In a message dated 7/17/01 8:28:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

>     Brushing bees must be an art because, although bee books mention it, my
>  experience with a bee brush has been the same as yours. I do not use a bee
>  brush.
I brush bees off the frames to harvest as I never quite mastered the blower
and can't stand the repellants. When you are doing this it is more to flick
them off after an initial sharp shake. (bees don't like being rolled and
tumbled)

When I need to move bees out of the way with a brush it is more to crowd them
out of the way slowly with the bristles because it is something that won't
crush them
( like when the bees are just piled up on the edges of the super and you need
to move them over)  A puff of smoke sends then scurrying also.

Here and there on a frame you are inspecting you can just blow on them  and
they move away. This enrages some of the meaner bees you were going to
requeen anyway so don't be surprised if one hive becomes a dit defensive now
and again.