Winter projects

[blackcavebees]

First full year of beekeeping over, thymol treatments coming to an end, still feeding a bit, just spent more than I should have in MM's sale , first poly hive should be here this week, filtered my honey for the third time (honey show next week and novice category is in my sights), now .... Planning for the long winter nights ...

An added bonus to this beekeeping lark (notwithstanding the dry wit of you guys on the forum) is being able to make things useful for my hobby. It is much more satisfying to build something out of recycled materials than to splash out loads of wonga to pay someone else to make what I can. Nucs, supers, swarm boxes, clearer boards, crown boards, roofs (thank you neighbour for half the aluminium roof off your scrap caravan btw), etc have all been successful. But what next???

Looking for suggestions guys

Also, been reading PolyHive's posts on queen rearing with interest, and going to make cup holder frames and a 6-dowel cup former, and some cages. I don't have enough bees yet to raise queens in spring in full nucs, so was thinking about mini-nucs. Before someone tells me I can buy a poly one for £16 or so, I enjoy making things for nowt. Anyone have plans for mini nucs or comments. If I were to build my own I would need someway to migrate to nuc after they get going, apart from elastic bands holding cut outs into frame. Any ideas? What's out there?

All suggestions gratefully received,

Stephen

 

[alldigging]

I don't know about mini nucs but was looking on the Dave Cushman site about hinged frames for putting comb from cutouts in.
They look like they might be interesting to make - but would you use them?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If I were to build my own I would need someway to migrate to nuc after they get going, apart from elastic bands holding cut outs into frame. Any ideas? What's out there?

Stephen

On our association mini nucs you can open a hole in the floor which will match up with the feeder hole in a crown board, thus you can introduce a queen to a fresh nuc or hive using the paper method - just need an eke to house the mini nuc.
The world's your lobster as far as designing a mini nuc - all you need are small top bars with a seam of wax as a starter and a reservoir for fondant (Matt - our lead in queen rearing) drilled a small hole each side of the top bar and put in a loop of green wood to act as a guide to draw comb.

 

[blackcavebees]

On our association mini nucs you can open a hole in the floor which will match up with the feeder hole in a crown board, thus you can introduce a queen to a fresh nuc or hive using the paper method - just need an eke to house the mini nuc.

that sounds good! Off to the drawing board ...

Also "(Matt - our lead in queen rearing) drilled a small hole each side of the top bar and put in a loop of green wood to act as a guide to draw comb"
Not sure what you mean by a loop of green wood, am I missing something?

Thanks

 

[Tom Bick]

If I was you I would construct a few 5 or 6 frame nuc's up and then a series of insulated dummy boards so you can reduce to two frames if needed and then keep to one frame size

 

[Poly Hive]

Hinged frames are better avoided.

They are overly complex for the need.

PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not sure what you mean by a loop of green wood, am I missing something?
Thanks

Basically any thin piece of bendy wood - twig or such,bent to a U shape down from the top bar (basically the shape a natural piece of 'free'comb would take) thus the bees have a top, sides and bottom to attach the comb to rather than building a whole conventional 'mini frame'

 

[blackcavebees]

Ok, that makes sence now (green wood)

I was thinking of cutting a slot in top bar with table saw and putting a cut down piece of foundation in it and sealing it in with beewax, like a starter strip, or maybe just a bigger bit to give them a head start. Any problems with that? I'm assuming the melted wax would hold it till they stick it themselves, as I've had wild comb built on a spacer in my main hive

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Anything like that will do - I think a thin bit of starter would be quite enough - wax making will keep them busy until the queen strts laying

 

[region2]

Make up some feeders - 46x46cm (for national) ply base, 8mm x 12mm ply around the base, 1/2" x 3 or 4" sides, slightly smaller dam and slide-inable barrier with slots, waterproof glue and gloss paint and a ply lid. Drill some big holes and mesh over the entrance = Ashforth feeder.

Make up some multipurpose ekes - same base as above with 2" sides, central hole and voila - crown board with space for plastic ashforth feeder or bag of fondant. Upside down it holds the fondant direct on the frames (if you must!) or apiguard. Mount a rhombus in the middle for a clearer board.

R2

 

[Poly Hive]

I was pondering this sheltering from the deluges this afternoon.

Have you thought of making an observation hive and creating a talk to take to primary schools?

PH

 

[justme]

I don't know about mini nucs but was looking on the Dave Cushman site about hinged frames for putting comb from cutouts in.
They look like they might be interesting to make - but would you use them?

Chap in our association showed us how he makes frames for cutouts out of nothing more than a frame with 1-2" square mesh tacked across one side of the frame. He then cuts the wires at a 'cross' point to bend inwards at 4 points just in (couple of inches's) from the corners. Push the cutout combs onto the bent wires it stays, may kill a little brood but not much. Simples.

 

[blackcavebees]

I was pondering this sheltering from the deluges this afternoon.

Have you thought of making an observation hive and creating a talk to take to primary schools?

PH

Sounds like a plan PH, I've heard of an "ulster" hive but never seen one, are there any plans out there?

Our local BKA has access to one somewhere I think as they did a display a couple of years ago to the Balmoral agricultural show, I'll have to ask about to see if I can get a look at one.

Stephen

 

[blackcavebees]

Chap in our association showed us how he makes frames for cutouts out of nothing more than a frame with 1-2" square mesh tacked across one side of the frame. He then cuts the wires at a 'cross' point to bend inwards at 4 points just in (couple of inches's) from the corners. Push the cutout combs onto the bent wires it stays, may kill a little brood but not much. Simples.

The chicken wire solution - I like it!

 

[MuswellMetro]

Sounds like a plan PH, I've heard of an "ulster" hive but never seen one, are there any plans out there?

Our local BKA has access to one somewhere I think as they did a display a couple of years ago to the Balmoral agricultural show, I'll have to ask about to see if I can get a look at one.

Stephen

see this page on web

http://www.beehacker.com/wp/?page_id=888

 

[Poly Hive]

Invented by one B. Mobus I believe.

No disrespect to Bernard but not one I would use for schools. I used to make one up with a brood frame and a super frame and Q of course and after the school visit put them back in their hive and all was well.

Cheaper and simpler.

PH

 

[Walrus]

My winter projects are:

• paint new MB ploy lang hive
• clean/sterilise my poly nucs
• make clearer boards as per PH design or similar
• make some entrance reducers, maybe with wire mesh across to double up as mouse guards
• make insulated 14x12 dummy boards
• read loads & go to CBKA meetings
• maybe look at doing BBKA exams
• dream of big colonies and lots of honey next year

 

[alanf]

No disrespect to Bernard but not one I would use for schools. I used to make one up with a brood frame and a super frame and Q of course and after the school visit put them back in their hive and all was well,

For a one day visit, that could be far simpler. A semi-permanent observation hive is a neat idea, but in practice still needs a lot of maintenance. Swapping frames to avoid swarming, starving or filling it with stores is pretty frequent. Before a visit, you still need to find the queen, get her on a suitable frame up top and clean the glass.

I'm thinking: choose a couple of frames to borrow for a few hours and place in a pre cleaned box. Any plans or photos out there?

 

[Teemore]

Sounds like a plan PH, I've heard of an "ulster" hive but never seen one, are there any plans out there?

Our local BKA has access to one somewhere I think as they did a display a couple of years ago to the Balmoral agricultural show, I'll have to ask about to see if I can get a look at one.

Stephen

If you are at the INIB conference in November you can chat to the designer himself - at least the man that gave rise to the title "The Ulster Observation Hive"!

The story as told to me is that Steve Forrest of Brushy Mountain was invited over to speak at a number of engagements in NI and was introduced to a man with a novel observation hive. Steve took the design home with him and in a nod to the place where he found the design, called it the Ulster Observation hive.

 

[blackcavebees]

Dates already in the diary, but that reminds me I need to post off a cheque to make sure I get my dinner