Join me for my first full inspection

[Curly green finger's]

I just share the bits that have worked for me as well as the boo boos, and if I don’t know about something I ask for other forumites advice

OK I'm shushed!!
I think that's all you can do, "boo boos"! Happen, that's how you learn things.

 

[Speybee]

OK I'm shushed!!
I think that's all you can do, "boo boos"! Happen, that's how you learn things.

Fully agree with you

 

[Curly green finger's]

You are the man who is handy that us mere mortals dream about.
By the time Mr Speybee has time to spare, I just give up and reach for the catalogue.

There's nought more satisfying than making your own equipment for peanuts.

Night all I'm on holiday tomorrow..
If you can call it that, working on the house at the farm putting a roof and starting to build the chimney back up again.

 

[Speybee]

There's nought more satisfying than making your own equipment for peanuts.

I know my limitations and woodwork is not one of my strengths

 

[Speybee]

There's nought more satisfying than making your own equipment for peanuts.

Night all I'm on holiday tomorrow..
If you can call it that, working on the house at the farm putting a roof and starting to build the chimney back up again.

Nite nite enjoy your holiday

 

[pargyle]

You are the man who is handy that us mere mortals dream about.
By the time Mr Speybee has time to spare, I just give up and reach for the catalogue.

Oh come on ... all you need is a piece of material about 0.75m long by the width of your hive. Two pieces of bamboo cane or dowel the width of your hive. A stapler will make short work of making a pocket at each end of the material to insert the bamboo/dowel in .... or if you can't manage the stapler just put an old tea towel (or two) over the tops of the frames you are not inspecting. Some things invented to be essential in beekeeping are totally over engineered and about as much use as a chocoloate fire guard !

Beekeeping costs enough without lining the pockets of the bee supply companies buying things that you really can easily do without or substitute with something equally effective but not costing an arm and a leg !

 

[Curly green finger's]

I know my limitations and woodwork is not one of my strengths

Make the material as lig

Oh come on ... all you need is a piece of material about 0.75m long by the width of your hive. Two pieces of bamboo cane or dowel the width of your hive. A stapler will make short work of making a pocket at each end of the material to insert the bamboo/dowel in .... or if you can't manage the stapler just put an old tea towel (or two) over the tops of the frames you are not inspecting. Some things invented to be essential in beekeeping are totally over engineered and about as much use as a chocoloate fire guard !

Beekeeping costs enough without lining the pockets of the bee supply companies buying things that you really can easily do without or substitute with something equally effective but not costing an arm and a leg !

Well said that man

 

[Erichalfbee]

You are the man who is handy that us mere mortals dream about.
By the time Mr Speybee has time to spare, I just give up and reach for the catalogue.

Don’t bother with the dowels just use two tea towels. Heavy duty ones.

 

[Speybee]

Oh come on ... all you need is a piece of material about 0.75m long by the width of your hive. Two pieces of bamboo cane or dowel the width of your hive. A stapler will make short work of making a pocket at each end of the material to insert the bamboo/dowel in .... or if you can't manage the stapler just put an old tea towel (or two) over the tops of the frames you are not inspecting. Some things invented to be essential in beekeeping are totally over engineered and about as much use as a chocoloate fire guard !

Beekeeping costs enough without lining the pockets of the bee supply companies buying things that you really can easily do without or substitute with something equally effective but not costing an arm and a leg !

Life is too short to peel a mushroom.
I don’t have a sewing machine and DIY is really not my thing.

 

[Speybee]

Oh come on ... all you need is a piece of material about 0.75m long by the width of your hive. Two pieces of bamboo cane or dowel the width of your hive. A stapler will make short work of making a pocket at each end of the material to insert the bamboo/dowel in .... or if you can't manage the stapler just put an old tea towel (or two) over the tops of the frames you are not inspecting. Some things invented to be essential in beekeeping are totally over engineered and about as much use as a chocoloate fire guard !

Beekeeping costs enough without lining the pockets of the bee supply companies buying things that you really can easily do without or substitute with something equally effective but not costing an arm and a leg !

Life is too short to peel a mushroom.

 

[Speybee]

Make the material as lig


Well said that man

Life is too short to peel a mushroom.

 

[Speybee]

Make the material as lig


Well said that man

Life is too short to peel a mushroom

 

[Speybee]

Make the material as lig


Well said that man

Life is too short to peel a mushroom.

 

[Speybee]

Make the material as lig


Well said that man

Life is too short to peel a mushroom

 

[Speybee]

Don’t bother with the dowels just use two tea towels. Heavy duty ones.

That would have been a possibility, no fiddling about with sewing

 

[Speybee]

Oh come on ... all you need is a piece of material about 0.75m long by the width of your hive. Two pieces of bamboo cane or dowel the width of your hive. A stapler will make short work of making a pocket at each end of the material to insert the bamboo/dowel in .... or if you can't manage the stapler just put an old tea towel (or two) over the tops of the frames you are not inspecting. Some things invented to be essential in beekeeping are totally over engineered and about as much use as a chocoloate fire guard !

Beekeeping costs enough without lining the pockets of the bee supply companies buying things that you really can easily do without or substitute with something equally effective but not costing an arm and a leg !

April to August = 20 weeks.
4 hives x 20= 80 inspections.
£27/80= 33p per inspection this year alone.
Personally my manipulation cloth has been worth every penny since I bought it this year, but had I known about the pair of tea towels I would have been £27 better off, but the weighted manipulation cloth with the heavy metal rods stay firmly in place during the inspections and don’t slip off which gives me peace of mind in mitigating the risk of stings.

 

[Speybee]

Thx
Think if I give them some 1/1 SW they will be stimulated into drawing out some more comb?

1:1 syrup will get them to draw out the comb, but as I discovered myself a couple of weeks ago at the Heather, they will stash it away in the honey box ( so not Heather honey after all)

I give 1:1 at first Spring inspection to stimulate Queen into laying and also when making a Nuc or getting them to draw out comb prior to taking them to the OSR ( I did this for the first time this year and was pleased with the honey harvest)

I don’t add a honey box until they have drawn out all but one comb in the brood nest, then I add the QE and the honey box.

At this time of year now it’s getting too late ( up here with the cooler climate) for them to cap all their stores in their brood nest which may increase the risk of gut problems if they use these uncapped stores during winter.

Just keep a note in your bee records, so next season you have an idea of what has worked and what has not, so you try not to repeat the same error.

Hopefully other more experienced beekeepers will add in their constructive advice/ experience too ( 2 beekeepers in a room or forum = 3 or more opinions)

 

[fiat500bee]

Just for you -

Thanks Hugh.....just for you...

 

[E&MBees]

Thx for the comments.
The national deep is a choice I made years ago before I ever got a chance to start keeping. The idea is to have a single box for brood and never need to worrey that the queen will run out of space. They are really heavy when they are full of honey!
Last time I went near the hive I used rubber gloves and they were way more aggressive - got stung on the hand through the glove and really didn't want to drop a frame, so as my leathers are too thick to feel carefully, this time I tried the grip. It is slow, as you say. Maybe I will get faster. The bees hate it if I blow them - really gets them at my face.
Love the idea of the manipulation cloth - do you have a good source for one?

I use an old muslin cloth left over from when the children were babies. They are very light in colour and weight so the bees don’t seem to mind. I tried an old drying up cloth and they hated that!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Life is too short to peel a mushroom

My wife gets me to do that all the time.
That's one analogy