Skyhook
Queen Bee
- Joined
- May 19, 2010
- Messages
- 3,053
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Dorset
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 5
I've just bought a luggage scale as a quick and easy way of checking the weight of stores until I have enough experience to tell by hefting. I'm trying to calculate how much to allow for the weight of the hive and bees.
So far I've weighed the roof (4kg) and a canadian clearer board which I reckon should be about the same as the mesh floor (2kg), but I dont have a spare BB to weigh. Its a cedar one, so I've weighed a cedar super full of frames (slightly drawn), which is 4kg, so I'm reckoning 1.5 times this ie 6kg should be about right.
On the basis that bees don't weigh much, I'm reckoning that gives me 12 kg to subtract from the total weight to give me an estimate of stores.
Does that sound about right?
The whole lot weighs 26.5 kg, which would give me 14.5kg of stores, meaning I need to get some more in there. I've been trying not to overfeed while the ivy's on so as to leave some brood space- they seem to be spreading it everywhere, rather than filling some space and leaving some empty, but I guess I need to get another 5.5kg of stores in a bit quick and hope they sort it out.
Any comments would be much appreciated.
So far I've weighed the roof (4kg) and a canadian clearer board which I reckon should be about the same as the mesh floor (2kg), but I dont have a spare BB to weigh. Its a cedar one, so I've weighed a cedar super full of frames (slightly drawn), which is 4kg, so I'm reckoning 1.5 times this ie 6kg should be about right.
On the basis that bees don't weigh much, I'm reckoning that gives me 12 kg to subtract from the total weight to give me an estimate of stores.
Does that sound about right?
The whole lot weighs 26.5 kg, which would give me 14.5kg of stores, meaning I need to get some more in there. I've been trying not to overfeed while the ivy's on so as to leave some brood space- they seem to be spreading it everywhere, rather than filling some space and leaving some empty, but I guess I need to get another 5.5kg of stores in a bit quick and hope they sort it out.
Any comments would be much appreciated.