Been in the workshop today laboriously cutting wood to size for the hive / hives. I got hold of a Makita table saw in the week which is making short work of getting the timber from the lumber yard to the right dimensions.
A very useful bit of kit as you can 'batch cut' lots of bits ready to be made into hives at a later date. Just have to remind myself that it is also a very dangerous bit of kit so I'm being ultra cautious and careful using it.
I'm working from my own drawings which I've modeled up into 3D CAD and converted into 2D drawings with dimensions on so I can refer to them as I go.
I've decided to complete a hive in the next week or so before I post these so I know they're ok to work from (in case you've fecked up on the measurements eh? Ed.).
Found this today on the web - The WI Martha Kearney Beekeeping Blog - where the lovely Martha (from R4, BBC etc) shares her beekeeping adventures.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Plotting
Just a quick post this one. The drawings for the National Hives are almost complete (been a bit busy? Ed.)
What I have done though is select the area on the plot for the bees. At the top of the orchard is where we usually park the motors but it's such a wasted area that it's ideal for a couple of hives. I just need to make a couple of flower beds and think of a way to screen this area off, out of sight from prying eyes.
I'm hoping to crack on with making some of the hive parts tomorrow. I'll let you know how I get on...
What I have done though is select the area on the plot for the bees. At the top of the orchard is where we usually park the motors but it's such a wasted area that it's ideal for a couple of hives. I just need to make a couple of flower beds and think of a way to screen this area off, out of sight from prying eyes.
 |
| It's actually a much bigger area than this! |
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Making the Hives Part 1
I am spending quite a few evenings this week buzzing around ebay picking up various bits of kit I think I'll need for the bees and for me (to protect me from the bees!)
So far I have managed to acquire most of the basic kit; bee suit, hive tool, smoker etc., and I'll post a few notes on these later when I've taken some shots of this stuff so you can see what the heck they all are. There's loads of kit you can buy for keeping bees but I suspect that much of it is actually not really needed and is just typical paraphernalia you get with any hobby.
By far the most important item though (apart from the bees! Ed.) is the bloomin beehive!
Now I've filled the workshop with power tools of every kind over the past couple of months so I thought I'd have a bash at making my own hives.
There are loads of reasons why making you own beehives is a good thing.
Firstly, it's cheaper. A good quality National hive can set you back approx. £180.00 and you will usually only get the basic kit for that and will have to buy more brood boxes and supers as you need them - adding to the cost (I hope you are going to explain what all this stuff is! Ed.).
Also, I'm making my hives from Pine as it's cheaper and easier to come by than Cedar. Ok, even treated Pine won't last as long outdoors as Cedar will, but since I'm making my own hives anyway it shouldn't be a problem to replace them a few years down the line. The Pine will be treated with a bee friendly wood preservative, details will follow when we get to that part.
Secondly, making your own hives means that you can make a 'batch' of parts ready at a moments notice without having to wait for delivery, so you will be pretty much self sufficient.
Anyone with a bit of woodworking skill can make a beehive I'm reliably told by G. He's let me have a 'bought' brood box, in its component bits, to copy and use as a template which is great.
What I have managed to find on the internet though is also pretty good. Found on the Scottish Beekeepers Association website, these pdf's of old MAFF (the old Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) bee hive plans are a bit dated (imperial measurements) but will help you get your head around the parts required to make one. I'll post these myself soon in raw PDF format but here's the link for those of you who can't wait Scottish Beekeepers Association MAFF plans
I'm working the National Hive pamphlet up into some basic line drawings and exploded 3d views this week and will post them later together with drawings in working metric measurements as near a I can get to the original imperial measurements.
The reason for converting these measurements into metric (mm) is that I've found it tricky to get hold of timber at local woodyards to the exact MAFF dimensions. When your dealing with measurements like 15/16" then I imagine it's critical to get it spot on if you can.
To that end I've ended up getting a small table saw to help cut the bits accurately. It's the internal measurements to the hive which are most important, creating the required 'bee space'.
There are a few improvements around these days to the 1970's MAFF descriptions of the design such as replacing the solid wood floor shown with a mesh floor section which ejects any falling Varroa mites through onto the ground rather than letting them crawl back up though the hive.
So much to think about. The next few posts will be mostly progress pics and the drawings so stay tuned...
So far I have managed to acquire most of the basic kit; bee suit, hive tool, smoker etc., and I'll post a few notes on these later when I've taken some shots of this stuff so you can see what the heck they all are. There's loads of kit you can buy for keeping bees but I suspect that much of it is actually not really needed and is just typical paraphernalia you get with any hobby.
By far the most important item though (apart from the bees! Ed.) is the bloomin beehive!
Now I've filled the workshop with power tools of every kind over the past couple of months so I thought I'd have a bash at making my own hives.
There are loads of reasons why making you own beehives is a good thing.
Firstly, it's cheaper. A good quality National hive can set you back approx. £180.00 and you will usually only get the basic kit for that and will have to buy more brood boxes and supers as you need them - adding to the cost (I hope you are going to explain what all this stuff is! Ed.).
Also, I'm making my hives from Pine as it's cheaper and easier to come by than Cedar. Ok, even treated Pine won't last as long outdoors as Cedar will, but since I'm making my own hives anyway it shouldn't be a problem to replace them a few years down the line. The Pine will be treated with a bee friendly wood preservative, details will follow when we get to that part.
Secondly, making your own hives means that you can make a 'batch' of parts ready at a moments notice without having to wait for delivery, so you will be pretty much self sufficient.
Anyone with a bit of woodworking skill can make a beehive I'm reliably told by G. He's let me have a 'bought' brood box, in its component bits, to copy and use as a template which is great.
What I have managed to find on the internet though is also pretty good. Found on the Scottish Beekeepers Association website, these pdf's of old MAFF (the old Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) bee hive plans are a bit dated (imperial measurements) but will help you get your head around the parts required to make one. I'll post these myself soon in raw PDF format but here's the link for those of you who can't wait Scottish Beekeepers Association MAFF plans
I'm working the National Hive pamphlet up into some basic line drawings and exploded 3d views this week and will post them later together with drawings in working metric measurements as near a I can get to the original imperial measurements.
The reason for converting these measurements into metric (mm) is that I've found it tricky to get hold of timber at local woodyards to the exact MAFF dimensions. When your dealing with measurements like 15/16" then I imagine it's critical to get it spot on if you can.
To that end I've ended up getting a small table saw to help cut the bits accurately. It's the internal measurements to the hive which are most important, creating the required 'bee space'.
There are a few improvements around these days to the 1970's MAFF descriptions of the design such as replacing the solid wood floor shown with a mesh floor section which ejects any falling Varroa mites through onto the ground rather than letting them crawl back up though the hive.
So much to think about. The next few posts will be mostly progress pics and the drawings so stay tuned...
Friday, 15 April 2011
Hey!
Welcome to my new blogging adventure Bees Make Honey.
I've got an allotment where I grow stuff to eat and keep and breed chickens for eggs. I've also resumed my fishing so I can catch fish for the dinner plate too. I blog about that on http://growfisheat.blogspot.com/ but as that's getting rather full dealing with growing, fishing and eating (not to mention the odd moan), I thought I'd start a new blog about my first foray into keeping bees.
God alone knows how I'm going to fit this into my life at the moment, but hey, what's the worst that can happen? (Stung to death, heart attack through stress, over-doing it, bee stings etc? Ed.)
Now the guy over from me (G) on the allotment has kept bees for a while. Actually he also keeps Jacob sheep and turkeys too but even I know I would buckle under the weight of that lot. (Phhhew! Ed.)
So with his help, I've decided that I'll have a crack at beekeeping. There was a programme on the Beeb last year that got me thinking. Entitled 'Who Killed the Honey Bee' it was a rather gloomy documentary about the worldwide decline of Apis Mellifera, the European Honey Bee and the worry about what's happening to them. Here's a clip http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p007vhcp
I did notice last year that, despite G having several colonies of bees just a few yards from my plot, I hardly saw any honey bees at all last year, or bumble bees either come to think of it. So I'd been wondering what I could do to help out in my own small way. Last year I pegged out chunks of the plot for wild flowers, sunflowers and lupins for example.
What initially put me off from actually keeping them (apart from being afraid of being stung? Ed.) was the complexity of managing them.
G, although seemingly checking on his hives regularly, had at least four swarms last year. Most of which flew over my plot. As I emerged trembling from the car / shed when the last of the exodus had buzzed away over the fields, I would see G giving chase over the hedgerows, hoping to catch them and start a new hive (catch a swarm? Ed.)
Apparently this was down to poor management and not keeping an eye on the queen cells, something he freely admits due to lack of time.
That is a worry but I'm going to have a go this year. Those of you who have stumbled upon my blog http://growfisheat.blogspot.com/ will have read about work slacking off a bit due to the bloody recession. So I've spent a bit of time in converting my old scooter shed into a workshop full of shiny new tools (another potential hospital trip? Ed.) This means I shouldn't have any excuse in building my own hives. In fact I'm going to start today!
So if you're curious about keeping bees and want to find out just how fascinating and rewarding it can be (not to mention downright dangerous? Ed.) then drop in and check on the progress of a complete beekeeping novice.
I've got an allotment where I grow stuff to eat and keep and breed chickens for eggs. I've also resumed my fishing so I can catch fish for the dinner plate too. I blog about that on http://growfisheat.blogspot.com/ but as that's getting rather full dealing with growing, fishing and eating (not to mention the odd moan), I thought I'd start a new blog about my first foray into keeping bees.
God alone knows how I'm going to fit this into my life at the moment, but hey, what's the worst that can happen? (Stung to death, heart attack through stress, over-doing it, bee stings etc? Ed.)
Now the guy over from me (G) on the allotment has kept bees for a while. Actually he also keeps Jacob sheep and turkeys too but even I know I would buckle under the weight of that lot. (Phhhew! Ed.)
So with his help, I've decided that I'll have a crack at beekeeping. There was a programme on the Beeb last year that got me thinking. Entitled 'Who Killed the Honey Bee' it was a rather gloomy documentary about the worldwide decline of Apis Mellifera, the European Honey Bee and the worry about what's happening to them. Here's a clip http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p007vhcp
I did notice last year that, despite G having several colonies of bees just a few yards from my plot, I hardly saw any honey bees at all last year, or bumble bees either come to think of it. So I'd been wondering what I could do to help out in my own small way. Last year I pegged out chunks of the plot for wild flowers, sunflowers and lupins for example.
What initially put me off from actually keeping them (apart from being afraid of being stung? Ed.) was the complexity of managing them.
G, although seemingly checking on his hives regularly, had at least four swarms last year. Most of which flew over my plot. As I emerged trembling from the car / shed when the last of the exodus had buzzed away over the fields, I would see G giving chase over the hedgerows, hoping to catch them and start a new hive (catch a swarm? Ed.)
Apparently this was down to poor management and not keeping an eye on the queen cells, something he freely admits due to lack of time.
That is a worry but I'm going to have a go this year. Those of you who have stumbled upon my blog http://growfisheat.blogspot.com/ will have read about work slacking off a bit due to the bloody recession. So I've spent a bit of time in converting my old scooter shed into a workshop full of shiny new tools (another potential hospital trip? Ed.) This means I shouldn't have any excuse in building my own hives. In fact I'm going to start today!
So if you're curious about keeping bees and want to find out just how fascinating and rewarding it can be (not to mention downright dangerous? Ed.) then drop in and check on the progress of a complete beekeeping novice.
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