enrico
Queen Bee
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2011
- Messages
- 12,092
- Reaction score
- 3,376
- Location
- Somerset levels
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 5
Another tip for newbees.
We are at the point of the year when we can easily get caught out with not having enough equipment. You need to think ahead a little bit. I would always advise to have one spare brood box, roof and floor and one spare super at hand and nearly ready to go. The super is essential because when you come to take off the honey you will be cramming your bees down to be able to take the super off. Add that spare super to ensure they have enough room. I then extract the honey, give it back to the bees overnight to clean up and then take it off again as my spare. Each hive should have three supers, one nearly full, one started and your spare
What you DON’T want to do is have everything made up with foundation wax. If you don’t use it the wax will lose its freshness which the bees find important to encourage them to draw it out so …. Build you new super and then fill it with half made frames. These are frames that you have made up with a top bar, two side bars and ONE bottom rail. That rail should be opposite the bit you DON’T cut off the top bar. When the time comes all you have to do is cut off that bit of the top rail, slide the wax in and pin that bit back together with the remaining bottom rail. This takes seconds instead of minutes meaning you can have a super up and running very quickly. Trust me if the nectar starts flowing you want them to have something to put it in. Do the same with brood frames and you will always be nearly ready for any eventuality (Including being able to hive a swarm ). Keep the wax wrapped and sealed until you need it, away from heat and mice!
By the way, when you pin the bottom rails to your frame always pin from the bottom up and then they can easily be dismantled for new wax. If you pin from the side you have to break something to put new wax in!
Lastly, for Christmas ask for a staple gun that fires small nails as well. They will save you hours of time and the pain of gimp pin thumb!!
E
We are at the point of the year when we can easily get caught out with not having enough equipment. You need to think ahead a little bit. I would always advise to have one spare brood box, roof and floor and one spare super at hand and nearly ready to go. The super is essential because when you come to take off the honey you will be cramming your bees down to be able to take the super off. Add that spare super to ensure they have enough room. I then extract the honey, give it back to the bees overnight to clean up and then take it off again as my spare. Each hive should have three supers, one nearly full, one started and your spare
What you DON’T want to do is have everything made up with foundation wax. If you don’t use it the wax will lose its freshness which the bees find important to encourage them to draw it out so …. Build you new super and then fill it with half made frames. These are frames that you have made up with a top bar, two side bars and ONE bottom rail. That rail should be opposite the bit you DON’T cut off the top bar. When the time comes all you have to do is cut off that bit of the top rail, slide the wax in and pin that bit back together with the remaining bottom rail. This takes seconds instead of minutes meaning you can have a super up and running very quickly. Trust me if the nectar starts flowing you want them to have something to put it in. Do the same with brood frames and you will always be nearly ready for any eventuality (Including being able to hive a swarm ). Keep the wax wrapped and sealed until you need it, away from heat and mice!
By the way, when you pin the bottom rails to your frame always pin from the bottom up and then they can easily be dismantled for new wax. If you pin from the side you have to break something to put new wax in!
Lastly, for Christmas ask for a staple gun that fires small nails as well. They will save you hours of time and the pain of gimp pin thumb!!
E
