Bee Brush
Lexikon
The bee brush is a narrow, soft hand brush used to sweep bees off a comb or off the hive wall.
The bee brush is a narrow, soft hand brush used to sweep bees off a comb or off the hive wall. It is used above all for the honey harvest, for forming nucs, and for brushing off colonies with laying workers.
Bristles are commonly made of horsehair or synthetic fiber. Horsehair is soft and gentle, synthetic fiber cheaper and easier to clean. Single- and multi-row versions exist, the latter sweeping more forcefully. Anyone wanting to work very gently uses a goose feather; larger operations use a bee blower.
The motion is what matters: slow and in calm strokes from top to bottom. Hasty sweeping irritates the colony considerably and leads to stings.
From a hygiene standpoint, the bee brush is a route of transmission. It should be cleaned after use, and if foulbrood is suspected, a dedicated brush is used for the affected colonies and afterward kept away from other apiaries.