Honey House insiration

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buzz lightyear

House Bee
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
196
Reaction score
2
Location
North Notts uk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
18
Hi All
This winter i am planning to turn my new shed into a honey house.
I'm wondering if any of you kind people who may have done something like this already could share your learning experience with me. I'm thinking of things like
Lay out
Lining / floor covering
Sinks/ Work surfaces etc

Many thanks for any imput / photos / Do's and Dont's

Buzz
 
Completely sealed. Wet room floor with drainage. Large catering sink with shower head fitted. Plastic catering grade walls for easy clean. Music. Electricity. Hot and cold water. Loads of storage. One opening window to let stray bees out. Intercom to wife in kitchen for coffee break!!!!!!!
E
 
Completely sealed. Wet room floor with drainage. Large catering sink with shower head fitted. Plastic catering grade walls for easy clean. Music. Electricity. Hot and cold water. Loads of storage. One opening window to let stray bees out. Intercom to wife in kitchen for coffee break!!!!!!!
E

Power for plenty of hot water.
Shower cubicle, WC, hand wash and dry changing area.... very big shed needed.. portakabin sized is just about OK!!

Chons da
 
And I forgot... doors wide enough to carry supers in and out.. and equipment... our 20 frame spinner only just fits through the wider 38inch door!
 
And I forgot... doors wide enough to carry supers in and out.. and equipment... our 20 frame spinner only just fits through the wider 38inch door!

Good points. My mate has to remove a leg (off the extractor) to get it in the door!
E
 
Distractions = accidents.

Whether it's honey on the floor or blood they are both unwanted.

Floor. Polish it up with a floor grinder or employ a bloody good plaster to finish the concrete. Then at least two coats of a good quality floor paint, food grade.

My HH was in town so I put in no windows as I had no adjacent hives to pick up the stragglers. The industrial fly killer did the job. Actually still is, busy guarding my honey in the garage from wasps.

Double door for getting kit in and out.

The rest is covered really. Though I would add this. I didn't have insulation under the floor and that was a mistake. Insulate as highly as you can afford as it will pay you back, invisibly I admit but it will pay you back.

PH
 
Last edited:
And consider yourself lucky to have such a luxury to plan.
 
Hi All
This winter i am planning to turn my new shed into a honey house.
I'm wondering if any of you kind people who may have done something like this already could share your learning experience with me. I'm thinking of things like
Lay out
Lining / floor covering
Sinks/ Work surfaces etc

Many thanks for any imput / photos / Do's and Dont's

Buzz

https://youtu.be/TPC6wiPDQ94?t=80 (from Plenty of Honey)
 
You experienced guys talk about lots of hot water I assume for cleaning up. I have heard various youtube keepers talking about how much effort cleaning up is.

Can you not just put a nuc in your honey house (or outside with an open window) for a few days and let the bees mop up the mess?
 
You experienced guys talk about lots of hot water I assume for cleaning up. I have heard various youtube keepers talking about how much effort cleaning up is.

Can you not just put a nuc in your honey house (or outside with an open window) for a few days and let the bees mop up the mess?

Maybe this? from a few years back from Doug

Well it started well. took my supers off yesterday evening, a few bees in them so popped them into my conservatory overnight with the window open slightly so they could get out.

How wrong i was, got up at 8am to find my conservatory full of bees, thought ok not to worry close window and leave until later to extract. Well while i was out down the allotment someone at home felt sorry for the bees and opened the window to let them out.

OMG got back and the back of the house looked like it had a swarm arriving and the conervatory looking like the cross between the somme and some bad B Movie as the comb in 2 supers had collapsed due to the heat and there was honey all over the floor with dead and dieing bees all over the place with hundreds trying to kill each other tring to get to the honey all over the floor.

Ended up having to extract outside after dark and i lost about 60lb of honey, robbed and all over the floor.
 
Can you not just put a nuc in your honey house (or outside with an open window) for a few days and let the bees mop up the mess?

No - because it's extremely bad and reckless practice, encourages robbing and neighbour nuisance and can cause catastrophic disease spread
 
No - because it's extremely bad and reckless practice, encourages robbing and neighbour nuisance and can cause catastrophic disease spread

Also they would poo everywhere!

I dont find cleaning up too bad.

At least everything gets less sticky as you go.
 
Completely sealed. Wet room floor with drainage. Large catering sink with shower head fitted. Plastic catering grade walls for easy clean. Music. Electricity. Hot and cold water. Loads of storage. One opening window to let stray bees out.
E

I don't let bees out when extracting as if they are local they recruit their sisters and will be back!
I recently made a small honey room with no windows. Any stray bees get sucked into my bee vac until evening time and then released.
 
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