What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[Tremyfro]

We assembled the Flow Hive today. It's was very straight forward with good instructions. Had a little play with the Flow frames...opening and closing the cells. Taking out the plugs requires a pair of small pliers. Not because they are difficult but because fingers can't really get a grip on them. The flow frames are interesting in that the surface of the 'comb' is not smooth like wax cells but each row is slightly offset. So you have rows of deeper walls and between each are rows of shallower walls. I guess this tears the wax capping at an angle. Just got to oil the wood and all set for the summer sunshine and loadsa hunny!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I'd forget about porter escapes and go for rhombus escapes instead - much more efficient and no moving part to jam up - and you can use a round hole!

Agreed. The Porter bee escape is a waste of time and effort. They are inefficient at best, clog up easily and deform frequently.

Get a rhombus escape, divide it in two, cut it to fit in the corner at 45 degrees, and cut a 1.5" hole under each half. Works a treat - very speedy clearing.

Dusty

 

[nantmoel]

Agreed. The Porter bee escape is a waste of time and effort. They are inefficient at best, clog up easily and deform frequently.

Get a rhombus escape, divide it in two, cut it to fit in the corner at 45 degrees, and cut a 1.5" hole under each half. Works a treat - very speedy clearing.

Dusty

We have a number of these, I may just cut a round holes for feeding.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Agreed. The Porter bee escape is a waste of time and effort. They are inefficient at best, clog up easily and deform frequently.

Get a rhombus escape, divide it in two, cut it to fit in the corner at 45 degrees, and cut a 1.5" hole under each half. Works a treat - very speedy clearing.

Dusty

Just what I've done

 

[Plenty of honey]

One of my kids off sick today, had to pick up from school mid morning. while he's on the sofa, bathing in no school and snot, i am in the shed!! some silver lining i suppose. Cutting roof sections from metal printer sheets. fitting to recently made lids made for Mini-Plus mating nucs. Nearly there now. what a lot of work!http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=12674&stc=1&d=1454363493

 

[AndrewD]

Tripped over all the boxes of frames and kit that needs assembling

 

[madasafish]

Almost finished a Horsley Board.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Made a Recticel roof for a bait hive and painted it daffodil yellow. It will look jolly nice perched on top of the potting shed roof
Cleaned out the other three bait hives and added the propolis to a jar of meths, ready to paint the inside of the boxes

 

[Chriszog]

Painted a brood box and a couple of supers!

 

[Plenty of honey]

Cut pine and rebated 200 sections for 50 new roofs, for forthcoming hives (whenever they arrive.) Putting together today, ready for painting next week. Then theres the covering with metal, Tons to do!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

One of the PIR cosies was beginning to delaminate so I took that in and stripped the foil off it. Good to see that the water hadn't actually made it far through.
It's drying over the Rayburn and I'll paint it tomorrow.
Cleaned a lot of wax as well, lovely smell in the kitchen

 

[nantmoel]

Finally got round to finishing 9 national crown board, they just need a vent/feed hole cut in the middle.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Husband is making a nuc to 14x12 brood uniting board

 

[nantmoel]

Cut the feed/vent holes in all the crown boards and treated them with clear preservative, they will be well dry in a few months before they go anywhere near the bees.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Cut the feed/vent holes

what's a vent hole - and why would it be needed?

 

[REDWOOD]

Cut the feed/vent holes in all the crown boards and treated them with clear preservative, they will be well dry in a few months before they go anywhere near the bees.

No need to preserve the whole thing just the outside, personally I don't bother as they are always well protected under the roof. Remember nothing gets coated by humans inside the hive as the bees will do it for you.

 

[nantmoel]

Cut the feed/vent holes in all the crown boards and treated them with clear preservative, they will be well dry in a few months before they go anywhere near the bees.

I cover it with fine gauze when not in use, so I call it a vent hole. If its not being used to feed what do you call it?

 

[nantmoel]

Machined and glued together 4 OMF's today, next up are frames for our wire QE's.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I cover it with fine gauze when not in use, so I call it a vent hole. If its not being used to feed what do you call it?

feeder hole - when not in use for that purpose it's covered by a piece of thin ply or roofing slate - you don't want to turn the hive into a cooling tower, absolutely no need for ventilation or matchsticks at the top of a hive.

 

[pargyle]

I cover it with fine gauze when not in use, so I call it a vent hole. If its not being used to feed what do you call it?

A bee cooler ?