the same. I may start it today.


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

LOL. I'm guessing this is factual?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_common.htm


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## Rex Piscator (Oct 12, 2010)

I recently constructed a 'vortex' type escape with images and dimensions found on Dave Cushman's site. It worked very well. It was fun to construct. I even recycled the #8 mesh from my package boxes[does this make me a true beekeeper now? lol] to use over the escape maze.


















With the hives in my backyard, multiple 'trips' to the apiary are not an issue.

I purchased a "3/8in" piece of plywood, cut 2 'boards' to fit an 8-frame hive body. With the remainder; I cut strips in 2 sizes; 3/4" for the parallel strips and another strip 1 15/16" for the triangle pieces. I mitered the ends at 45 degrees and spaced the 'raceways' with a small strip of scrap 3/8"[more like 5/16" as modern lumber manufacturers dictate], flipping the stock to get the mitres in the correct direction; very very easy....outside dimensions of the square are ~9in. x 9in.


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## PeeVee (Dec 10, 2009)

I built one a couple years ago. Just built 3 more. They do work. In theory only a couple hours should be long enough on a warm day (so the bees are moving about). I left one on too long a couple years ago (got side tracked) and they had started to build comb on the underside. One time I was trying to move bees down and there was some brood in the comb. Before I got back they had started raising a queen - so I did a split.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

I used to use these but had to stop a few years ago when the shb became an issue.


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## PeeVee (Dec 10, 2009)

I am fortunate that shb is not a problem here. We have a lot of clay/hardpan below the grass. It's my understanding that shb does not thrive in that environment.

Just pulled a super from an outyard utilizing the triangle board that was applied yesterday. Not exactly the best of weather here in the last few days. Overcast and cool. maybe 20 to 25 lbs. from a cutout I did this summer. After the super was taken off the double deep felt Winter ready heavy, but I will be keeping a close eye on this colony. Plan on doing splits from it next season.


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## PeeVee (Dec 10, 2009)

So, here's a new observation. The escape worked well with one super but when I installed under 2 and 3 supers, not so good. Installed yesterday and pulled today. Tremendous traffic jam resulted in hundreds of dead bees as they clogged the escape. Also many dead in the supers that could not get out.

Resulted in a very large pain in the butt removing the supers. I must say the trapped bees were really happy to get out!

Had I more time and warm weather I would have used Bee Quick as I did back in July. 

Truly a lesson learned.


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