Cautiously optimistic newbie!

[E&MBees]

Good try, I presume both of you read the forum posts.

No. I’m honest about what I spend and my husband is too about his woodworking tools

 

[BoothBees]

No. I’m honest about what I spend and my husband is too about his woodworking tools

It was more about the chaos in the kitchen than the cost. My wife knows how much my bees are costing me. (And I know how much her horses cost! )

 

[E&MBees]

It was more about the chaos in the kitchen than the cost. My wife knows how much my bees are costing me. (And I know how much her horses cost! )

Ahh, yes the chaos, that is something else. I have teenagers and their looks, especially my daughter’s are withering at times!

Good luck with your adventure. I’m a newish newbie too.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Ahh, yes the chaos, that is something else. I have teenagers and their looks, especially my daughter’s are withering at times!

Good luck with your adventure. I’m a newish newbie too.

It doesn’t stop in their teens! I have a 36 year old daughter who we hide things from when she comes to visit as we can’t take the withering looks anymore!!!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

No. I’m honest about what I spend and my husband is too about his woodworking tools

It's game we play. I must admit I didn't tell my husband how much the extractor cost...but then It's my money

 

[BoothBees]

We went shopping yesterday for glue and paint. I'm thinking a nice sandstone colour, as it'll blend in nicely with the surroundings. I'm keen to avoid making them stand out.

I had a mild panic about the glue, as I thought finding PU glue would be easy, but none of the labels had ingredients I could understand! It was baffling. I then remembered watching one of the YouTube videos from Norfolk Honey Company where Stewart built some poly hives, so I watched that and ordered the same glue he used. (Lumberjack PU 30 minute glue).

So over the next few days I'll be building and painting hives, and then taking over half the storage space in the house to store them until I get the bees.

I must buy my wife flowers... Or another horse. She's been really supportive! (With the odd bit of sarcasm attached...)

 

[Newbeeneil]

We went shopping yesterday for glue and paint. I'm thinking a nice sandstone colour, as it'll blend in nicely with the surroundings. I'm keen to avoid making them stand out.

I had a mild panic about the glue, as I thought finding PU glue would be easy, but none of the labels had ingredients I could understand! It was baffling. I then remembered watching one of the YouTube videos from Norfolk Honey Company where Stewart built some poly hives, so I watched that and ordered the same glue he used. (Lumberjack PU 30 minute glue).

So over the next few days I'll be building and painting hives, and then taking over half the storage space in the house to store them until I get the bees.

I must buy my wife flowers... Or another horse. She's been really supportive! (With the odd bit of sarcasm attached...)

This the the glue I use for poly and wood. Strong, fills gaps and cheap compared with gorilla glue.

 

[JamezF]

I agree, but they do: either the bellows output doesn't match the needs of the drum, or the drum is too small to get a good fire going, or they're not built robustly (copper dents easily), or they don't have a guard (or an impractical one) or those useful pronged feet that allow it to park on a poly box without melting the box, or the hinge that's a hook that doesn't do its job.

I have a copper smoker that is quite robust and has been excellent, but I believe it was hand-made (it was old when it came to me and I've had it at least fifteen years) and perhaps built to a better standard than many new copper ones. Sadly the bellows material has failed and the replacement bellows that are available don't quite fit. The only real negative otherwise is that it has no guard or stand of any type. At some point when I run out of other things to do (some time around 2050 I suspect, and I don't mean ten to nine this evening) I may attempt to make a bellows that does fit properly and construct some sort of guard.

The non-hinge hinge thing is really irritating though. For the want of probably a few pence to make a proper hinge rather than the bodged bent metal they used, the manufacturers opted to make a considerably less usable product

James

 

[JamezF]

This the the glue I use for poly and wood. Strong, fills gaps and cheap compared with gorilla glue.

I have some of that. There's a non-foaming version too as far as I recall.

The two problems I've found with it is that it can go off in the container once a reasonable amount of air can get in (because the moisture in the air is enough to cause it to set) and it's a pig to clean the threads of the lid once they get a bit bunged up with the glue. Otherwise it's pretty good stuff and very handy for making repairs to kit where new parts may not be a perfect fit with the old ones. It made an excellent repair on a poly brood box after something had fallen on it and snapped it completely in two.

James

 

[Newbeeneil]

I have some of that. There's a non-foaming version too as far as I recall.

The two problems I've found with it is that it can go off in the container once a reasonable amount of air can get in (because the moisture in the air is enough to cause it to set) and it's a pig to clean the threads of the lid once they get a bit bunged up with the glue.

Your first point is a problem with any moisture curing polyurethane but I found that gorilla glue was worse which might mean that that is "moisture triggered" and moisture starts a chain reaction within the material even when no longer in contact with moisture.
By carefully sealing of the cap my pack of P45 normally lasts 6 -9 months.
I am always loosing the cap so tend to stuff a nail in the top and invert. The glue around the nail forms a perfect seal but you will need a pair of pliers to remove it!

 

[JamezF]

I am always loosing the cap so tend to stuff a nail in the top and invert. The glue around the nail forms a perfect seal but you will need a pair of pliers to remove it!

They even have a little storage hole for the cap in the main lid! Not that I ever use it, if I'm honest. I now store mine inverted too. I need pliers to remove the cap. I do sometimes wonder if the non-expanding variety might be easier to use, but if I didn't want the expansion then I'd probably just use waterproof PVA for woodwork.

James

 

[Beegarden]

You need to get used to this feeling. It’s for the duration of your beekeeping life unless you have an alternative delivery address.
Work?

Been there, done that, but I'm retired now! The same applies to Next, Kaleidoscope and Marks!

 

[BoothBees]

So that's 3 hives built.

The next job is to paint them. I've gone with a nice sandstone colour. It's not overly bright and hopefully will mean they don't stand out as much.

Now I just need to buy the feeders, a nut or two, bee suits, smoker and fuel, and some food.

Roll on the bees!

February can't come round quickly enough (bee course).

 

[Swarm]

Don't paint mating faces.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Don't paint mating faces.

..........or you might upset the kids and get complaints from the neighbours - paint smiley faces instead

 

[BoothBees]

Don't paint mating faces.

Thanks, I'll take care not to. If I may ask though, why is it an issue?

 

[Swarm]

Some paints tend to bond with the weight, the bees will seal things well enough with propolis.

 

[Poly Hive]

Titebond 3 is your friend for assembling poly and as said leave the load bearing surfaces bare. I've been putting them together probably longer than most and any good wood working glue really, works. I've not had a melt down yet.

PH

 

[JamezF]

Some paints tend to bond with the weight, the bees will seal things well enough with propolis.

One of my niggles with poly is that even propolis can sometimes bond too well and when you separate boxes you find that one pulls some material off the other.

James

 

[Swarm]

Yes, that's true and don't they love that loud crack as the boxes suddenly separate.