Weighing hives

[Spikedog]

When weighing hives by taking weight from two sides are the two readings simply added or averaged? E.g. readings of 41+35 is weight 76 or 38? Having a self doubting moment ...

 

[Hivemaker.]

76.

 

[Johnnifer]

Say what, how does that work??

 

[Erichalfbee]

Don’t lift too high. Just enough to clear the stand. Same height each side, add together. It gives a good approximation

 

[Beefriendly]

Aye, don't get obsessed with accuracy...they are ball park figures...It's when they get much lower than the original readings that you need to think what to do.

 

[Millet]

I got obsessed with weights in the first two years ... it helped me determine weights when hefting without scales though..i now do not need to weigh them as i can tell if they are light or heavy by hefting..as for the original post weigh one side then the other and add the two numbers up.. i am fairly illiterate with numbers among other things but a calculator solves many of my problems.

 

[Erichalfbee]

i am fairly illiterate with numbers among other things but a calculator solves many of my problems.

Innumerate
sorry

 

[Millet]

Innumerate
sorry

I will stick with with illiterate as math is a foreign language to me.

 

[mike99]

Steve. I think you missed an “s” off the math. We are not from the U.S.

 

[oliver90owner]

Think about it. IF all the weight was concentrated over one side, lifting the box from one side would give a very much different weight than from the other.

Just like see-saw - if all the weight is over the fulcrum it will balance whatever the weight might be, but a small mass at a greater distance fom the fulcrum can balance a greater mass coser to the fulcrum.

In the case of the see-saw, the weight of the two masses would have to be weighed just under the centre of mass, while only that mass was installed- this assumes, of course, that the see-saw mass was negligible.

Really simple when you think about a simple scenario with extremes of where the weight is situated.

If the weight is taken from both front and back, as well as the sides, the beekeeper could work out where the most stores are situated (not in all scenarios, mind) and thus knowing where the cluster is situated (IR in the depths of winter, or uncappings drop at any time, the situation within the hive,with regards to stores and cluster, could be logged to guard against finding the cluster isolated from the stores. I would never bother to go to those lengths, but it is possible!

 

[Curly green fingers]

Think about it. IF all the weight was concentrated over one side, lifting the box from one side would give a very much different weight than from the other.

Just like see-saw - if all the weight is over the fulcrum it will balance whatever the weight might be, but a small mass at a greater distance fom the fulcrum can balance a greater mass coser to the fulcrum.

In the case of the see-saw, the weight of the two masses would have to be weighed just under the centre of mass, while only that mass was installed- this assumes, of course, that the see-saw mass was negligible.

Really simple when you think about a simple scenario with extremes of where the weight is situated.

If the weight is taken from both front and back, as well as the sides, the beekeeper could work out where the most stores are situated (not in all scenarios, mind) and thus knowing where the cluster is situated (IR in the depths of winter, or uncappings drop at any time, the situation within the hive,with regards to stores and cluster, could be logged to guard against finding the cluster isolated from the stores. I would never bother to go to those lengths, but it is possible!

What would be the answer Oliver to weigh the hole hive in one . How far from the true weight by weighing each side would you be ,

 

[Erichalfbee]

What would be the answer Oliver to weigh the hole hive in one . How far from the true weight by weighing each side would you be ,

Try it with something that’s not a beehive at home; something you can put on bathroom scales? Come back and tell us?

 

[Frizzaldo]

there was someone here who had scales installed unber some of their hives, would be interesting to compare the lifting method vs the scales

 

[Finman]

.
I put a bathroom scale under the hive's back side. I weigh only 2 box hives and one box hives I feed full as much as they take.

No need to make science from hives' weigh.
.

Basic idea is to get enough winter food into the hive, not the accuracy of weighing. Some hives do not take in so fast food as others.

 

[Finman]

, would be interesting to compare the lifting method vs the scales

IT is not easy to hang 50 kg hive in air, when you get the same information from the back side of the hive. It tells that there are enough food there.

 

[enrico]

Think about it. IF all the weight was concentrated over one side, lifting the box from one side would give a very much different weight than from the other.

Just like see-saw - if all the weight is over the fulcrum it will balance whatever the weight might be, but a small mass at a greater distance fom the fulcrum can balance a greater mass coser to the fulcrum.

In the case of the see-saw, the weight of the two masses would have to be weighed just under the centre of mass, while only that mass was installed- this assumes, of course, that the see-saw mass was negligible.

Really simple when you think about a simple scenario with extremes of where the weight is situated.

If the weight is taken from both front and back, as well as the sides, the beekeeper could work out where the most stores are situated (not in all scenarios, mind) and thus knowing where the cluster is situated (IR in the depths of winter, or uncappings drop at any time, the situation within the hive,with regards to stores and cluster, could be logged to guard against finding the cluster isolated from the stores. I would never bother to go to those lengths, but it is possible!

But surely.......
If you weigh a see saw the fulcrum is in the middle. If you weigh a hive the fulcrum is at the edge. If you tried to weigh someone on a see saw you would never come up with a correct weight. Even if you weighed both sides and added them it would be nowhere near a true weight of both people. They are balanced in the middle! The only way it would work is if you took the fulcrum from the middle and rested the other end of the see saw on the floor as in the hive scenario! I am no mathematician, just trying to picture in my head what would happen!!
.......just re read your explanation for the fifth time and I think I understand you now! Blimey! Just lift one side of the hive and use that for all future readings to know if the weight is going up or down!!!!!! Kiss
E

 

[Gilberdyke John]

But surely.......
If you weigh a see saw the fulcrum is in the middle. If you weigh a hive the fulcrum is at the edge. If you tried to weigh someone on a see saw you would never come up with a correct weight. Even if you weighed both sides and added them it would be nowhere near a true weight of both people. They are balanced in the middle! The only way it would work is if you took the fulcrum from the middle and rested the other end of the see saw on the floor as in the hive scenario! I am no mathematician, just trying to picture in my head what would happen!!
.......just re read your explanation for the fifth time and I think I understand you now! Blimey! Just lift one side of the hive and use that for all future readings to know if the weight is going up or down!!!!!! Kiss
E

One company I knew with a short weighbridge weighed the front of the lorry, pulled forward and weighed the back. Add the results for the total. Same principle applies here.

 

[enrico]

One company I knew with a short weighbridge weighed the front of the lorry, pulled forward and weighed the back. Add the results for the total. Same principle applies here.

I understand the principal but got confused when it came to adding a fulcrum in the center.
I now realise that had little to do with the arguement!
E

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Say what, how does that work??

Think about the young girl from Devizes in the limerick. If she weighed herself with one foot on each of two scales, side by side, left foot on left scale, right foot on right scale, she would have to add together both weights registered on each of the two scales to arrive at her total weight.

I just think a mental image might help you with this problem!

CVB

 

[Newbeeneil]

I made one of these for my teaching apiary recently, not tried it with a active hive yet but it seemed to work with an empty hive when I tested it.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/hivescales.pdf