Doing everything the wrong way.

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Hi, my first hive in my garden is among some shrubs with very little space around it. The bees love it and my large home made landing strip. Unfortunately I made up the hive before my local association offered a hive making session and the diagrams in Big T's booklet were not very helpful, neither were the instructions measurements being complete gobbledegook to me. I did it wrongly leaving a gap when frames are in the supers that can be invaded. I considered sawing off the ends of the super frames to make them sit lower in the box but settled for taping up with trician's tape. Now the realy wet weather has arrived and the trician's tape doesn't stick so well. Low on cash and having to feed since I got the little Bs. I am utilising a neighbours thrown out timber to add a barrier. Does anyone have any tips on extracting lost head nails for when I can remove the super around the feeding bucket in the spring?

 

[VEG]

Can you fit in a strip of wood to rectify your mistake?
You dont need to leave the super+feeder on over winter

 

[oliver90owner]

Seems as though you need a router (or someone with a router) to lower the ledge the frame runners sit on.

Can be done by hand with the appropriate tools, but easier with a router.

Forget removing the lost head nails. Next time remember to leave them only partly driven until the final dimension checks are complete. One reason why I screw all my boxes together - not so much the mistake, but the possible need to dismantle for a repair.

Just hope that no nails are near where the machining is required.

If it is that far out, the bee space at the bottom may well need filling, too.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

I have a National made from a kit. What I did wrong was to fit the top strip of wood, that makes a lifting handle and secures the side wall, upside down. I thought about using a chisel to cut out more room for the ends of the frames but that might weaken the structure. I begged the timber that was waiting to be disposed of so that I can make an eke to sit on top as a temporary measure. I made up a temporary box while I tried to extract the nails but only managed to get one out by using a soldering iron to gouge/burn around the nail head then applied heat to the head for a good while(so it expands) and was able to pull it out but a real palaver and I will have to use filler to repair the damage. I am planning to leave fondant on top when the bees cluster down I have had to feed all through since getting them, except for a couple of weeks when they seemed to be bringing plenty of nectar from my own garden plants. I will use screws from now on.

 

[PBee]

If its any consolation first experiences can go awry .... When my father started with bees when I was a child he did not secure the wax in the frames properly so they slid down before the bees drew them out. He went down to the hive to try and do something about it and came running back to the house under attack (Amm). My mother swiftly locked the front door when she saw him coming ( self preservation ) leaving him to fight his corner outside - hadn't a proper bee suit either .
If you have any contact with other beekeepers or a local association you could possibly borrow a box to put the bees in whilst you repair it?

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Thanks PBee, I am undaunted. I am a member of the local association but there have been so many swarms this year they were putting out appeals for spare equipment. that's why I made a temp. open box with some wood I had so I could take the super off and have a go at rectifying the mistake. I have now decided to make a very narrow eke with some small pieces of wood. That should suffice until I can do a proper reconfiguration.

The one who never made a mistake never made anything.

 

[REDWOOD]

Hi, my first hive in my garden is among some shrubs with very little space around it. The bees love it and my large home made landing strip. Unfortunately I made up the hive before my local association offered a hive making session and the diagrams in Big T's booklet were not very helpful, neither were the instructions measurements being complete gobbledegook to me. I did it wrongly leaving a gap when frames are in the supers that can be invaded. I considered sawing off the ends of the super frames to make them sit lower in the box but settled for taping up with trician's tape. Now the realy wet weather has arrived and the trician's tape doesn't stick so well. Low on cash and having to feed since I got the little Bs. I am utilising a neighbours thrown out timber to add a barrier. Does anyone have any tips on extracting lost head nails for when I can remove the super around the feeding bucket in the spring?

You are not the first or the last to make a mistake building hives, if you did not glue the super you can knock the thing apart from the inside and remove the nails later with a pair of pliers or claw hammer.
you can remove the super as soon as you have finished feeding with your bucket

 

[Cazza]

You are not the first or the last to make a mistake building hives,

Quite!
Some of my boxes are embarrasingly bad but the bees don't seem to mind.
Cazza (all the woodworking skills of a slug.)

 

[Der Alte Fritz]

And remember to buy the correct screws so that they do not rust.

 

[Luminos]

Quite!
Some of my boxes are embarrasingly bad but the bees don't seem to mind.
Cazza (all the woodworking skills of a slug.)

But you do make a great Beecrow

 

[ratcatcher]

if they are only nailed together plus a little wood glue, take a rubber mallet and bang the joint from inside the box, thus taking it all apart, it'll come apart easy enough, clean up glued areas, re stick and put back together correctly

 

[Cazza]

But you do make a great Beecrow

Why thank you. I can just about nail two sticks together.

Cazza

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Does anyone have any tips on extracting lost head nails

Just use a centre punch and push the nails right through the wood if needs be

 

[Der Alte Fritz]

Or use a proper pair of pincers. Not electrical pliers but the old fashioned ones with a rounded head.

If you can get any part of the nail showing, you will be able to grip it and then use the rounded head of the pincers to roll away and lever the nail out. This is how farriers get the nails out of horses hooves. (I knew 35 years of working with horses would come in useful someday)

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Hive all beetight and cozy even got some spring bulbs planted too. Does anyone know what colour fucshia pollen is my bees went mad for it earlier.