# What we did over Christmas Break



## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

Mitch and me spent a couple days making some ventilation boxes








close up:








Still need to notch the upper entrances and paint of course.

And I finished up a few more of the Excelsior tops:



















Still working on the swarm box for next year's queens.

Thanks Mitch!


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

Nice! Is that redwood on the covers?

Newbie question: Where/how do you use a ventilation box?


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

Covers are made from cedar. Friend of mine gives me cedar from Mississippi. Sometimes have trouble getting enough 7 inch width so some of the tops have poplar and cedar.

Box goes on top of the hive replacing inner cover and provides following value 
1. ventilation in the summer (very little bearding). 
2. top entrance
3. insulation of top in winter (pack box with insulation)
4. ease of feeding (1 gal feeder jar fits with medium super on top)

Plans are on Tim Tarheit's web site.

Plans for top are from Peter Seiling - article in Nov. 2006 Bee Source, "Excelsior Covers"


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

nice work have never used this type of top cover. do you see a large increase in honey production when compared to other covers


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## Mitch (Jul 7, 2003)

Dave used these covers last year for the first time.This summer there was little bearding even on the hot days>This made me think it was a good idea to make some up for me to use and of course a few more for Dave.One of the things i like about the veted covers is the top entrance no cloging with dead bees in winter.Now all i need is to get some paint on the veted covers and get a nice day to put them on.Dave sure has a nice wood shop.


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## Troutsqueezer (May 17, 2005)

Fingerjoints! Nice work. Do you have a store-bought or homemade jig?


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

Troutsqueezer said:


> Fingerjoints! Nice work. Do you have a store-bought or homemade jig?


thanks Trout
I have a couple of box joint jigs that I have used, both with router and with table saw, but did these a little different and it worked real well

The key is the fence. I have an Incra Fence system http://www.woodpeck.com/tslssystem.html

Not worth the money if you are just making bee equipment but I do build some furniture and things and picked this fence up 10 years ago.

It makes life good!

So Mitch made some shims up for me of different thicknesses and I experimented until I had exactly the right dimension for the dado blade. With this fence the settings are repeatable. It comes with templates for various joints. I used the 3/4" template, which is marked off every 3/4". You line up and clamp about 6 pieces together (all the same - say the long ones), end down, run them through with the fence set at 1, then repeat for the odd numbers. Flip and do the other side.

Then take the other boards (short ones) and repeat using the even numbers.

Hard to explain, easy to see. If anyone is seriously interested I can put up pics. I have used the same system with the router table to make drawers for oak chests.

Surprising how good you can get the production once you start rolling.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Is there anything better in the middle of winter than the smell of fresh bee lumber, espeically cedar and the sight of our hopes and dreams for the upcoming season. Looks like you two take pride in your work!

David and Mitch, I assume the steel building is yours and for bee use? What's the size, do you like it and how do you heat it?

Are you already using ventilation boxes and is it positively effecting your production #'S?


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

Joel said:


> Is there anything better in the middle of winter than the smell of fresh bee lumber, espeically cedar and the sight of our hopes and dreams for the upcoming season. Looks like you two take pride in your work!
> 
> David and Mitch, I assume the steel building is yours and for bee use? What's the size, do you like it and how do you heat it?
> 
> Are you already using ventilation boxes and is it positively effecting your production #'S?


Yep I love the smells: poplar, cedar, ash, oak. or the smell of fresh foundation in pine frames!

Half the barn is heated (the woodshop) with pex tubing in the concrete, and a BAXI propane tankless water heater. The other half has the beestuff, tractor, mower and other equipment and some oak air-drying out. Love the building, they are never big enough.

As for improving honey production from the ventilation boxes, you would have to design an experiment to find out. Haven't done that. Based on what I have seen, though, the bees don't beard as much. If I didn't think they were better I wouldn't make them. But I think they are better. It could be an anthromorphic thing. But I really like the top entrances and it seems there is less robbing too. I still use the bottom entrance but I may make up some new SBB with no entrances and just let them use the top entrance. Mouse guards drive me nuts and somehow no matter how good you think you have closed it up seems like one mouse will always find a way to get in.


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## Mitch (Jul 7, 2003)

I agree nothing like the smells of beekeeping.My favorite is putting together comb honey supers.Now that we have built all this stuff i have to do my least favorite thing paint.But then ill make up some comb honey supers and all will be good.

I have yet to put up a building,someday ill have to.my 2 car garage is getting fuller by the year and my hot rod is setting outside.The garage is where we extract our honey.Sure would be nice to have a bigger building but for now it will have to wait.I like the pex heat Dave has seems to work great and not to bad on cost.

I did enjoy makeing the new top covers.I work with metal every day so the wood was i good change.


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

I was going to make some of these covers, but got to thinking. Does the design of the cover let rain drip on the top of the supers? You know kind of dribble under the bottom? It doesn't have an overhang like the telescoping covers do. And does it have a top entrance ? If so that would be what I am trying to incorporate in my hives this year.


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

> Originally Posted by Focus on Bees
> I was going to make some of these covers, but got to thinking. Does the design of the cover let rain drip on the top of the supers? You know kind of dribble under the bottom?


No does not. You can make them slightly longer if you want so there is an overhang. But I have not noticed any water getting inside the hive. Seems to run right off. If you make the overhang then they will not set close to each other on pallets if you need to move them on pallets (which I do for pollination).




> And does it have a top entrance ?


No top entrance. I did make some with a top entrance but did not like it. Instead I use the ventilation boxes which do provide a top entrance.

Now you could reverse your inner cover and use it as a top entrance. But I believe the best use of the excelsior cover is as a migratory cov er with no inner cover or on a vent box like I am using it.

Hope this helps


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

I guess I don't need to worry about the migratory cover issue, as I don't move my bees. Thanks for clearing it up for me.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Thanks for sharing. I'm headed down to clean up the honey house and put some frames together now that you have my mouth watering!


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## Mitch (Jul 7, 2003)

I now have the vent covers painted.They came out great.

Now i am workin on building frames some for the comb honey crop and som deeps for new hives and replaceing brood comb.It is supose to be very cold this weekend, i think ill be in the house nice and warm wireing frames and putting in foundation.


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