Experience using Hoffman Converter Clips

[pstafford]

Has anyone used Hoffman Converter Clips and would you recommend them ?

I have standard frames and am using plastic spacers between them, but also have some Hoffman Frames that I want to introduce this year. Is it worth using Hoffman Converter Clips on the others ?

 

[Poly Hive]

Depends.... lol

If you are planning moving the bees then yes and if not then no.

PH

 

[MJBee]

I have used them successfully on my French Dadant hive. The French system uses castellated spacers for the top bars and staples 2/3 of the way down the hive wall to stop the frames swinging!! IMO a nightmare as it is impossible to slide frames and bees get rolled.

 

[worrywort]

why bother? just put plastic spacers on the top bars of the hoffman frames and they will match.

 

[tidymeup]

I have used them with success, the reason for using them is that all my other brood frames were hoffman and i wanted to keep everything fairly standard.

 

[Hombre]

. . . and staples 2/3 of the way down the hive wall to stop the frames swinging!.

This is the first reference that I have come across that acknowledges swinging frames. I noticed last year that 14x12 boxes on uneven ground were prone to have frames dragging and wishing to swing downhill. I am only talking a couple of degrees off level.

Obviously I have learned and now make sure that 14x12 always sit as square as possible. Not considering staples you will be happy to hear.

 

[oliver90owner]

There have been numerous references to direction of frames when transporting, for that very reason. All good bee books will mention the importance of levelling the hive. For MJBee, a hive at a crazy angle would not induce bees to draw comb at that crazy angle - they would likely build (or try to build) it vertically. Same in the other plane as well, presumably - 2 bee spaces one side and none the other (in the extreme case) would encourage brace comb and other problems at least.

Simple case of considering the extemes, in both directions, and deducing that the ideal position would be.....

Regards, RAB

 

[buckfast]

hoffman converter clips

I have used them successfully on my French Dadant hive. The French system uses castellated spacers for the top bars and staples 2/3 of the way down the hive wall to stop the frames swinging!! IMO a nightmare as it is impossible to slide frames and bees get rolled.

I also have French dadant hives with the castelated bars that I want to convert to a self spacing system using Hoffman converter clips. But I am worried about the inside dimensions of the clips. The width of my dadant top bar is 1inch exactly. ( not 1 1/16inch or 7/8 inch). I previously bought some plastic spacers from Thornes and they would not fit as my frames are too wide.
I have seen 2 sorts of clips on the internet, narrow black ones and wide white/grey ones from Thornes - but there are no details of their inside width ( I think the outside widthe is 1 3/8 inch)
Please can you tell me where you got your converter clips from and could you possibly give me the inside dimensions. Do they fit perfectly?

Thanking you in advanc

 

[buckfast]

I have used them successfully on my French Dadant hive. The French system uses castellated spacers for the top bars and staples 2/3 of the way down the hive wall to stop the frames swinging!! IMO a nightmare as it is impossible to slide frames and bees get rolled.

I also have French dadant hives with the castelated bars that I want to convert to a self spacing system using Hoffman converter clips. But I am worried about the inside dimensions of the clips. The width of my dadant top bar is 1inch exactly. ( not 1 1/16inch or 7/8 inch). I previously bought some plastic spacers from Thornes and they would not fit as my frames are too wide.
I have seen 2 sorts of clips on the internet, narrow black ones and wide white/grey ones from Thornes - but there are no details of their inside width ( I think the outside widthe is 1 3/8 inch)
Please can you tell me where you got your converter clips from and could you possibly give me the inside dimensions. Do they fit perfectly?

Thanking you in advanc

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

why bother? just put plastic spacers on the top bars of the hoffman frames and they will match.

 

[MJBee]

Buckfast,
You have a PM - Regards Mike

 

[buckfast]

As I said in my original text -They are not Hoffman frames, they are French Dadant straight sided frames of 1 inch width currently on a castellated bar.

 

[PaleoPerson]

I used some last year where they are part of the std nat to 14 x 12 conversion kit. I had problems with the bees sticking them with propolis/wax to the sides of the brood box as they reduce the beespace between the side of the frame and the brood box just enough to get the bees attention.

 

[Arfermo]

Has anyone used Hoffman Converter Clips and would you recommend them ?

I have standard frames and am using plastic spacers between them, but also have some Hoffman Frames that I want to introduce this year. Is it worth using Hoffman Converter Clips on the others ?

Tried them and don't like them. I now use castelleted strips or the plastic end spacers. The larger plastic spacers work well if one wants to expand the space between frames so as to induce the bees to draw the comb out further and thereby pack more honey in after removing a frame or two - less frames , more honey.

 

[Foxylad]

I have converted all my frames to plastic hofman spaces.

I dropped a frame last year, where the plastic spacer i was holding onto came off.

I have also started to use the yorkshire spacers that T****es sells, i would differently recommend these, they do not use nails just hammer onto the ends and are very quick to fit.

Its a personal preference, i also prefer to keep all my frames the same, it helps when i need to swap frames around.

Anyone know why the plastic spaces come in different colours?

 

[BobH1]

Anyone know why the plastic spaces come in different colours?

So that you can identify your frames? Hive of origin, year of origin, ... , in the same way as somepeople use drawing pins on the top bar. Or may be it's whatever plastic the manufacturer had available at the time.

 

[savoyard]

Has anyone used Hoffman Converter Clips and would you recommend them ?

I have standard frames and am using plastic spacers between them, but also have some Hoffman Frames that I want to introduce this year. Is it worth using Hoffman Converter Clips on the others ?

The converters which clip round the outside of the side-bar interfere with the bee-space, so I am told. The ones which go over the top of the frame are better (again, so I am told).

If you put plastic spacers on two consecutive Hoffman frames, then the Hoffman shoulders don't quite touch and you get A LOT of propolis build-up. I HAVE tried that and it is a real pain.

My gut feeling would be to keep the "normal" and the Hoffman frames segregated within the brood box, and only put a spacer on the first Hoffman frame.

Savoyard

 

[buckfast]

hoffman spacing french dadant hive

I used some last year where they are part of the std nat to 14 x 12 conversion kit. I had problems with the bees sticking them with propolis/wax to the sides of the brood box as they reduce the beespace between the side of the frame and the brood box just enough to get the bees attention.

I have decided to do the same, but fit the the hoffman self spacing side bars of the frame kit of the jumbo langstroff to the inside of my frames, thus not affecting the beespace between the side of the frame and the brood box.

I have a french dadant 10 frame hive, inside dimensions 15" by 18" . The brood frames are 18" by 11 3/4", the top bar id 1" wide.

But I am not sure wether to use the 1 3/8" or 1 1/2" self spacing hoffman side bars.
I have worked out that using the 1 3/8" I would have 10 frames with 1/8" spare assuming I give double space of 6/8 on both outside frames)
using 1 1/2" I would have to use a 1" dummy board and lose a frame, ending up with only 9 frames.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Buckfast

 

[Arfermo]

The converters which clip round the outside of the side-bar interfere with the bee-space, so I am told. The ones which go over the top of the frame are better (again, so I am told).

If you put plastic spacers on two consecutive Hoffman frames, then the Hoffman shoulders don't quite touch and you get A LOT of propolis build-up. I HAVE tried that and it is a real pain.


Savoyard

Hoffman over the top spacers are a real pain IMO. Spacers over end lugs better providing they are a good close fit so that they do not slip off when manipulating. As said earlier, by having alternate wide and narrow ones one can remove the odd frame to induce the bees to extend the cells to accomodate more honey - more honey, less wax.

 

[RichardBeeW]

I'm certain I read that Brother Adam, for a long time, used very wide headed tacks or drawing pins, one on each of a straight frame to give the required Hoffman spacing. Sounds simple but I can only imagine how large and red my poor thumb would be at the end of a day trying that. Probably very useful for hitching a home on a dark night though.