apidea

[bees4u]

Anyone made a frame for holding apidea frames for nationals? would love to see a picture I'm have some frames made for my micro mini nucs and one national frame will hold 8 of these frames

 

[mbc]

Three can be jammed in a national super frame with no adjustment apart from a little bend.

 

[bees4u]

Three can be jammed in a national super frame with no adjustment apart from a little bend.

thanks for that, I'll give it a go ta

 

[fatshark]

I use Kielers and use zip ties to hold them in a National frame. I think Dave Cushman's site has pictures of frames adapted to hold both Kieler (Warnholz) and Apidea min nuc frames.

 

[fiftyjon]

One of my many jobs to make the same for my Apidea frames.

 

[bees4u]

I use Kielers and use zip ties to hold them in a National frame. I think Dave Cushman's site has pictures of frames adapted to hold both Kieler (Warnholz) and Apidea min nuc frames.

thanks I'll have a look at his site

 

[MJBee]

As Bees4U said 3 Apidea frames will fit into a National super frame with just a very small adjustment

 

[ebee]

What’s the idea of doing this?

 

[fiftyjon]

Three can be jammed in a national super frame with no adjustment apart from a little bend.

As Bees4U said 3 Apidea frames will fit into a National super frame with just a very small adjustment

Thanks MBC and MJBee, very helpful. Might save me a little time.

 

[MJBee]

In my case it was an experiment to see whether an overwintered Apidea could be expanded into a full National in one season - It can.

I started with 6 Apidea frames + 2 drawn empty frames in a well insulated and dummied National super. When they were occupying all 11 frames I added a Brood box on top, the queen quickly moved up into it and as soon as she was laying in it I reversed the boxes and put a QX between. They did not produce a surplus but went into the winter well and (so far) are fine.

 

[Hivemaker.]

What’s the idea of doing this?

Also it is another way of getting frames of foundation drawn,or combs laid up in spring, and uniting the frames of bees and brood to full size hives at the end of the growing season.

 

[Luminos]

What’s the idea of doing this?

...it's an Ap-idea.

 

[clv101]

In my case it was an experiment to see whether an overwintered Apidea could be expanded into a full National in one season - It can.

I didn't realise you could overwinter in something as small as an Apidea. Are there any specific challenges?

 

[beekeeping4you]

Hi,
....overwinter in something as small as an Apidea. Are there any specific challenges?

There are lots of challenges. We tried this with five Apideas in a big poly-tunnel
many years ago. There were all in all six of these poly-tunnels we could have chosen from, and only one of them was blown over and carried away partly ripped into pieces by one of the first winter gales. Guess which one that was?

I gave up and classified this plan as wishful thinking. The method that worked later was overwintering the bees from the Apideas (and one mated queen).
Regards
Reiner

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXJjWbK4HBo&list=UUBT6dujd_v4tx07rW6h1NFw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXJjWbK4HBo&list=UUBT6dujd_v4tx07rW6h1NFw[/ame]

 

[bees4u]

Hi,
....overwinter in something as small as an Apidea. Are there any specific challenges?

There are lots of challenges. We tried this with five Apideas in a big poly-tunnel
many years ago. There were all in all six of these poly-tunnels we could have chosen from, and only one of them was blown over and carried away partly ripped into pieces by one of the first winter gales. Guess which one that was?

I gave up and classified this plan as wishful thinking. The method that worked later was overwintering the bees from the Apideas (and one mated queen).
Regards
Reiner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXJjWbK4HBo&list=UUBT6dujd_v4tx07rW6h1NFw

that's a great video..
I've over wintered apidea's on a double, but I learnt to leave the lid off and stand them inside a brood box & roof, so 3 to each one, worked ok for me. First time I tried it, they died from the damp & fondant got too sticky.

 

[bees4u]

What’s the idea of doing this?

I do it to give them a head start ready for the queen cells

 

[bees4u]

As Bees4U said 3 Apidea frames will fit into a National super frame with just a very small adjustment

great picture, thanks for showing us how it's done.

 

[Tim1606]

Took this at the honey show last year. Sorry it's not a good pic but you will get the idea.
If my memory serves me right it was based on a commercial frame size.

 

[MJBee]

My overwintering method which has worked for 3 winters running with no losses:-

I remove the feed container and fill the space with frames. a 2nd Apidea with frames of drawn comb is placed on top. I do this in August to allow at least 2 brood cycles and plenty of bees. They are given syrup in Autumn and have fondant available from January. The final winter prep is a 25mm Roofmate jacket is fitted and topped off with an insulated wooden roof. This picture was taken today!! roll on Spring

 

[bees4u]

My overwintering method which has worked for 3 winters running with no losses:-

I remove the feed container and fill the space with frames. a 2nd Apidea with frames of drawn comb is placed on top. I do this in August to allow at least 2 brood cycles and plenty of bees. They are given syrup in Autumn and have fondant available from January. The final winter prep is a 25mm Roofmate jacket is fitted and topped off with an insulated wooden roof. This picture was taken today!! roll on Spring

great picture, well done with the over wintering