# Frankenhive



## xC0000005 (Nov 17, 2004)

Beekeepers are (as a rule) an industrious lot, given to rigging, building, modifying and re-using until things just rot to pieces. I count myself no different, and when Chef Isaac dropped off some 8 frame hive bodies to make nucs from, they came with some "bonus pieces". In particular, three additional sets of end pieces. Now these had no "sides" with them, but I kept them anyway because I'm loathe to remove anything. Yesterday I had free time and a mood to build but I was low on even scrap wood.










What I _did_ have was a stack of stakes from political signs and the plastic signs themselves. So, I hatched a plan. Now, you wood workers among you will immediately say "Yeah, but you could have cut a box joint and spliced and then taken glue and 10000 toothpicks and then bred reverse termites to put the whole thing together." Yeah. But I didn't. Instead, I ripped the (already thin) stakes to fit in the box joints. Glue and staples ensued.










Now if you are thinking "You are going to get a lot of bur comb on the sides, plus the bees will not be amused, do not worry. I had been experimenting after my political sign nucs with full hive bodies from corrugated plastic and concluded that it just didn't work. And I had all these signs that used to be on the stakes. One sign cut to length and then positioned to cover the gaps does each side. This corrugated plastic is actually a pretty good insulator if the cell ends are closed (these are not).










Who is Jane Hauge? What is her position on bee research and beekeeping? I don't know. Most of the google searches for her contain information on her position on driving after drinking and getting off on technicalities. Regardless Jane lives nowhere near me and whoever dumped a load of signs in my yard post election did me a favor, not a prank. I called her election office and told them someone put signs for her in my yard. They apologized and said I could keep the signs. I did.

So there you have it. When life gives you extra 8 frame end pieces and political signs, make weird hives. I have two more sets of ends downstairs. I'll be making a couple more like this. My wife says "You already have more equipment than bees, you have a larger stack of empty equipment than you do beehives. What on earth will you do with three more hive bodies?

Ah, I'm sure I'll figure out something.


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## WVbeekeeper (Jun 4, 2007)

You could leave the three pieces of stake out on the sides between the top and bottom one, use the corrugated plastic signs, and market them towards beeks with bad backs. I have some plastic corrugated signs too. I was thinking of using them for inner lids or maybe even bottom boards. I know they'd make a great debris tray for a sbb.


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## xC0000005 (Nov 17, 2004)

I have one I put togehter that usea a 1x2 at the top and the bottom and has styrofoam cut and put in between the 1x2s (sort of a poor man's beemax). Yeah, duct tape on the end of the corrugated plastic would make it a good insulator but I already had the styrofoam. It was really light. I loaded ten deep frames of honey in and it didn't wobble/shift. I'm not convinced it would be sturdy long term but then again the point of doing this isn't to produce something that my great grandkids will inherit.


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## Chef Isaac (Jul 26, 2004)

xc does great work. I collected all the political signs one early morning and he went to work on them. Does awesome awesome work!


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

Looks like it's been a long winter in Kirkland, WA !!!  



WVbeekeeper said:


> <snip>...a great debris tray for a sbb.


Just curious... would the corrugations give SHB a place to hide?


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

(What I did have was a stack of stakes from political signs and the plastic signs themselves.) 

Well there's political statement if I ever saw (pun intended) one


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

That is a lot of pink!!! I suppose all of the bees are girls so they won't mind....


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## kirk-o (Feb 2, 2007)

If it works for the Bees it WORKS
kirkobeeo


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## Ardilla (Jul 17, 2006)

Hobie said:


> Just curious... would the corrugations give SHB a place to hide?


You can run a piece of clear packing tape over the edges to prevent critters from hiding in the corrugations.


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## xC0000005 (Nov 17, 2004)

Ardilla said:


> You can run a piece of clear packing tape over the edges to prevent critters from hiding in the corrugations.


Yes, when we eventually get SHB they could hide there, and yes, packing tape (or my preference, unidirectional bonding agent #34, also called duct tape) would work. They actually make cheap coolers out of corrugated plastic by sealing the cell ends. My original nucs used double signs with (taped) sealed ends so that the bees could preserve heat better. It's slightly frustrating that a standard political sign (weird that that phrase exists) is about 1/4 of an inch too short to go down the inside of a hive. It would make the inside strip flush with the top and bottom.

The funny thing about the signs is that I've now gotten to where when I see the city removing them I think "Hmmm. That's a pretty nice piece. Looks like 18 x 24. I should probably ask for it.

And yes it's been a long winter. Long winter with plenty of time to make sawdust.


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## Troy (Feb 9, 2006)

SHB are a huge problem for me here in FL, so I agree with the comment on that.

I was going to build some nucs and hive bodies out of political signs too, so I am very curious why it "just didn't work"?

What problems did you encounter? What worked and what didn't and why.

Please tell, so I can learn from your mistakes.......


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## xC0000005 (Nov 17, 2004)

Building the nucs works fine - five frame is just small enough that a 18.5x24 inch sign will work with one sign forming the bottom and left side and one forming the right & lid with a flap to velcro shut.

Full ten frame hive bodies are a different matter - loaded with honey they twist. The ones shown in the picture are from 8 frame hive ends plus they have the "bars" re-enforcing the sides. Five frame nucs are just fine - see 

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211891


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