- Joined
- Jul 11, 2023
- Messages
- 285
- Reaction score
- 174
I love scavenging wood, skips or anywhere. I have plenty of wood that is much too good for hives that will probably be in my stock long after I am able to use it. So i will continue my frugal ways. I have a great advantage in having a workshop full of professional woodworking machinery so i am able to convert timber of any dimension to any dimension required. Like yourself James, I make as much of anything myself. Pallets, if you dismantle make great floor and roof components. I glue up timbers of 18" plus in length into panels which turn into brood or super components, usually 18mm or 22mm thick. I am considering a hinged mesh floor that can be opened to clean out debris etc. I am still working on a hive box design that will allow it to be easily insulated, any ideas anyone ?Been having a bit of a "stock take" at home to see what I would like to buy in the sales (prior to whittling it down to what I think can get away with buying in the sales). Fortunately I don't think it's that much, though I may have to buy more foundation because the weather has not allowed me to melt down as much wax as I was hoping to in the solar melter to make my own. The solar melter is now living in a greenhouse to see if it will actually work on days as sunny as today. I really should have thought of that earlier. Other than perhaps a few brood boxes I think I can make almost everything else myself as long as I can find some timber suitable for the sides of roofs. Then it's just odd bits and pieces like hive straps and a spare hive tool or two.
It's been one of the nicest days of the year weather-wise and the bees have certainly been busy foraging. The ivy in the trees is literally buzzing with activity.
James