What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[Superlativesoul]

painting anything stops the wood breathing, cedar (whether first or third quality)doesn't need anything at all

As your only painting the outside of the box ,then it can breathe ,I have coated sofits both sides with sealer, when I then applied Sadolin to the outside ,salts leached through,got in touch with the manufacturer and they said it was because I had painted both sides and not allowing the timber to breathe .Whether this is the case when using conventional paint
John

 

[Anduril]

As your only painting the outside of the box ,then it can breathe ,I have coated sofits both sides with sealer, when I then applied Sadolin to the outside ,salts leached through,got in touch with the manufacturer and they said it was because I had painted both sides and not allowing the timber to breathe .Whether this is the case when using conventional paint
John

This is one of the problems across the pond. There are those that paint all the faces of their hives and there are those who only paint the outside.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As your only painting the outside of the box ,then it can breathe

the bees 'varnish' the inside of the boxes themselves

 

[Newbeeneil]

Realised I’m running out of storage space for honey buckets in my extraction room so made some shelves for my garage out of 3mm steel.

 

[Paulypaul]

Built a couple of nucs which I've temporarily setup as 2-framers, using Corex as space fillers. Want to over winter a couple if nucs for the new year.

Queens should be emerging soon. I'll see if they can work out how to use a wasp baffle entrance.

Side note: The National system has to be one of the worst designs. Never has so much timber been spent, for the sake of stupidly long lugs. The Smith format looks much more sensible.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As I had a few hours spare this afternoon - and it was nice outside, I finally got around to fitting the new wheels on the extractor - just in time for the marathon extraction stint starting this weekend!!

 

[Superlativesoul]

But think of the revenue at the end ,im sure it will be worth it
John

 

[JohnRB]

Our association has lost 2 out of 10 nucs to wasps, with the others under attack. I've tried 'enrico' type conduit tunnels, but found them difficult to fix/use with nucs. Dug out tinkercad and drew up the design shown in pics below, from inside and attached to nuc. Trying to make something simple to attach that uses the tunnel principle. Tomorrow I'll find out if they work. Any suggestions for improvements welcomed P.S. 3D printed in PLA in case anyone was wondering

 

[Erichalfbee]

Looks much better than mine

 

[JohnRB]

Looks much better than mine

View attachment 37313View attachment 37314

I would actually be quite happy with that - but with the maisemore polynucs you have to fit something into the recess. Perhaps I should make a simple boss that extends out to the edge of the recess, then go for a tunnel like yours. i'll keep experimenting

 

[Wilco]

Clonked together five deep ekes and the frames for five UFEs. Couple more to do but ran out of light and nails. Also made about 22 litres of 2:1 syrup. Running low on thymol mix.

Already making job lists for the winter.

 

[Garry R]

Doesn't matter how you fix them on. I drill a couple of small holes in the base plate part of the conduit and screw it to the hive then slide or snap the front on. I did use the self adhesive ones but on polystyrene not a good idea so just screw them on and remove after the winter. I also check that the bees don't block the tunnel with dead bees so slide off the front every now and then to check and remove any that are there. These are a great cheap idea but folk see the initial confusion as a problem especially with a strong hive but in my experience the bees are used to it in next to no time. Must make up some to distribute at our meeting on Saturday. I paid £3.50 for 3.4 metres of trunking so about £8 each from a dealer seems a good mark up when you can make 10 of them!!

 

[blackcloud]

In looking into making something that protrudes into the box more to stop the wasps from scampering up the inside of the wall.

But it has to be shallow enough not to get propolised to the frames.

The Maisemores floor in post 4049 was easy as I just extended the existing 'tunnel' over the mesh for a few inches with a chunk of thin plastic glued to some bits of frame bottom bar
The one piece Maisemore nucs are more of a challenge

 

[Gilberdyke John]

In looking into making something that protrudes into the box more to stop the wasps from scampering up the inside of the wall.

But it has to be shallow enough not to get propolised to the frames.

The Maisemores floor in post 4049 was easy as I just extended the existing 'tunnel' over the mesh for a few inches with a chunk of thin plastic glued to some bits of frame bottom bar
The one piece Maisemore nucs are more of a challenge

We had a design created by Millet who was a member from oop North a few years ago. Thread 'Tunnel Entrance..' Tunnel Entrance..

 

[blackcloud]

Its getting a structure to pass through the hole without modifying the polyhive itself and then being low enough to have beespace under the frames that's the project.
Failing that it would be to replace the mesh with a ufe. (or part mesh part ufe)
If still tunnel to the front of the hive to be able to observe who's getting in .

 

[Wilco]

Its getting a structure to pass through the hole without modifying the polyhive itself and then being low enough to have beespace under the frames that's the project.
Failing that it would be to replace the mesh with a ufe. (or part mesh part ufe)
If still tunnel to the front of the hive to be able to observe who's getting in .

Close regular entrance.
Drill 8mm hole.
Attach a different entrance disc.

Wouldn't mean the entrance is within the brood nest area but would mean you have an 8mm tunnel.

Do the hole wherever on the box is suitably thick, potentially halfway up the side on a thin end would mean it opens into the edge of the brood nest?

 

[blackcloud]

When the things were thirty quid If have done that.
Now they're doubled in price they've become a little more sacred...

 

[North End Bees]

When the things were thirty quid If have done that.
Now they're doubled in price they've become a little more sacred...

But it wouldn't destroy the box.

Closing off the entrance and adding another is no different from closing off one of the two entrances in the BS nucs.

You can drill a new 8mm entrance in the (thick) side wall and just use the nuc warm way.

 

[blackcloud]

There's no end of things that could be done but I like my mods to be reversible without evidence.
I might end up having to sell kit.
Given a choice I would buy the kit that hadn't been butchered.
My point was to have the tunnel exiting well within the nuc so the wasps cannot run up the inside wall and away from the guarding bees,like Millets idea that GJ reposted.
Drilling another hole would not acheive this alone.
I'm leaning towards replacing the mesh with some sort of ufe/and tunnel that could be underslung with a frontal entrance.But it would have to be easy to sterilize

 

[Wilco]

How about trimming a plug of wood to fill the existing slot then either drilling an 8mm hole in that or drilling a slightly larger hole and fitting some small diameter tubing into it such as is used for beer making siphons or pond/aquarium pumps. That would be fully reversible unlike replacing the floor which is arguably more modification than an 8mm hole drilled in which could subsequently be plugged with expanding foam if needed.