Product improvements.

[00jacksonp]

Hi all, this is only my second post so i thought i should post a question that could result in something possitive within the industry.

I am an Mechanical Design Engineer and have kept bees for a number of years now.
both me and my father have had huge enjoyment and my god father runs a professional beekeeping outfit (Gabriels honey farm).

I THINK ITS TIME TO GIVE BACK TO THE INDUSTRY.

I have acquired the capabilities to both design and produce products and i would love to apply them to the world of bees, but for the life of me i cannot think of a new product or a product that would make all of us beekeeper's lives just a little easier.



If you can think of any ideas or improvements to existing equipment i would love to hear them , you never know it could be in your tool box next season

 

[BDCS]

Sunshine maybe

 

[NickB]

PM Sent

 

[00jacksonp]

Sunshine maybe

and non swarming bees? haha but seriously , any thoughts?

 

[MonseigneurBienvenu]

Stellar money earning initiative!

 

[00jacksonp]

Stellar money earning initiative!

any ideas Monseigeurbienvenu,
what grinds your gears? haha

 

[Ben90]

A contact feeder that I can simply lift the roof off of the hive and immediately observe the fill level without having to shine an LED light through the opaque plastic would be nice.

If it had a scale in ml/fl. oz etc. then even better.

 

[Erichalfbee]

A top bee space 14 x 12 in poly......please

 

[alanf]

A contact feeder that I can simply lift the roof off of the hive and immediately observe the fill level without having to shine an LED light through the opaque plastic would be nice.

If it had a scale in ml/fl. oz etc. then even better.

At least one beekeeper I know uses old pickle jars with holes punched in the lid as contact feeders. Retro-tech perhaps but they work.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Really cheap honey warming cabinet that can collapse to flat pack when not in use. Also not £200 for but more like £50 =)

 

[Jimmy]

Really cheap honey warming cabinet that can collapse to flat pack when not in use. Also not £200 for but more like £50 =)

A sheet of kingspan insulation cut into six removable sides and a lightbulb?

 

[Little John]

At least one beekeeper I know uses old pickle jars with holes punched in the lid as contact feeders. Retro-tech perhaps but they work.

All mine are like that - punch (or preferably drill, circa.1mm) a cluster of holes around the centre, ensuring that any burrs will be inside the jar lid. Then, cut-out several holes in a 'crown board' smaller than the lid diameter (and smaller than the cluster of holes !).

To replace an empty jar, slide a piece of thin, stiff-ish plastic (X-ray film, 2L ice cream carton top etc) under the jar, swap the empty jar for a full one, then slide the plastic out. Simples. And costs nowt.

Someone has suggested that securing a fine mesh over the top of the holes also works well, thus dispensing with the need for sheets of plastic - haven't tried this yet - maybe later ...

 

[Essexgary]

An idea!

A hive tool with a small LED light to spot eggs in dark combs!

Pleeeeese

Gary

 

[Little John]

I THINK ITS TIME TO GIVE BACK TO THE INDUSTRY.

Can't shake off the thought that this is the kind of thing politicians say ...

If you can think of any ideas or improvements to existing equipment i would love to hear them

Simple (just listen to the news, and read some of the threads on here) - a thief-proof beehive.

LJ

 

[Luminos]

Can't shake off the thought that this is the kind of thing politicians say ...



Simple (just listen to the news, and read some of the threads on here) - a thief-proof beehive.

LJ

 

[enrico]

A hive tool with a small LED light to spot eggs in dark combs!

Pleeeeese

Gary

What a brilliant idea, I would buy one of them!
E

 

[clv101]

Simple (just listen to the news, and read some of the threads on here) - a thief-proof beehive.

This - a hive security solution that can be retrofitted to existing hives.

 

[00jacksonp]

Really cheap honey warming cabinet that can collapse to flat pack when not in use. Also not £200 for but more like £50 =)

Would something based on the principles of those pop up greenhouses with a heating fan work do you think?

Im thinking some kind of foil lined tent with a heater and thermostat. ?

 

[00jacksonp]

Really cheap honey warming cabinet that can collapse to flat pack when not in use. Also not £200 for but more like £50 =)

like a mini pop up tent maybe foil lined with an electric blanket in?
that's just of the top of my head , any reason why that couldn't work?

 

[00jacksonp]

A hive tool with a small LED light to spot eggs in dark combs!

Pleeeeese

Gary

I like the sound of this. maybe some form of mini LED that can be attached to your existing tools?

like this?
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=t...Clewley%2FClewleySARsurvivalequip.htm;400;400


a quick fix could be some electrical tape to strap it onto your tool.
Ill look into this.