> brushing the combs one at a time (and how that infuriates bees) The trick is to shake most of the bees off first with a quivering shake and then brush UPWARDS. Being pushed upwards is quite natural to the bees compared to being brushed down. try it -- you'll like it. We extracted 125 hives many years ago, using only brushing and it was not too bad a task. Remember to carry two brushes and soak the one not in use to remove any honey. Shake to water off and change brushes at any sign of the brush in use loosing its softness. As far as escape boars are concerend, the triangle (either single or double) style far outperform the Porter type in our experience and are pretty rugged to boot. We used them extensively when we were producing hundreds of thousands of comb sections. We found the Porter type too finicky by comparison. If you use escape boards in hot climates, remember to use the kind with a fair sized (double?) screened hole in the centre or your combs will melt -- as one sadder but wiser member reported here recently. If anyone wants a design for a triangle escape, just say the word and I'll whip up a drawing and email it to those who ask. Regards Allen W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper VE6CFK RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta Canada T0M 1Y0 Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask] Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>