Bee space issue in a brood box - advice please

[The Riviera Kid]

My dad and I are making another brood box and the design specifies to use 18mm wood.

I have almost enough 18mm wood but not quite enough for the whole brood box but I have got some 12mm and there is enough of it to make the sides - the panels that will be perpendicular to, and support, the frames.

So, my question is this:

The design I am using will give the correct bee space between the side bars of the frames and the side panels of the hive if 18mm wood is used. Using 12mm wood instead of the prescribed 18 will add 6mm each side to the bee space down each side of the frames.

Will the bees object to this? Or bung it all up with propolis or brace comb? or just carry on like it's the standard bee space?

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[wightbees]

If the bee space is not right, they will for sure do something with it.

 

[MuswellMetro]

My dad and I are making another brood box and the design specifies to use 18mm wood.

I have almost enough 18mm wood but not quite enough for the whole brood box but I have got some 12mm and there is enough of it to make the sides - the panels that will be perpendicular to, and support, the frames.

So, my question is this:

The design I am using will give the correct bee space between the side bars of the frames and the side panels of the hive if 18mm wood is used. Using 12mm wood instead of the prescribed 18 will add 6mm each side to the bee space down each side of the frames.

Will the bees object to this? Or bung it all up with propolis or brace comb? or just carry on like it's the standard bee space?

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers.

you are making a 460mm square box and the fixed short internal distance between the frame runner sides MUST be 370 to 372mm

the other dimmension with 19mm sides is 422mm, 18mm 424mm and 12mm 436 mm,

you use anyway a dummy frame (straight 12mm ply) to fill the gap in an 11 frame hive ( ie 11 frames spaced at 35mm(hoffman) =385mm) or 11 frames on spacer at 37mm= 407mm, so there is anyway quite a largish gap

i make supers out of 12mm ply with no problem and if you make a brood out of 12mm you can get 12 rather than 11 hoffmans in them but i dont know what they would be like to overwinter in

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Thanks for the information. I will check the measurements again tomorrow and probably just buy some more 18mm I think.

Cheers,

 

[Hombre]

Hi Riviera,
It's called a bee space for a reason. Your bees will just love it, but whether you will or not depends on how masochistic you happen to be. It will get a lot of wax making attention I would imagine.

Make the side s exactly as they are and then when you put you 12mm end plates in, make the adjustment so that the internal dimensions, 392mm - 394mm between end walls and 434mm between shoulders, giving 2mm for top bar end-play/clearance.

Normally the shoulders are each approx 13mm wide, but yours will likely be 7mm and need adjusting with strip to bring them up to 13mm and the external dimension to 460mm.

= = =

I make my boxes (14x12) from 18mm ply sides, two pairs of end rails (2 top, 2 bottom) from 44mm square stock cut for me and then 9mm plywood end plates inset between them. The end plate assembly I make as a composite part and then glue and screw the four parts together. You can get away with the thickness slightly, but you need to somehow honour the critical dimensions; in one way or another. Otherwise you risk being not compatible with the beespace or compatibility with other National kit.

I hope that this has helped you to understand the options that might be open to you.

 

[Tom Bick]

If I have this right you have 12mm ply and its not clear as to the size of the 6mm you refer to but if you have enough then glue the 6mm to the 12mm and this will give you 18mm. Then make the bb with the correct dimensions and bee space.