DIY hive atempt

[Poly Hive]

The ID is critical as on that depends the beespace between the hive wall and the frame.

If you have the kit then it is easy enough. Glue and cramp, water proof PVA works for me, and I used to make broods for £3 and sups for £1-90 to £2. Once you have the jigs set up it's a doddle.

PH

 

[wightbees]

The plans say it's a single wall hive so when you say adjust the internals please can you explain to me what you mean. is it the frames your are refering too.

Also thinking about this couldn't i router a rebate out all the way around each
section brood box ,, super and so on ,so that they fit into each other so as the rain could not enter?

 

[Poly Hive]

Come into the chat room.

PH

 

[Tom Bick]

Hi

I am on the isle of wight (wight bees)

I have been thinking about the wood size 18m and 19m today and as long as the inside of the hive messures right can i not adjust my plans to get around the 1or2 ml difference?

All this would mean is the frame of the super or what ever is 1ml thinner.

would this work?

Also can i make frames as well because i haven't seen any plans for them.
I use to be a cabinet maker when i was younger so working with wood is not a problem.

Regards

Yes of course to both you probably have the skills to do the job you can either make the box 2mm smaller or the internal dimensions 2mm larger.

 

[MuswellMetro]

The plans say it's a single wall hive so when you say adjust the internals please can you explain to me what you mean. is it the frames your are refering too.

Also thinking about this couldn't i router a rebate out all the way around each
section brood box ,, super and so on ,so that they fit into each other so as the rain could not enter?

make the internals of the box 372mm by 422mm ( extrnal 460x460) if using 19mm/3.4" or 374mmx424mm ( external 460x460) if using 18mm timber

the extra 1mm each side is nothing to worry about in beespace terms as the bee space you create is still within the excepatable range 6mm to 9mm (frames are normal 11 on 35mm or 37mm centres, (385mm or 407 mm) so you need a dummy board anyway to fill the void left as the hive is 422/424mm wide

or if you are totaly mad you could try 13 frames at 32mm ( for smaller bees on 4.8/4.9 small cells foundation) or 10 frames on 41mm centres (that the italians thinks help lower varroa levels)

 

[wightbees]

Hi Muswellmetro
Thanks for the info, you say for smaller Bees. Are there diferent size bees then.
Also Nice and warm again today. out in the T shirt
Must of been a long time since you visited the IOW. It's getting smaller now,alot of blackgang is gone as well as the rest of the westwight.

 

[VEG]

Gone where?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi Muswellmetro
Thanks for the info, you say for smaller Bees. Are there diferent size bees then.
Also Nice and warm again today. out in the T shirt
Must of been a long time since you visited the IOW. It's getting smaller now,alot of blackgang is gone as well as the rest of the westwight.

Smaller Bees , oh dear ,a can of worms again,

there is a beleif by some that the standard wax foundation used at 5.4mm cell size is too large a cell and is not the natural size for brood cells (wild bees biuld a mix of sizes from 4.6/4.9 for brood to 5.4 for stores (or larger for drones)

So 5.4 honey foundatio n was used to increase the size of bees as the bees have more room, therefore grow larger in the larger cell, produce more honey...

or Bees getting larger stay in the cell one day longer, therfore more varroa mites mature

or bees in smaler cells, become smaller, take less time to mature, therefore less varroa mature

you get smaller bees by using 4.9mm foundation and closer frames ( 32Mm)

But no one agrees what is right and some europeaons use the equivilent of 46mm spacing that is nine frames and dummy and it is siad it reduces Varroa....ah!!!!

BUT it is best to stay out of either argument, and let others decide whats best large or small, if it really works it will catch on

but until then just use standard foundation like me until both of us are very experianced...then we can expiremnet with such things if we want

 

[wightbees]

Veg, fell into the sea. What was blackgang is now sea.

Muswellmetro , that makes more sence to me thanks .
Things are looking up, a lady is asking her dad if i can keep a few hives on there farm.
I have'nt built anything yet , best get a move on.
I have now had a look at some nationals and i might go for them. Mainly because they would let me borrow a brood and super and a frame to build from.
Makes it so much easier.