How to Use a Triangle Board to Remove Bees

Obtain an assembled triangle board. These boards typically are 20-by-16 1/4-by-1 1/2 inches in size.

Apply a coat of linseed oil to the wooden parts using a paintbrush. The board normally will be in place only for approximately an hour, so it is not necessary to seal the rim with petroleum jelly, as you would do with a permanent addition to the hive, to treat and protect it.

Examine the hive to ensure that there are no holes or cracks in the super from which you want to remove the honey. Bees that have left through the triangle board and cannot return through it will search for other ways to re-enter the hive. If the bees that have left can return again, the super always will have a large number of bees present.

Place the triangle board between the supers and the brood chamber. Honeybees navigate according to instinct and follow a very strict routine. When these bees reach any type of obstruction, they travel to the right of it, without fail. Honeybees will never turn left at an obstruction. The triangle board has been designed with three exit holes from which the bees can choose, when they choose to leave the hive. The board's design prevents bees that are outside the hive from returning.

Wait up to 24 hours to clear all the bees from the super. Triangle boards work best during cool weather, when house bees from the super leave to enter the brood chamber and keep the nest's brood warm.

Harvest the honey that you require.

Remove the board and wipe it down with a clean cloth. Store the board for future use.