I find that the butyric repellents don't work well in shade or on cloudy
days.  Painting the metal black sometimes gives passable results.  It works
like a charm in the sun, but I put the fume board on slightly skewed so
there's a vent in two opposite corners.  I think it must make a slight
draft, but also keeps the bees from getting dopey.  When I sniff the
flannel side at about 4" and get a buzz, I know I've applied too much.  The
cherry-almond type repellents work more reliably in shade or on cloudy
days.  With either one it seems to penetrate one super at a time, popping
that one off and replacing the fume board.  The butyric seems to hang
around the supers a lot longer than the cherry-almond.
   When everything's right I can work a yard leapfrogging two fume boards
and pulling supers and schlepping them to the truck.  (Our yards aren't
very big, though.)
   I sometimes use the inner cover hole escapes on the backyard hives
overnight, and of course there's that one with the Flow frames . . .ha ha
ha.
Cheers,
Kristina Williams
Boulder, CO

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