Maybe I've simply missed any recent posts but are any current group contrib utors into beekeeping? Ive been building my own hives for a while now using 19mm WBP ply and softwood rails, exposed cut edges coated with polyester r esin + hardener to keep the wet out then the exterior painted with dull gre en gloss paint from the local car boot sale. If we have any enthusiasts have you any tips or stories?
It's been over thirty years since I kept bees! No varroa then.
I used to assemble my hives from kits. I do remember that you have to be careful in your choice of wood preservative to make sure it doesn't contain an insecticide, as many of them do.
IIRC, the convention when I started was for bottom bee-spaced, but top bee-spaced was said to be better (I may have that the wrong way round; it's been thirty years, as I said!), so that's how I made my boxes from the start. Whether there was any real benefit, I've no idea. On reflection, I can't really see why it should make any difference.
I had WBC hives, but with an extra deep brood-box and frames to match, so that the bees had plenty of stores for the winter without having to be fed syrup, and had plenty of room for the colony to expand in the spring and summer. They were standard width frames (had to be to fit across the WBC hive) but must have been an extra three inches or so longer than the standard brood frame, with an appropriately sized spacer box permanently fixed to the bottom of the brood box. They were a standard size of frame, possibly BS Deeps, see
Living in the country, I used to get between 40 and 50 lbs of honey from each of two hives, every year.
I used to keep bees until I was a bit careless with them and got enough stings to end up carted off in an ambulance being given adrenalin and oxygen to keep me going.
Funny thing - stung to death by bees sounds like something out of a horror film but it was actually quite peaceful, almost pleasant except that there was a voice in the back of my head reminding me that I really, really did not want to go. #TW
I'll give that a miss, thanks. You could suggest that to Dignitas as a green, organic option.
TimW scribbled
car boot sale.
I seem to remember Dixon of Dock Green star, Jack Warner used bee sting therapy for his aches and pains. I think it was a quite popular around
30 years ago.
I keep bees, and yes I know it's uk.d-i-y and I have made some nucs from ply, but why not get a proper western red cedar flatpack from Thornes or similar?
It lasts for ever without any treatment and is so much lighter than pine or ply; particularly if (like me) you are using Langstroth supers and Jumbo brood boxes.
ibutors into beekeeping? Ive been building my own hives for a while now usi ng 19mm WBP ply and softwood rails, exposed cut edges coated with polyester resin + hardener to keep the wet out then the exterior painted with dull g reen gloss paint from the local car boot sale.
I had bees and made all my own WBC hives. Gave up when we moved to an elevation of over 1000ft in Wales. They didn't do at all well due to the weather.
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