Hefting hives

[Cedar]

Hi all, Being a newbie have been weighing hive with a spring balance to get a feel for a hive should feel like when done by hand alone
6 Oct hive 1, 27kg, 06 Nov 30kg.
6 Oct hive 2, 20kg, 06 Nov 20kg.
6 Oct hive 3, 25kg, 06 Nov 22kg.
6 Oct hive 4, 27kg, 06 Nov 29kg.

Has any one got any comments good or bad just intrested to see what you think.

 

[Poly Hive]

Can you explain how you are doing this please?

PH

 

[Finman]

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After feeding I use to check hives with bathroom balance. I weight only one side to find out, do they have enough.

 

[BBG]

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After feeding I use to check hives with bathroom balance. I weight only one side to find out, do they have enough.

Was that the West side?

Ours are heavier to the West we find.

 

[Finman]

double

 

[Finman]

Was that the West side?

Ours are heavier to the West we find.

my hives are full and they have same weight on west, east or north side .
Yes, I have measured the difference. No meaning.

 

[user 6228]

Was that the West side?

Ours are heavier to the West we find.

no thats all wrong you have to weigh them the warm way

 

[Finman]

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Ok, next I will remember warm way, warm way, warm way, west way, no warm way, no warm way,

 

[Andy Duff]

Was that the West side?

Ours are heavier to the West we find.

mine are heavier at the top.

 

[JamezF]

no thats all wrong you have to weigh them the warm way

Is it ok if I wear gloves and a thick coat?

James

 

[Heather]

No scales - just lift/heft Check all sides... :- struggle- hive ok, easier- I am concerned.

 

[Winker]

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Ok, next I will remember warm way, warm way, warm way, west way, no warm way, no warm way,

Only if they are paced on Ley Lines

 

[Heather]

Going to a talk by Roger Patterson soon- hi is apparently into Ley lines... Anybody out there think they affect production and bee behaviour?
Is there proof?

 

[oliver90owner]

Finman is correct - for the start of the winter, if the hive is full - and assuming any brood and the cluster is in the middle (minor theoretical difference which, to all intents and purposes, can be ignored). However the bees may move towards one side through the winter and there could be a false reading if only hefting the one side late in the winter.

Although not hefted, I will give an example of a couple of years ago.

One of the Dartingtons 'lost' the isulation on the one side (just slipped down) and when first inspected in spring I found all the brood on the insulated side (right up to the hive wall) and all the remaining stores on the other side. A right pain in time and effort to get the frames cleared as the brood nest was effectively over about 9/10 frames but only half way, or so, across each frame.

RAB

 

[Finman]

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To me weighing is crude. One box hives I do not weigh. Two box hive must be minimum 25 kg and max 30 kg. I do not take heachache is it wrong or right but it works.

Every autumn I find a hive or two which is only 18 kg, 22 kg and so. one box more syrup then up to 26 kg.


( I have never tought before that if I bow to west, I bend over to east).

 

[Finman]

Finma..... However the bees may move towards one side through the winter and there could be a false reading if only hefting the one side late in the winter.

RAB

I weigh them only when I have feeded 2/3 of my sugar: which hive needs more. 7 months later I check again hives when snow has melted. I lifth with one hand. It it feels light, I open the cover and look, do I see capped food. then I even food frames between hives along the Spring that winterfood will be all consumed before honey yield.

I do not use fondant. In emercengy I pour at least 5 kg strong syrup into combs.
Then I seek for capped food frames to the hive.

The hives must have allway two full frames of food. In Spring it is for one week brood consumption.
Yes, it works.

My biggest problem is to get rid off old winter food. New food is allways easy to add. That is too reason to weigh hives in Autumn.

 

[drex]

Hi Cedar,

You say you are new, and have a direct question so I will try to get this thread back on track ( you will find they can wander - not much help to you if you are new).

Poly asks how you are doing this. Spring balance under one side, then the other ( tilting the hive), or are you weighing the whole hive in one go?

Also would help to know what sort of bees you have as different sorts need more/less food.

There have been many posts in past on how much is needed in stores - all opinions vary - after all it is beekeeping.

Hooper says 18-20 Kg ( 40-45 lbs) for a queen who is happy on one National brood. de Bruyn seems to go for 16-27 Kg and David Cramp 15-30 Kg.

Don't forget you must deduct the weight of your boxes, roof etc.

Sorry, wide ranges. Some one with experience may add more.

 

[Finman]

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My advice is that if you have one box or one and half, feed the boxes full as long as they eate.
If cells are not full, bees do not cap the food.

Kilos depend how much they have their own honey allready.

It is so simple.

 

[user 6228]

Going to a talk by Roger Patterson soon- hi is apparently into Ley lines... Anybody out there think they affect production and bee behaviour?
Is there proof?

err- no I think its tosh until proven otherwise.. My understanding is ley lines are the patterns you can percieve in spatial noise. Randomness doesnt give you even spacing or non-alignment. Just like you can get a run of sixes with dice, you can get a set of random coordinates in a straight line.

 

[Finman]

No scales - just lift/heft Check all sides... :- struggle- hive ok, easier- I am concerned.

what is wrong if you use scale. If you use. you use.