What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[plain_hunt]

I’ve never had a problem with wax on the plastic lid. I just use a warm cloth to remove any honey that gets on it!

I’ve also never had any honey or wax from spinning it, might be a few drips from putting the frames in.

 

[Antipodes]

I’ve also never had any honey or wax from spinning it, might be a few drips from putting the frames in.

It's not from the spinning as such. It's pretty much confined to to the upper surface of the lids (transferred from my hands when holding on to the top of the extractor when it starts dancing around). I guess if I'm rushing I might bump a frame on the underside of the lid (that lifts).

 

[Garry R]

Thanks to the recent post on 3 x 3 frame nucs I got stuck in and made similar but with 1 x 4 frame and 2 x 3 frame in the one box as shown. The mini crown boards are not shown but have been made. The ventilation grids on the floor of each nuc are the plastic grid from Lidl ready meals which is removed after the initial microwaving. These are really useful for this purpose and FREE!!! Hope to get the weather to try it out in the not too distant future.

I do have a question. Once queen cells make an appearance is there anything to prevent one frame of brood with cells being put into each of the multi nucs with stores, but the attendant bees being put into all three nucs from a single very strong hive before putting the crown boards on and closing up and relocating?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Thanks to the recent post on 3 x 3 frame nucs I got stuck in and made similar but with 1 x 4 frame and 2 x 3 frame in the one box as shown. The mini crown boards are not shown but have been made. The ventilation grids on the floor of each nuc are the plastic grid from Lidl ready meals which is removed after the initial microwaving. These are really useful for this purpose and FREE!!! Hope to get the weather to try it out in the not too distant future.

I do have a question. Once queen cells make an appearance is there anything to prevent one frame of brood with cells being put into each of the multi nucs with stores, but the attendant bees being put into all three nucs from a single very strong hive before putting the crown boards on and closing up and relocating?

That is similar to what I have done ( but I have 4/3/4 layout) and I propose to use in a demaree situation to produce 3 queens in the top box as I have used Qx as the mesh in the base of the boxes.
Mine are individual nucs held together with wing nuts and bolts which can be separated for mating. They have a sliding door on the underside of the floor to seal the holes when removed from the hive.
It will be interesting to see if it works!

 

[JamezF]

It will be interesting to see if it works!

Indeed so. It will be fascinating to see how the nurse bees react to having three separate groups of brood and whether they'll favour one over the others or just split themselves out evenly.

James

 

[rolande]

That is similar to what I have done ( but I have 4/3/4 layout) and I propose to use in a demaree situation to produce 3 queens in the top box as I have used Qx as the mesh in the base of the boxes.
Mine are individual nucs held together with wing nuts and bolts which can be separated for mating. They have a sliding door on the underside of the floor to seal the holes when removed from the hive.
It will be interesting to see if it works!
View attachment 35610View attachment 35612

Sechrist, in his book 'Honey Getting' gives a very clear account of a method used by Rauchfuss which is very similar in many respects, there's an online transcript but sadly, now, quite heavy with adverts but still perfectly readable, just scroll down to the 'queen rearing in nucs' section :

https://chestofbooks.com/animals/be...-Of-Selective-Breeding-And-Queen-Rearing.html

 

[Poly Hive]

In my experience one queen will dominate due I suspect to a more powerful pheromone.

PH

 

[Garry R]

That is similar to what I have done ( but I have 4/3/4 layout) and I propose to use in a demaree situation to produce 3 queens in the top box as I have used Qx as the mesh in the base of the boxes.
Mine are individual nucs held together with wing nuts and bolts which can be separated for mating. They have a sliding door on the underside of the floor to seal the holes when removed from the hive.
It will be interesting to see if it works!
View attachment 35610View attachment 35612

That's a really neat idea and as James said the selection of one or another queen cell will be interesting. I like the idea particularly of being able to move each nuc easily when mated if you have more than one apiary. I have also thought of colouring around the entrances as I have one at the front and one on each side. This may help each queen get the righ entrance on returning to the hive after mating. Now which colours to use!!!

 

[drex]

Yes. I built a 3 colony box in my early days. Bringing them on went well, but it was chaos to move one colony out into a bigger box, when the others were not ready to be moved. Put me off using it again

 

[Parsonage Bees]

In my experience one queen will dominate due I suspect to a more powerful pheromone.

PH

I made a 3x mating nuc. All in one box. Three different entrances. Only used it a few times so far but never managed to get more than one queen mated.

Maybe this is the reason. One queen dominates.

I did wonder whether the queens can hear each other and walk around to another entrance and duff up their neighbour!!

 

[Newbeeneil]

In my experience one queen will dominate due I suspect to a more powerful pheromone.

PH

I propose the close the bottom door, remove the three mating boxes off the hive and open the individual entrances once the cells are sealed.

 

[JamezF]

In the name of having as many brood boxes as possible ready for use this year, this afternoon I have attacked two old Paynes poly brood boxes that I've had sitting about for years with the table saw. One had been badly attacked by wax moth, but most of the damage was confined to three sides. The other had been stacked up full of frames to be re-waxed when a queen hornet found her way in and built a nest inside. They trashed quite a few of the frames and destroyed most of one wall of the box. You can see where I'm going with this now, can't you?

As luck would have it, the good side from the wax moth damaged box matched the trashed one in the other. I've cut the good side away from the first box and removed the hornet-damaged side from the second, allowing for the thickness of the saw kerf. The plan is to repair the small amount of wax moth damage remaining using car body filler and then fix the two back together using foaming PU glue and perhaps a few dowels. I didn't think I had much to lose in the attempt

I'm also still working through repairs to wooden brood boxes. It's been very slow progress, partly because I only have a few large sash clamps that are long enough to span the height of a brood box, but mostly because the glue is taking ages to set properly. I'm very nearly there now though, having decided to skip four that have double-skinned side walls so they look like Commercials from the outside, but inside they're Nationals and take long lug frames. If I get time later in the year I might turn them into double five frame nucs or something like that.

James

 

[JamezF]

Finished putting wax in the brood frames that I want a full sheet of foundation in (I already have some foundationless and some with starter strips). I think in total that should be everything I plan to need this year plus enough for each apiary to have a spare hive "ready to go" should it be required. As the forecast for tomorrow is little better than the driving rain we've had today I might do a few more in case I want extras for setting up Demarees, but other than that unless I get more than one donated swarm for the charity apiary I should be good. I don't think I have that many brood frames left that haven't been made up yet anyhow.

James

 

[Poly Hive]

I was watching this last night and it might work for you? Who needs actual sash clamps for a start? I made a door using the two active parts of a clamp and a board as the connector. In the vid the guy says using pipe. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woodworkin...40?keywords=clamps+for+woodwork+large&sr=8-40 So four clamps for £65 plus the cost of four bits of pipe but if the pipe is threaded it can be coupled or tripled using connectors. starts about 30 secs in. I'll need to research the other clamps I have and will get back on it.

This is what I was meaning: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/31347533...85169652812017&abcId=9300541&merchantid=87779 £32 a set.

PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have a selection of sash cramps and G cramps - downsized a bit now but I find them invaluable for making up boxes etc.

 

[JamezF]

I have extensions for some of my sashes -- probably sufficient to take a single one up to about twelve feet. I bet there are videos on YouTube saying that you don't need pipe clamps and should use something else instead, too

I've actually dithered over this question for some time though as I do quite often glue up large boards from smaller ones. I've not come up with an answer that gave me the confidence to actually make a purchase yet. What I should really sort out is a more suitable set for putting together hive boxes. Having some four foot sashes holding an 18" box together makes everything quite awkward because of the extra weight and all the metal that's sticking out.

James

 

[pargyle]

https://threadedpipeandfittings.co.uk/3-4-inch-galvanised-threaded-pipe-p473059563
Plus

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woodworkin...+for+woodwork+large&sr=8-40&tag=forumyield-20
£84 for 4 x 1.0 metre sash cramps is a bargain - with the threaded ends and connectors you have a very flexible sytem.

I have some of these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/31347533...d=&campid=5338413729&toolid=10001&mpt=4636073
that I picked up for next to nothing on a tool stand at a car boot but at £32 new these days they are a bit expensive. Like JBM I have a selection of G and Sash Cramps and they are indispensible in any workshop but buying new these days they do cost.

 

[Poly Hive]

Ok, so let's look at it another way. The task is to apply pressure whilst keeping the project square. So pressure can be applied by using two or three Spanset straps, and to keep it square make a "X" with pointed ends so as to accurately fit the corners and bobs.... Say a 9mm plywood square for strength.

I've moved hundreds of hives with spanset straps and for 8 years for the Download festival the dodgy dining room table was supported by them too....LOL
https://benhardenbeekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Hive-Strap-Standard.jpg If tightened so it hurts to get your finger out they are pressing pretty damn hard.

PH

 

[user 20297]

If you are regularly making up boxes you could make a jig or former. For my PIR nucs it would be tricky to clamp them in the normal way; I just lap the corners of each of the four sides on to each other and glue them. So, I've made a simple, lightweight box of the exact internal dimensions of my nuc. The pieces I cut for the sides don't even have to be all that accurate. I assemble them around the jig, protect the corners, which with PIR are vulnerable, and then tighten a ratchet-strap around the assembly until the adhesive has dried.
Providing the template is square and correctly dimensioned, every box is identical internally. This could be easily adapted to work with wooden hive parts.

 

[JamezF]

Finished my "cut'n'shut" poly brood box. After a coat of paint it you'd never be able to tell that it wasn't originally a single box

Having found the original paint that I used on my poly hives I decided that I might as well repaint the rest of the ones that I don't have in use right now -- particularly where the roof has started peeling paint. It's not like I don't have lots of other stuff to be getting on with If I can get them done before my first inspection, which is probably fairly imminent now, I'll swap them over and do the whole lot.

I think I'm down to the last two brood boxes that need work before they can be used now. With a bit of luck I might get those finished tomorrow. It's been something of a slog and I know there'll be more once I start replacing boxes because a couple of colonies have created their own "side entrance" that I've had to block up by screwing a piece of wood over the top. At least I have enough good supers to keep me going for a while. I'm not sure I'm ready for any more repair work just yet.

James