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Wrongfoot

New Bee
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Messages
14
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0
Location
Northumberland
Hive Type
None
Hi,
I'm just starting a plan to become an amateur beekeeper. I know I won't be able to commit to a colony this year because I've other building commitments to complete. So I'm going to join the local Association and learn more with them while building or renovating some hives to keep my setup costs down. Unlike colonies, woodwork projects don't swarm or get ill if you neglect them for a few weeks...

I'd like to download hive plans and information and I think that requires a few posts so as well as a cheery hello, this is the start of a harmless portfolio of replies so I can share the resources that other forum users have provided or linked to. Reading all the other novices problems and issues this year might help me avoid them next year too.

See you all around.

Paul.
 
You see I didn't even know that :D What exactly is a native bee area?

Is it just somewhere that has a genetically distinct strain of native bees perhaps where the keepers in tend to focus on the native strains to discourage crossing? Or is it something more formal where the strains in colonies are regulated somehow?
 
Last edited:
It's a place in the country where the wing patterns tend to suggest the bees are more closely related to the native black bee than other places.


Whether they actually are and whether it's worthwhile are subjects of lengthy debate where no-one on either side is ever going to agree...:sunning:
 
Welcome!
Loads of good advice on the DIY and Construction ... section!
 
Welcome!

Hive-building from scratch is more cabinet making than carpentry. You are looking for an accuracy of around ±1mm ...
The National hive (the most common in the UK) has a (no longer maintained) British Standard behind it - but it is quite a project to build from timber.
The Smith and Langstroth hives are much much simpler for DIY.

One can get decent 'second grade' (ie with the occasional knot) flatpacked cedar hives fairly cheaply in the sales. Cedar is an expensive material. You may not save all that much.

Making hive roofs, floors, stands and an assortment of useful boards is a piece of cake compared with making the actual hive boxes themselves! And unless you are a cabinet-maker with a CNC wood-milling machine (or a masochist) buy in your frames, don't make them!
 
madasafish said:
It's a place in the country where the wing patterns tend to suggest the bees are more closely related to the native black bee than other places. Whether they actually are and whether it's worthwhile are subjects of lengthy debate where no-one on either side is ever going to agree...
Click to expand...

I'm going to stay well out of it then... Until I become a too enthusiastic intermediate and start wanting to make a fool of myself ;) I think that's normally the way of things when people get involved with something new isn't it?
 
itma said:
Welcome! Hive-building from scratch is more cabinet making than carpentry. You are looking for an accuracy of around ±1mm ...
The National hive (the most common in the UK) has a (no longer maintained) British Standard behind it - but it is quite a project to build from timber.
The Smith and Langstroth hives are much much simpler for DIY. One can get decent 'second grade' (ie with the occasional knot) flatpacked cedar hives fairly cheaply in the sales. Cedar is an expensive material. You may not save all that much. Making hive roofs, floors, stands and an assortment of useful boards is a piece of cake compared with making the actual hive boxes themselves! And unless you are a cabinet-maker with a CNC wood-milling machine (or a masochist) buy in your frames, don't make them!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I've yet to choose a hive design because I think I should probably be influenced by what the local Assoc mostly use. I'm not hung up on self build (especially if 2nd hand costs are too good to overlook) so I guess I could buy the brood/supers/frames and build the other simpler parts to fit.

I know that Cedar ages well and other woods won't have the lifespan but there's cash-flow to consider as well as lifetime cost, I might go for a cheaper material accepting that compromise?

I don't have a CNC, but I've found that a router/jig combo can be pretty accurate for many purposes when you want to produce a number of identical items. I've built guitars in the past and luthiery is pretty tight for tolerances too... I think I'm capable, but of course that doesn't mean the time/effort will be worth it.
 
itma said:
Hive-building from scratch is more cabinet making than carpentry.
Click to expand...

Well either you have some pretty sh!te carpenters in your area or overly pompous cabinet makers! ± 1mm is neither here nor there, :D
Welcome by the way wrongfoot !
 
jenkinsbrynmair said:
Well either you have some pretty sh!te carpenters in your area or overly pompous cabinet makers! ± 1mm is neither here nor there, :D Welcome by the way wrongfoot !
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Without knowing someone's skill level it's difficult to offer advice without patronizing or setting someone up to fail. I'm sure the other poster just didn't want me to underestimate the task.

To digress, my Grandad on my Mum's side was a pattern-maker in the shipyards, making casting blanks to machined tolerances in hardwood. That was him of course not me, I claim no such skill, but I still have a few of his bespoke tools designed and made to carve and cut particular items. They're bonkers, I have no idea of even how to use them, I guess they were to reach around certain shapes on the lathe or elsewhere.

I must be such a let down ;) it does no harm for me to be forewarned.
 
Thanks. I don't want to just clutter the other (not "New Bee") forums with drivel and annoy folks, but I might post elsewhere about the Bee Boles in my garden which might be new to some people and is hopefully an interesting enough topic...
 
Wrongfoot said:
Thanks. I don't want to just clutter the other (not "New Bee") forums with drivel and annoy folks, but I might post elsewhere about the Bee Boles in my garden which might be new to some people and is hopefully an interesting enough topic...
Click to expand...

Bee Boles... are they on the BeeBole register??
We have some not far from one of my apiaries, which goes to prove over 1000 years of native beekeeping in the Silver Vally at least:ohthedrama:
Near to Dupath well house and chapel and date from Circa 9th CY AD or possibly before

Yeghes da
 
They are on the register. I've sort of posted the link (it needs tweaking bacause I'm a new user) but you can look them up if you see my other post. Almost certainly not as old as the one's near you. Best guess now is pre 1860 but we may find out more...

We were rather taken with them when we first came to look at the house. They're more visible now because the garden needed some cutting back. Sadly the garden's not as lovely as it was at present, but it'll be better in future for not being so wildly overgrown. Cruel to be kind.
 
It's probably not worth making your own hives from cedar, but you can save a lot of money by making hive boxes from plywood and softwood. These don't last as long, are heavier and don't smell nice like cedar. Problems arise when the boxes don't fit together properly, so you need to be accurate, but not so accurate as to be impossible for a diy man.
 
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