Shed recommendations?

[Merlin]

Hello Brosville

Would you share the details on the solar panel and inverter supplier - just looking at doing exactly what you seem to have there and a contact for reliable decent panels would be very helpful.

Thanks

Rgds

Merlin

 

[nelletap]

Have been amazed at the variety of shed suggestions. The caravan is worth a thought ... but in fact lots of things to think about so many thanks to all.

 

[Travelator]

Another argument in favour of building your own shed is that most of the ones you can buy are appallingly flimsy. This isn't a problem if you just want to stack things inside, but if you want to add some shelving sturdy enough to hold full supers etc, you would have to do a lot of extra work.

 

[Brosville]

Have pm'd the details of the panels - I'd agree that in my experience the "off the shelf" sheds can be pretty flimsy, but they give you a basic structure that you can beef up with no great difficulty.
I've built some benching with supports that start on the floor, and are screwed into the main (beefed up) "uprights" - you could build shelving the same way - it can be remarkably strong, and support a heck of a weight
Much in admiration of Tonybloke's shed!

I've not done it myself, but have a neighbour who's built a straw-bale study - if you have the space, you can build amazing structures using that method!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Another argument in favour of building your own shed is that most of the ones you can buy are appallingly flimsy.

If you keep an eye on the sale pages of some of the farming magazines, there are sometimes the old Atcost sheds for sale,they are very sturdy.

 

[nelletap]

It sounds as though we should have a gallery of shed pictures. My father's not a beekeeper but I must find a picture of his shed - it is a rather ramshackle affair made of corrugated something and painted black - it was possibly a chicken shed in its 1930's inception. It's crowning glory (almost literally) is the Golden Royal Warrent added by my father. He'd been sent it to place on a government building but by the time it was finished they had forgotten they had already sent one and added one direct to the building. Lucky this is anonymous (more or less) because I think it might be a treasonable offence. It is a wonderful contradiction to see it on the shed!

 

[drstitson]

i'd watch out - now you've posted the shed picture some bright spark will be able to identify it on google maps - no more hiding from the heavies employed by Big Pharma/AgroChem!!!!

 

[drstitson]

TB - what does she keep in there? a small plane? very tall horses (giraffes)?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Buy the biggest shed you can afford/have space for and it will still be too small.
Cazza

Mind you, tonybloke's magnificent shed looks like it may suffice for quite a while

 

[MandF]

These Argos shiplap sheds, are they bee-proof?

We got a cheap storage shed, possibly from Argos, which does the job but there are gaps between the planks, gaps at the doors, gaps under the roof.. the reason we havent considered one of the argos sheds for a bee shed is because of these gaps.

We have identified what is being sold as a refuse store shed at a local garden centre (Adrian Hall) as suitable as it has no gaps. However it is £310 (fitted) and 'only' 5' x 3'. If the argos sheds are decent enough quality we'll go for a bigger one from there.

 

[Brosville]

I'm not quite sure why there's the desire for it to be "bee proof" - if you want that, some gap/hole filling would be needed on almost any structure........

 

[MandF]

I'm not quite sure why there's the desire for it to be "bee proof" - if you want that, some gap/hole filling would be needed on almost any structure........

To help avoid the spread of diseases for one, to not attract robber bees to your site for two, to avoid your shed becoming a bait hive for three...?

And I dont think gap filling is an option on a door

 

[Brosville]

I'm still a touch "lost" on this requirement - if I'm applying wax to top bars it does attract bees, so I close the door and window - any stored bits of hives are bereft of comb, and honey extraction is usually done in the kitchen - if I were using the shed to do it, any honey/wax would all be rapidly covered/sealed - I have never had them use my shed as a "bait hive", there's nothing left sitting about to "rob", so as I said, I can't really understand the "need" to hermetically seal the thing - nil ventilation isn't too good an idea either!

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Sometimes, when I extract, the wet supers may be left in the shed for a day or so before I get the chance to put them back on the hive to be cleaned up by the bees. During this time they are vulnerable to robbing. So, the less holes in the shed the better.

 

[MandF]

Exactly, in theory we wouldnt need anything bee tight for winter storage as everything should be clean, plus not so many bees about.

In the summer it is a different story - when we want to temporary store stuff before cleaning or putting back on hives.

It is easier to ventilate something hermetically sealed, than hermetically seal something with gaps everywhere... even having an open mesh window

In other words, I want the option of ventilating my sealed shed, not the option of having to try and seal my shed if/when I want it bee tight.

So, back to my question - are Argos sheds 'gappy' or are they bee tight, does anyone know?

 

[alanf]

are Argos sheds 'gappy' or are they bee tight, does anyone know?

If you mean the steel ones? Not insect tight. Or not without a lot of care in building and extra sealing around the end of panels. That's going to be the case with any shed as supplied, wooden, metal or plastic. I'd guess a metal shed might stay sealed longer if you did try it because it's harder for insects/mice to chew a way through but door gaps will always be hard to seal.

 

[MandF]

As I mentioned, I had earmarked a shed from a local garden centre, because it looked fairly 'bee tight'.. the doors overlapped the frames, there were no discernable gaps on any side of the doors, or on any other panel/join.

My storage shed has gaps everywhere - including the actual sides of the shed, because the panels are warped. Not a problem for its particular purpose, which is a general garden storage shed - but I definitely would not want something like that for my bee equipment.

 

[Headnavigator]

Sometimes, when I extract, the wet supers may be left in the shed for a day or so before I get the chance to put them back on the hive to be cleaned up by the bees. During this time they are vulnerable to robbing. So, the less holes in the shed the better.

Maplin sell hand-held battery-operated gizmo to run slowly across top of polythene bags to seal them, can be used on a bin bag, no need ever to leave anything open to robbers.

 

[beeboybee]

whats your budget? i can put you in touch with a Oak Framing Company that design and Build Amazing garden Buildings and whole houses

 

[MandF]

my budget = cheap as possible. The shed is to store bee stuff, hence the discussion about Argos!