blackcavebees
Field Bee
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
- Messages
- 640
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland
- Hive Type
- National
I've never been to Devon. If I ever do get the opportunity, one place I would love to visit is with Pete (Hivemaker) to see his operation. Like many on this forum, Pete has been very helpful over the past couple of years to me in my beekeeping adventure. I'm on my hols just now in Tennessee, and have visited with another great guy who showed me round one of his bee yards and his workshops. I was thinking as I went around, this guy is like how I imagined Pete to be (i've never seen Hivemaker but have spoken to him on the phone). He had jigs for everything! Makes everything, and the lane up to his place is lined with the starting material, cut tree trunks ready for milling.
Only thing he didn't seem to make was mating nucs, using double wide polys instead. But he said he *ONLY* produced 1000 queens a year for his own use and for nucs - maybe when he scales up he may produce his own mini nucs.
Family run business, sons involved. Some of the jigs were so simple, they were fantanstic. Great ideas for me to implement over the winter. Speed of frame assembly was something else: jig for nailing 10 at a time with air nailer, etc. Plywood skid for old 10" table saw for finger joints, keep it simple.
Honey by the barrel. And the bees ... Everyone in his area keeps same sub species (in their case aml) so easy to work with, I've never worked without a suit before!
SHB: obviously a problem, but like varroa they manage it as part if their IPM. He was a bit envious that we were SHB free in Uk and Ireland. Gave me a couple of SHB traps to show the guys at home.
Someday I might make it to Devon ...
Only thing he didn't seem to make was mating nucs, using double wide polys instead. But he said he *ONLY* produced 1000 queens a year for his own use and for nucs - maybe when he scales up he may produce his own mini nucs.
Family run business, sons involved. Some of the jigs were so simple, they were fantanstic. Great ideas for me to implement over the winter. Speed of frame assembly was something else: jig for nailing 10 at a time with air nailer, etc. Plywood skid for old 10" table saw for finger joints, keep it simple.
Honey by the barrel. And the bees ... Everyone in his area keeps same sub species (in their case aml) so easy to work with, I've never worked without a suit before!
SHB: obviously a problem, but like varroa they manage it as part if their IPM. He was a bit envious that we were SHB free in Uk and Ireland. Gave me a couple of SHB traps to show the guys at home.
Someday I might make it to Devon ...