# Bee Briefs



## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

Has anyone tried the bee briefs yet?? I was thinking of getting a couple of them and would like to know what kind of feedback there is about this product. They sure look handy...


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*Has anyone tried the bee briefs yet?*

You can not beat a well made 3 to 5 frame?
We have quite a few of the Bee Breifs in use this season.
They have one flaw in how the two sides meet at the top. They are not totally bee tight. We put a small bungee cord in place to provide some needed tension.
It's a well thought out product. They should last you a lifetime.
$40.00 + shipping/ the cost of a 5 frame nuc = about 2:1 depending on the materials in your nuc.


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

I thought they would be handy with the handles, and not having to paint. Also you can just set them out on the ground and not need a bottom. I might try two and see how I like them. They are a bit pricey,and thats a drawback. Thanks for your input!


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

BEES4U said:


> They have one flaw in how the two sides meet at the top. They are not totally bee tight.


a friend brought one over to show us and from what we could tell it wasn't tall enough with the frame in it the top was elevated, is that what you referer to above??

thanks mike


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

Do you mean that when you put the frames in it they are too tall and then the cover rests on top of the frames? That wouldn't make enough bee space. If that was the case, I wonder what frames they are using, cause all of the deep frames are the same size. Hmmm...


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Has anyone tried the bee briefs yet??

Yes. If they came in mediums I'd buy a bunch. Yes they are expensive, but it's hard to explain how HANDY they are. You can easily pick up four of them at a time when they are empty and if they aren't too heavy you can pick up four at a time full. You can stack them up nicely. I didn't get the name until I picked one up. It's like a briefcase for bees.

My wooden nucs are not anywhere near as handy to maneuver.


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

Michael, is it possible to cut them down ? I know its kind of wasting part of an expensive item. Also would the bees build up too fast in just four frames of shallows ? I wonder if a guy could put a spacer in them so you could use them either way ... :scratch:


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

went over my friends house today to re look at the nuc. the problems that we saw with it was the frames sit right on the floor of the nuc, which causes the frames we had in the nuc to also sit above the frame rest, the one we were looking at also only had enough room for 4 frames with not enough room for another frame, probably enough room to put the queen cage between the frames. If there was any burr comb on either top or bottom it would appear that the frames would bee to tall, so you couldn't close it up properly. also because the frames sit on the bottom they would seem to bounce around when in transit. we use dadant frames so we would have expedted them to fit. Now all this assumes that they guy that brought it over put it together properly.

mike


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

wildbranch2007 said:


> Now all this assumes that they guy that brought it over put it together properly.
> 
> mike



Yep thats the bottom line !! Thanks for the reply


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*Assembly*

The B brief is easy to assemble in a few minutes!
The bottom might be reversed? Please look at the directions.
Ernie


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*B briefs for 6 &5/8" frames.*

You could cut a piece of cardboard to fill the lower void for the Smaller frames.
Ernie


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

BEES4U said:


> The B brief is easy to assemble in a few minutes!
> The bottom might be reversed? Please look at the directions.
> Ernie


I don't have the directions, but it was put together by a person with an engeneeiring degree, so I suspect I had best look closer at the bottom next time I go over

mike


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*$40.00*

For a nuc box? 100 would cost $4,000.00? 

Man that's a lot of money.


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## SL Tx (Sep 17, 2006)

I guess I need to check the assembly since the guy that put mine together is an IT dude and I've been having exactly the same problem. As it is, it works fine with mediums....I haven't left bees in there long enough for them to cause burr comb problems.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Michael, is it possible to cut them down ?

I could not see any easy way to cut them down. I am considering putting a 2" thick piece of the close cell styrofoam in the bottom.

> I know its kind of wasting part of an expensive item. Also would the bees build up too fast in just four frames of shallows ?

I think the idea was to use them for walk away splits in the spring. When they are rearing their own queen they won't build up that fast. The other thing is it's a way to pull four frames a piece that can then be used to repopulate your dead outs and any expansion you want in the spring. You don't have to leave them in the four frame nucs.

> I wonder if a guy could put a spacer in them so you could use them either way ...

I'm sure you could do this in a number of ways. One might be to cut some tin to make a false bottom. But that is even more work...

Yes, $40 is high, but if the plastic is UV resistant enough they may outlast the wooden ones by quite a bit. By the time you buy a box, a bottom and a lid and especially by the time you make a ventilated cover etc. it seems like you may come close to that with a wooden nuc. Here's a five frame standard nuc complete but still without a screened inner cover, and it's $36.95.

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/prodinfo.asp?number=676


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## ga.beeman (Mar 29, 2009)

*bee breif*

I have six of them and they work good. dont have the problem of frames not fitting. make sure the bottom has not been put on upside down. the only problem i see is if you have some veery strong wind it blow them over. overall nice product


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## Focus on Bees (Mar 6, 2006)

thanks everyone for the thoughts and experience. I think I will get a couple of them to use. Sounds like they are nice to use.


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*I think I will get a couple of them to use.*

As you use them they become an easy tool in making divides.
I like them because you can pick them up easier than nucs. The handle is perfect for moving them in and out of the field.
Ernie


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## Liz Corbett (Apr 9, 2005)

*Bee Brief bottom on upside down*

Hi!

It certainly sounds like you have assembled your Bee Briefs with the bottoms upside down.
When the bottom is on correctly the frames sit down perfectly and you can easily put the lid on. Make sure the words "Patent Pending" appear on the bottom OUTSIDE of the box when assembled. 

Liz Corbett
Manager
NOD Apiary Products 
866-483-2929


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## Liz Corbett (Apr 9, 2005)

*Bee Brief bottom on upside down*

Hi!

It certainly sounds like you have assembled your Bee Briefs with the bottoms upside down.
When the bottom is on correctly the frames sit down perfectly and you can easily put the lid on. Make sure the words "Patent Pending" appear on the bottom OUTSIDE of the box when assembled. 

Liz Corbett
Manager
NOD Apiary Products 
866-483-2929


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*Manager*

:thumbsup:

Liz Corbett
Manager
NOD Apiary Products 
866-483-2929 
Thank you for your great product!
We have 42+ of them in use.
We make the divides at location A, drive them to location B, move the divides into their new brood chambers on pallet, and return for a 2nd trip.
Ernie


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

Liz Corbett said:


> Hi!
> 
> Make sure the words "Patent Pending" appear on the bottom OUTSIDE of the box when assembled.
> 
> ...


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## Durandal (Sep 5, 2007)

Tom G. Laury said:


> For a nuc box? 100 would cost $4,000.00?
> 
> Man that's a lot of money.


If you purchased a new nuc, for the sake of argument lets call it a deep 5 frame, inner cover, bottom, and lid the cost before putting it together and painting/dipping it is not too much different.

I've purchased two so far. One I use to transport frames with queen cells back to my "queen yard" and the other I use to trap swarms. That top detachable shade/rain lid acts as a wonderful ramp to the opening. When I am done I simply shut it and go.

Next year I'll be purchasing more I think to do my splits. They are not water or air tight and if you have six pounds of bees and frame sin them and are holding them by a single handle they tend to stress JUST enough to let some bees out. This does not happen if you are carrying two at once (as in the videos) or using two hands to carry a single.

Well worth the money.

Some pics...

Swarm Catching




























Transporting a frame of brood and eggs for a trap out for the University of Cincinnati.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

*I couldn't help myself!*

I asked...my girls prefer boxers.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*Cost*

$40.00 a nuc before assembly & painting? You live in a different world than I do. Small dimensions for nuc boxes can be had for nothing. I do understand it's convenient to purchase rather than manufacture.


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## Liz Corbett (Apr 9, 2005)

*Bee Brief nuc box*

The Bee Brief is made of the same extruded plastic as is used in outside playground equipment and park benches. It is meant to last a long, long time. 
No painting required. All of the screws are stainless steel. For the larger beekeeper, the Bee Brief is completely stackable, can be put on a pallet and strapped down through the hand holds.
So it may seem expensive, but in the long run, will outperform any wooden or plywood nuc on the market. Sorry for the blatant sales pitch. I couldn't resist!

I'm so glad you are finding success with the Bee Brief and thanks to Tom Laury for the great swarm catching pix!

Liz Corbett
Business Manager
NOD Apiary Products
866-483-2929


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## Liz Corbett (Apr 9, 2005)

*sorry Durandal - Bee Brief swarm catching*

Sorry, Durandal, I gave credit for the swarm catching pictures to the wrong person!
I really like the ramp idea with the weather lid.
Liz.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Liz, I honestly think you should focus your ads more on how HANDY they are. I'm sure you are saying it in your advertising, but somehow I missed it until I bought a few. I didn't even get the name "brief" until then. Not just that they stack up (which is wonderful) and that they have ventilation for hauling them around handled (also wonderful) but how handy they are to pick up and carry around. But then maybe you just have to have two in each hand before it really sinks in that you can so easily pick up four empty nuc boxes... and one in each hand before you realize how quickly you can manipulate a lot of full nuc boxes.

Now if they only came in mediums...


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

_If you purchased a new nuc, for the sake of argument lets call it a deep 5 frame, inner cover, bottom, and lid the cost before putting it together and painting/dipping it is not too much different._

5 frame deep nuc, unassembled $12
5 frame deep nuc, assembled $16

http://www.simpsonsbeesupply.com/

Even if you buy the 'expensive' assembled nuc, painting should not cost $24


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## coopcj7 (May 13, 2009)

you can insert a 1x6 cut down to fit in the bottom to take up the space so you can use medium frames we just got one today and it looks like it will work well for our swarms


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>you can insert a 1x6 cut down to fit in the bottom to take up the space so you can use medium frames we just got one today and it looks like it will work well for our swarms

A medium is 3" less than a deep. You really need two 2 by sixes to fill that space, but since they left out any excess at the bottom and since you could get by with an inch or so, one two by might do.


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*you can insert a 1x6 cut down*

I am crrantly using a piece of insulation that I cut down from Home Depot.
It's lightweight and easy to remove for standard full depth frames.

Ernie


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