Ways to avoid heavy lifting?

[John_W]

weight lifting belt

Firstly I would say, definitely look at poly hives and kit.
Secondly, look at your setup. Ie your stands for certain. Consider higher rails.
Thirdly, consider a weight support belt. There is a reason there were invented.

And certainly consider getting a "helper".. I helped my tutor for two and bit years, just out of curiosity etc, before I got my own stocks.
It was great. I got to learn and share in her exprience and help out.

 

[madasafish]

Top Bar hives are ideal - no lifting at all.

I am older than the OP and lifting weights does not bother me - but then I weightlifted competitively many years ago and do yoga and exercises...

 

[Finman]

Top Bar hives are ideal - no lifting at all.

I...

no honey, now lifting...

the full medium honey box is about 20 kg. it is not bad.


I made only one plywood box. It has really weight.

 

[FreeFall]

I sympathise.

I having been struggling a bit with my hives (understatement!) and after visiting the hospital was diagnosed with three slipped disks, one of which slipped out the back to trap leg nerves, and two torn radials. It sometimes makes beekeeping... interesting!

I can empathise with you, I had my spine surgically fused in 1989 (L4, L5 and S1) after being assaulted by a 'young offender' and popping some discs. All is good now though. I'm just down the road from you, so if you ever need any help moving boxes or other kit just let me know - I'd be happy to help in return for some experience of a bigger set-up.

Cheers,
Nick.

 

[victor meldrew]

When my mate found lifting a pain ,he simply took a plastic bag with a couple of super frames , took out sealed super frames and replaced with the empty frames he had brought , then toddled homed with a plastic bag now containing sealed honey . He did this regularly , sometimes he mistakenly visited my hives in the same fashion
VM

 

[kevinrrogers67]

My sympathy to you. I am recovering from illness and know how hard thing can be.

You could also go for an electric powered wheelbarrow set up. Expensive but just a thought.

 

[nelletap]

You sound a twin. I think it is a multi approach - all of these have helped me:
1. Garden trolley with nice wheels big enough for supers.
2. spare hive stand to put next to the one I'm inspecting (even the roof is better put on this than right down on the ground) Moving things at more or less teh same height reduces strain.
3. Tall enough hive stand (but not too tall). Most are quite low but I found one from recycled wood that was just a few inches taller and keeps me in a more comfortable position.
4. Have some system so you don't have to deal with the whole brood or super contents as one unit (see more details below)
5. Experiment with poly or half supers

Someone on this group really made some excellent suggestions to me one on one when I asked about him making me some equipment (though he didn't respond when I tried to order so not sure what happened there).
My thought had been to change perhaps to 14 x 12 but have one or two dummy boards which were light thicker than usual and would insulate to use a deeper body but not increase the overall weight. His point was that a commercial body might give the extra depth, would still take my national supers and that perhaps the crucial think was to have better handles/ grips on the commercial. My idea was to use something like the wooden frame feeders perhaps with polystyrene or scrunched up newspaper, so that I could in a flexible fashion use one or two as the outer frames to reduce weight but still have sufficient space for a good sized colony.

In addition, I use a poly nuc so that when I inspect I can put frames from the brood box in there to share out the weight if I need to lift the whole brood box so I can do it in 2 steps. When I am taking away supers I put a plastic deep drip tray in the base of my trolley with an empty super and then another drip tray as a lid. I can then take frames one at a time or in whatever stages I want.

Tricia

 

[Silly Bee]

Before you carry out a full inspection, kick the side of the hive, this will put the bees into the air and so lighten the hive.

 

[Luminos]

Before you carry out a full inspection, kick the side of the hive, this will put the bees into the air and so lighten the hive.

 

[Cazza]

Thirdly, consider a weight support belt. There is a reason there were invented.
QUOTE]

I have used a lifting belt for the past year. Along with a trolley and higher stands. The belt really helps.
Cazza

 

[Bob Bee]

I've gone down the poly hive route - much lighter to handle!

O come on you lot, a couple or three pounds difference when lifting 30 lbs wont help anyone who , like the OP has this type of lifting difficulty. Look for real solutions like the extra pair of hands, higher stands, wheelbarrows, smaller boxes etc.

 

[Polyanwood]

If you keep your bees on a hard surface it is worth going skip diving and liberating one of those low four wheeled trolleys that are used to wheel bread crates into the shop. I have one of these under one of my jumbo langstroth brood boxes and just wheel it to the side if I have to do an artificial swarm.

Not perfect though... a but low for manipulations.

 

[user 6228]

O come on you lot, a couple or three pounds difference when lifting 30 lbs wont help anyone who , like the OP has this type of lifting difficulty. Look for real solutions like the extra pair of hands, higher stands, wheelbarrows, smaller boxes etc.

move hives to hard standing an use a manual stacker /forklift
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/manual-fo..._Lifting_Moving_Equipment&hash=item3f15ed4520

 

[Finman]

.
What about lifters?

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200342869_200342869

 

[Poly Hive]

Great if you have a level solid pathway and surround for the hives.

If not..........a complete liability.

There are powered loaders though.

PH

 

[Finman]

.
DIY roof rail


http://salin.mobi/FIN_Nostokiskon_asennus.htm

 

[richardbees]

Have a look at a Dartington hive - I'm considering one for this very same reason.

 

[Finman]

Great if you have a level solid pathway and surround for the hives.

I choose my hive sites so that I can drive a car very near to hives.

But some places are really pumpy.

 

[Finman]

Have a look at a Dartington hive - I'm considering one for this very same reason.

It is a toy, not a productive beehive

Lifting problems are bigger when you have hives on outer pastures.
In the garden you may use many kind of helping tools.

in internet:"The Long DeepHhive has been used continuously by Robin Dartington since 1975, but never in sufficient numbers for evaluation. It is hoped that beekeepers across Britain will conduct their own tests and publish their experience for the benefit of beekeeping generally."

I made 1962 my 3 first hives and they were "chest" type long hives. 20 frame in row.
Finland was in those days full of "dartington hives". I kept those 2 years and then I burned tthem. Now in Finland we have not a sigle long hive in beekeeping use.

 

[Madge]

.
What about lifters?

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200342869_200342869

Or perhaps a DIY Warre lift?