Hive Weighing

[pargyle]

I've been looking for a sensibly priced set of scales that I can weigh my hive on ... At last I think I've found it .. £8.95 and weighs up to 100Kg.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hanging-S...staurant_RL&hash=item53e61c05b6#ht_347wt_1399

For that sort of price it's worth a punt ... I'll report back when they arrive !!

PS: Price might be a mistake ... looks like they normally sell for £20 ... !! Bargain if they work .... I won't tell if you don't !!

 

[Heather]

I don't use weighing scales.. Not tall enough and anyway not sure how to do.

I just feed syrup till bees not taking more.. balanced with hive feels nailed down to the ground so that I cannot lift one handed... and if weather cools- feeder off fondant on, insulate inside roof with loft insulation in poly bag, strap up hive and go and have a drink!

 

[pargyle]

I don't use weighing scales.. Not tall enough and anyway not sure how to do.

I just feed syrup till bees not taking more.. balanced with hive feels nailed down to the ground so that I cannot lift one handed... and if weather cools- feeder off fondant on, insulate inside roof with loft insulation in poly bag, strap up hive and go and have a drink!

Yes... I can understand that ... My hive is a long hive and its very heavy to start with so hefting is not really giving me a good enough idea (particularly in its first winter) of the weight. So ... I'm going to weigh it from both ends, add the two weights together and divide them by two - which should give me a good indication of the hive weight. Do this once a week (once they cluster) and I should be able to monitor how much of their stores they are using ... I know how many frames of stores they have now and so I should be able to tell if they get low and act accordingly.

 

[itma]

... So ... I'm going to weigh it from both ends, add the two weights together and divide them by two - which should give me a good indication of the hive weight. ...

Errr, no.

If you weigh from each end, then you should just need to add the measured end-weights together.

/ KISS principle - weigh from as close as possible to the legs that are temporarily being replaced by your scale.

 

[user 6228]

Yes... I can understand that ... My hive is a long hive and its very heavy to start with so hefting is not really giving me a good enough idea (particularly in its first winter) of the weight. So ... I'm going to weigh it from both ends, add the two weights together and divide them by two - which should give me a good indication of the hive weight. Do this once a week (once they cluster) and I should be able to monitor how much of their stores they are using ... I know how many frames of stores they have now and so I should be able to tell if they get low and act accordingly.

if its a long hive and the bees are up one end you could use the entire hive as a the arm of a set of balance scales. Fix a a support near the balance point of the hive, some bricks as counter weight and kitchen weights to measure the change in weight.
After all its change in weight not the absolute weight that is needed.

 

[pargyle]

if its a long hive and the bees are up one end you could use the entire hive as a the arm of a set of balance scales. Fix a a support near the balance point of the hive, some bricks as counter weight and kitchen weights to measure the change in weight.
After all its change in weight not the absolute weight that is needed.

Hmmmm.... it's got four legs which are splayed and it's pretty high off the ground so, in principle, that would work but might be easier just to suspend each end from the scales and then add the weights together ...

 

[pargyle]

Errr, no.

If you weigh from each end, then you should just need to add the measured end-weights together.

/ KISS principle - weigh from as close as possible to the legs that are temporarily being replaced by your scale.

:

Ahhh ... thank you for that ... my school boy physics is long gone !!

 

[oliver90owner]

might be easier just to suspend each end from the scales and then add the weights together ...

Most definitely. Far better than the other postulation. Reduced loading on the potential 'fulcrum point' legs and no risk of the end getting lighter floating up into the air, potentially with disastrous consequences!

Further, the forces measured will depend on moments, where the mass calculated is a function of the product of force and distance from the fulcrum. If your cluster moves, their centre of mass will alter the results. Physics rules OK - if you know the laws and understand the practical limitations of the example tested!

RAB

 

[richardbees]

You definitely need to do this with a friend - one of you holds the balance and the other kneels down level to read the weight....otherwise you'll get wildly inaccurate readings

 

[Davelin]

Cheap luggage scales with red pointer that goes up to maximum reading and stops there. Simple.

 

[itma]

You definitely need to do this with a friend - one of you holds the balance and the other kneels down level to read the weight....otherwise you'll get wildly inaccurate readings

With my Lidl digital luggage scales, it waits until the reading is steady (ignoring the flicks above the true weight as you lift), beeps to tell you and then freezes the display- so you can set the hive down before looking at the measurement.
Goes up to 50kg, cost about £7 - and I reckon good value for it.

 

[pargyle]

With my Lidl digital luggage scales, it waits until the reading is steady (ignoring the flicks above the true weight as you lift), beeps to tell you and then freezes the display- so you can set the hive down before looking at the measurement.
Goes up to 50kg, cost about £7 - and I reckon good value for it.

Yes ... I have a set of those ... excellent value but my hive maxes them out !!

 

[pargyle]

You definitely need to do this with a friend - one of you holds the balance and the other kneels down level to read the weight....otherwise you'll get wildly inaccurate readings

I have a plan (whilst I have spare suits I have a wife and son who are really wimpy about my bees !) ... So. It's a welded tubular steel gallows with a hens foot base on it that will sit under the hive ... Big galvanised eye into the timber at either end of the hive which I can hook the scale onto and a small pulley on the gallows which I will be able to hoist the scale up until the hive comes off the floor at the end I'm weighing ... move the gallows to the other end of the hive and repeat the process. My bees are so laid back I don't think they are going to mind me drilling more holes in the hive !!! It continues to evolve ... thanks for your comments though Richard ... you've obviously already been there !

 

[Amari]

Cheap luggage scales with red pointer that goes up to maximum reading and stops there. Simple.

 

[user 6228]

There's an issue of weighing highly insulated hives. With a potential total Winter consumption of only around 5 kg, the resolution of the scales and the method can be a problem.The luggage scales method can give errors of ~ 1 kg as the person puling on scales pulls unsteadily. In a total consumption of over 15kg this is not too much of an issue.

 

[richardbees]

With my Lidl digital luggage scales,

Wow! definitely no need for a friend with one of those....I haven't seen them but will definitely look out for one.

Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There's an issue of weighing highly insulated hives.

Insulation generally being so light it's bound to give a false reading.

 

[user 6228]

Insulation generally being so light it's bound to give a false reading.

Rflol

 

[alanf]

You've probably thought about the problems but lifting scales need to be kept vertical every time, a reproducible angle is what you want, just that vertical is easiest to monitor. And they need a consistent height to lift to, just enough to register the full weight is probably simplest. Spring scales, read square on should be accurate to half a kilo or so, Are you relying on pulleys to reduce the lift effort? Not a bad idea, particularly if you can tie it off and get a steady reading. With a heavy weight, I'd probably be looking to rest it on scales rather than lift, say a steel tube between the legs at each end and rest that on bathroom scales. But whatever you see as easiest.

 

[pargyle]

Are you relying on pulleys to reduce the lift effort? Not a bad idea, particularly if you can tie it off and get a steady reading. With a heavy weight,....

Yes, the pulley will raise the dial scale and you are correct, I will then tie it off to get a steady reading on the scale ...