Getting old

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tomtit

New Bee
Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
25
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1
Location
Nottingham
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
8
I'm tge wrong side of 60 and starting to struggle with the weight of the supers when their full of Honey.
Anyone have any ideas how to reduce the weight before my back gives out
 
I'm tge wrong side of 60 and starting to struggle with the weight of the supers when their full of Honey.
Anyone have any ideas how to reduce the weight before my back gives out
That's the problem with growing old. The muscles start wasting. I'm fighting it by going to a weightlifting gym a couple of times a week. It's working. I'm finding lifting the supers much easier than I did last year.
And I'm a hell of a lot older than you, and have always been slight.
 
I'm tge wrong side of 60 and starting to struggle with the weight of the supers when their full of Honey.
Anyone have any ideas how to reduce the weight before my back gives out
Depending on how many supers you are talking about, one option is to take some of the fames out of the super and put them in a spare super (say half of the frames), and them lift the super from the hive with the remaining frames in it.
 
I'm tge wrong side of 60 and starting to struggle with the weight of the supers when their full of Honey.
Anyone have any ideas how to reduce the weight before my back gives out
There are other threads on this subject. 'Search' for 'heavy supers'.
 
I have the same problem ,my solution is to have a large plastic container in the wheelbarrow .I put the container in a large plastic bag and transfer the frames one by one shaking the bees off before putting them into the box. I know its a bit of a faff but after fracturing my spine it's the only option I can think of.
 
It helps if you are lifting the supers from a comfortable height - make your hive stands a height where you have your supers at about waist height - avoid piling supers up on hives - buy a small extractor and extract frames as they fill and cap them. It's a pain but it's better than suffering pain.

I'm the wrong side of 70 with an arthritic right shoulder and this year, with five supers on some hives that are now above my shoulder height and aleady heavy, I'm dreading extraction time.

I'm seriously re-thinking how I'm going to cope with a year like this in the future. A dedicated honey room is on the top of my list so that the necessary equipment does not have to be brought out of store and set up every time I want to extract.
 
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It's the same with any task that is proving difficult or overwhelming. Sit back and take time to figure out how to split the task into manageable portions.
If weight is the issue, split the weight. If height is the problem, reduce it by removing supers early when full, before adding more.
This will inevitably create more operations but at least they become easier.
 
I'm tge wrong side of 60 and starting to struggle with the weight of the supers when their full of Honey.
Anyone have any ideas how to reduce the weight before my back gives out
I am coming up to 80, and do find things getting a bit heavy, with the top brood box weighing up to 60 pounds, it's OK moving across, but putting it back up without squashing bees is harder. Lifting full supers on top of those is quite a process! I enlisted a younger person who wanted to learn beekeeping but had no money for the course, and that works very well when she is here. Sadly, this year, she has been unwell, so I am still weight-training. A beekeeping buddy is lovely, working together and discussing options for the challenges.
 
I am 76 and 77 in two months time and can still lift Lang supers which are a bit heavier than Nationals.
1, Have a moveable stand to put boxes on. Lightweight but strong enough and big enough to take two supers side by side..(For when you want to change order of supers - eg heavier on top) About 30cm high off the ground.
2. Take up intensive yoga/pilates back exercises# and do them daily. Add strengthening exercises like plank and side plank..
3. Long lasting Ibuprofen and Voltarol extra strength for backs work wonders.
4. Use your legs to lift wherever possible rather than your arms
5. Walking helps reduce pain. Good shoes are essential.


(I have extracted 28 supers in three weeks.. My back aches but it is tolerable
I expect to be beekeeping until I am 77.:cool:

# Up dog, down dog, chaturanga, , spinal twists etc. I do 20 minutes intensively daily, Ending with side plank holding the upper leg with your upper arm as high as you can. Twenty seconds is demanding.
 
I am 76 and 77 in two months time ..
3. Long lasting Ibuprofen and Voltarol extra strength for backs work wonders.
As a retired medic: caution is needed with both those age-old 'non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents'. They can cause stomach inflammation/ulcers and hence bleeding. They are contraindicated if you have high blood pressure, fluid retention and/or dodgy kidney function - ailments that are commoner in the elderly and decrepit such as me (83). There are more modern versions of NSAIs which reduce but not eliminate the risks.
 
Age 72. Just been put on steroids for what is thought by rheumatology to be sero negative rheumatoid arthritis. ( doesn't show up on routine test). Feel bloody marvellous. Everyone should be on them . Pity it is a limited course. 😃
 
As a retired medic: caution is needed with both those age-old 'non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents'. They can cause stomach inflammation/ulcers and hence bleeding. They are contraindicated if you have high blood pressure, fluid retention and/or dodgy kidney function - ailments that are commoner in the elderly and decrepit such as me (83). There are more modern versions of NSAIs which reduce but not eliminate the risks.
My GP put me on butec 10 patches after various treatments along the way for arthritis. He's ok with me taking a couple of paracetamol sporadically if I get a bad day (fortunately not too often In summer).
Youth is wasted on the young. I could do with my various body parts being 20 again.🖖
 
Wonderful to realise that Amari is 83 - gives me another 10 years!! I have been a type 1 insulin dependant diabetic now for 55 years and my advice is don't let anything stop you doing anything you are still able to do. If you have to give something up, do something different that you can still do. No point in passing time miserably! Too many do.
 
There is no law against keeping bees in nuc size stacks, tis my plan. If taking extra time because the supers are full is your only problem then you have no problem.
 

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