What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[Erichalfbee]

I think there is already an name and acronym for the selfless and virtuous care which you are showing. It's the Scheme for Wife Maintenance and Beneficial Obligations.......S.W.M.B.O.

Love it!

 

[Antipodes]

Had a spare hour on my hands so finally got around to making a (rather rough) queen cage just to work out dimensions and practicality at present. Just an idea that's been in mind for a while now. View attachment 30291View attachment 30288View attachment 30289

Neat job. They look like the ones that are used here "down under". What they also have here is a thin piece of plastic, (could even be cellophane?), sandwiched between the candy and the wire....presumably to stop it being eaten away through the wire? Then also grooves along the top (hard to see from the photo..edit:just added better photo), which may be for air when the queens in the cages are banded together for transport?

 

[rolande]

@Antipodes , nice feedback, thank you. I remember greased paper covers to the feed in the old days, had always assumed that it was to reduce moisture loss.

The saw kerfs are nice, I've seen them through the sides before but think the top cuts would make for a sounder finish. I was thinking along lines of taping upside down onto corrugated card but experience based suggestions are always welcome!

 

[Antipodes]

I remember greased paper covers to the feed in the old days, had always assumed that it was to reduce moisture loss

I reckon your'e on the money there

 

[Swn58]

Ooooh! I just love the smell of turpentine and wax - Im savouring it just looking at your pics.

Yes.....lovely! Sarah Cox on Radio 2 last week had a 'what do your hands smell of today?' feature. Strange I know, plus rather a chancy topic I thought. The irony for me was that my hands were too oily and waxy to touch my phone to call in!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As my old commander Ron (don't call me Ronnie!) Townsend, AKA Victorian dad used to say 'Ah waking up in the morning on crew change day, to the smell of bleach, sh!t and Lynx deodorant'

 

[madasafish]

Over the past weeks I have made (read "bodged") a steam wax extractor - using the same basic principles as a commercially available one and a steam wallpaper stripper as the supply of steam. All made from surplus wood/recycled aluminium sheet and a new piece of wirecloth. Total cost approx £5.00 including paint and glue and brads.

Fitted on a Langstroth 6 frame jumbo nuc body and floor: but adaptable to take National frames. Layout is:
Floor
Aluminium floor to remove melted wax and water
eke
wirecloth to filter out debris
nuc body
New roof with cutout for steam stripper.

Trials to come when it is warmer (woodstain took a week to dry fully in garage)

 

[JamezF]

Over the past weeks I have made (read "bodged") a steam wax extractor - using the same basic principles as a commercially available one and a steam wallpaper stripper as the supply of steam.

I have something very similar, using an old national brood box, but I didn't use the "spreader" from the steamer and instead just put the steam hose in a hole in the side.

It's ok for a single box of frames, but I don't think it really produces sufficient steam if I stack more boxes on top which was irritating last year when I realised I'd got rather behind on melting down old comb.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's ok for a single box of frames, but I don't think it really produces sufficient steam if I stack more boxes on top

It won't - I acquired a Thornes steam wax extractor which was basically a metal lid, metal floor within a standard solid floor and a national brood box in an auction a few years ago (nobody else wanted it) it just about managed to melt down one box full of frames, failed to do two at a time. Basically an apparatus to convert a lot of time and electricity to gain a snot puddle of very poor looking brown wax.

 

[JamezF]

Quite. I've seen a youtube video where someone dumps an old gas cylinder or similar full of water into a bonfire and pipes the steam in from that which appeared to manage quite a few boxes at a time.

James

 

[Doey]

Hi im currently building my first hive can I ask what is everyone's thoughts on a under floor entrance, is it a good job and are there any downsides to it? Also would you use it with an entrance reducer on a small colony?
Thanks in advice for any advice

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi im currently building my first hive can I ask what is everyone's thoughts on a under floor entrance, is it a good job and are there any downsides to it? Also would you use it with an entrance reducer on a small colony?
Thanks in advice for any advice

Can't think of many downsides apart from you can't shove a varrox (I vape through the OMF) or a sublimox through the entrance.
No need to reduce the entrance at any time, no need for mouse guards, easy to shut the bees in - just shove a block of foam in the entrance. And they're easy to build.
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threa...-on-the-dartington-underfloor-entrance.46001/

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have all my full size hives and most of my nucs on them. Most entrances are about a third of they way back so if I do reduce the entrance it gives the bees a long tunnel to easily defend. I leave just a two bee size gap in new nucs if needed
Vape over the omf thorough a hole in the back or via an eke on the top

 

[Doey]

I've a floor made but I can easily change it, would you use it with a solid floor or a mesh floor?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've a floor made but I can easily change it, would you use it with a solid floor or a mesh floor?

I have one colony going through winter on a solid floor. 2 nuc floors are solid the rest OMF.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Built more boxes and frames for a change.
Got 36 more complete hives arriving soon.

 

[Wilco]

Mrs away for the weekend so dining room has been colonised to make frames for the last two evenings, done about 30 SN4s, 30 DN4s and 10 14x12s. Think I've got about another 100 frames overall to make up yet to be in line with my plans... Need to squirrel them away at the apiary before she gets back tomorrow.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Modifying some single brood boxes today haven't quite finished them but here's a photo or two of one they are two way 5 frame now.

 

[rolande]

Modifying some single brood boxes today haven't quite finished them but here's a photo or two of one they are two way 5 frame now. View attachment 30514View attachment 30515View attachment 30516

Good use of a box. You going to use crownbords or tarp covers?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Good use of a box. You going to use crownbords or tarp covers?

I plan to use some thick dpc and a cb.
I have some older boxes which I was also converting today, one of the groundsmen dropped me some sheets of ply which I can use to make more solid floors and some ply 5/6 frame nucs or even perhaps some 2x3 frame.
A busy few weeks ahead