What did you do in the 'workshop' today

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Supers & Kit

Made up 12 x Supers
re painted some old kit
Fixed up an old Wooden NUC to use as a Bait Hive.
Cleared Bench area to start the SN4 Frame marathon for the Supers
 
Some of my dummy boards were looking a bit moth eaten so .. I've just taken an old cot we had for our children to pieces - the beechwood slats were a perfect size for a top bar. I had a 25mm sheet of insulation left from my last skip diving expedition - some bamboo skewers, a bit of wood glue and some aluminium tape - 6 new dummy boards and enough materials left over for another six !

Ah well .. Forum down time and wet day have some silver linings .. hope the bees like the new ones.
 

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As well as my dummy boards getting a bit moth eaten the insulation I keep above the crownboard in a super permanently on top was getting a bit worse for wear - using my hive tool to fish them out over the years has left them raggy round the edges and there are holes in the cut edges where insects have bored into the foam core (probably some wax moth damage at times as well). Some were also a bit of a loose fit.

So I still had some of my last skip diving 25mm Extrartherm celotx left after the dummy board so I've made some new insulation blocks that fit snugly into the super - I've made a loop with a cable tie that goes through a wooden disc on the underside so now I can just pull the insulation up and out with the loops. A block of three layers of 25mm plus a block of two layers of 25mm fills a super perfectly. Bees will be snug and warm this winter .. and cool in summer.
 

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Bit too cold and wet for bee work today so, as our local builder's merchant is now open again (were trading but not open for walk ins as they were working flat out assisting with building the Llanelli and Carmarthen temporary hospitals)
I picked up some timber and spent the afternoon cutting planed planks ready for hive roof repairs and built some more hive stands for the new Amanford apiary.
 
Yesterday was another wet day so finished repairs to the roofs, repaired some dummy boards with broken lugs and made a few more up. Made up a few crownboards.
Spent the morning painting said roofs waiting for it to warm up so I can go to the range and check the bees there.
 
Decided to try a new design of floor for my nucs.
Features a solid, insulated floor with under hive entrance and integral porch reducer.
 

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That looks pretty good.
I’ve been hankering to try a solid floor. The nearest I’ve got is leaving the inspection tray in with a gap at the back.
 
youngyoungs said:
Love your idea. Do you use the brakes when extracting, or let the extractor dance round the honey room??
Click to expand...

The idea is twofold:

1. The castors make moving the extractor around much easier.

2. When an imbalance occurs the castors allow the extractor to move to and fro. This relieves the stresses on the legs. If you bolt the legs down to the floor (as some have done) the legs take all the loads and this may result in failure.

I only use the brakes (which are on the front two castors) to stop it running away when I prop up the rear wheel, to get the dregs out.

https://youtu.be/_fiZuAY-xWI
 
Last edited:
finished painting some supers
finished some roofs.
general tidy up until this wind & Rain. Stop
 
gmonag said:
The idea is twofold:

1. The castors make moving the extractor around much easier.

2. When an imbalance occurs the castors allow the extractor to move to and fro. This relieves the stresses on the legs. If you bolt the legs down to the floor (as some have done) the legs take all the loads and this may result in failure.

I only use the brakes (which are on the front two castors) to stop it running away when I prop up the rear wheel, to get the dregs out.

https://youtu.be/_fiZuAY-xWI
Click to expand...

Thankyou so much, I showed this to HWMBO, and he cut the wood whilst I sourced (and collected) the castors.

Two things left to do. Firstly the oval cut out - will mark out exactly what I need, before we cut the wood, and secondly, extract some honey to see it in action!

Love being able to wheel my kit between garage and house.

Just seen your extendable swarm catcher..........I may be making one of those next. Any tips?
 
Could have done with one of those yesterday. What looked like a prime swarm ~ 30 ft high in the top of a pear tree. I left a bait hive but never known it to work.
 
Today I stripped an old home made toy box that was no longer needed. It left me a box on castors that was about 1 meter long and half as wide with a hinged lid. It looked the same size as a greenhouse heated tray that we use in the spring that has a thermostat control. Mmmmmm!!! Tried it and it was a perfect fit. Lined the box with insulation and tesred it. The thermostat keeps it at any heat up to 50 degrees. It is now loaded with hard set spring honey jars ticking over at 40 degrees c.
Cost me nothing and ...... It will just take super frames too. May need a bit of tweaking but may need it if the mustard crop down the road gets found by my bees!
E
 
Converted a couple of paynes 6 frame poly nucs to 8 frame by removing the feeder. I think I will use them to overwinter my nucs in. I normally do it in double 5 frame cedar ones.
 
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