Battery Bee Blower Makita® (small)

01 · 98 M/S IS 350 KM/H

The power question, answered

Maximum air speed is 98 m/s. Put in everyday units, that is around 350 km/h at the nozzle — well beyond what it takes to lift bees off a comb.

Air volume goes up to 3.2 m³/min, and there it is a handheld: it moves less volume than a backpack blower. But clearing bees is not sweeping a yard — it is directing a concentrated jet between frames, and for that it is speed that counts, not volume.

02 · BLOW IN FRONT OF THE ENTRANCE

The handling that avoids robbing

The super comes off and rests on edge on the hive or a stand, and you run the jet between the frames. What matters is where they land: in front of the entrance, so the bees walk back in by themselves.

Blowing them into the air in the middle of the apiary leaves a disoriented cloud, and that ends in robbing. And as with any handling, on a bad day with an agitated colony, use another method.

03 · THE LIMIT IS THE BATTERY

And the «Z» in the model says so

The reference ends in Z, which at Makita means no battery and no charger. If you already have tools on the same platform, your battery fits; if not, add one to the basket.

That is the real limit against a petrol blower: not the force, but how many supers in a row you get through before swapping batteries. For a long day, keep a charged spare.

04 · IT VACUUMS TOO, BUT NOT BEES

The two functions and where each belongs

It converts into a vacuum in a moment, and for clearing wax debris and dust out of the honey house it works very well.

What it is not for is vacuuming bees: putting them through the impeller destroys them. For collecting a swarm there is purpose-built kit. Here, the air goes outwards.

One thing that is genuinely welcome in the apiary: being cordless it is considerably quieter than a petrol blower, and you notice it in how the colony reacts.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

This is the blower alone: