# Preparing equipment for next spring



## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

My son is helping clean frames and get equipment ready for next spring. I have a 22 by 30 ft greenhouse that is currently empty waiting on spring to start tomato seedlings so in the meantime, I am using it to stage beekeeping equipment. We cleaned and prepared about a dozen deeps and shallows total today in 4 hours. I also purchased some lumber and will be sawing out and assembling new equipment tomorrow. My objective is to be prepared for 10 splits and a total of 20 colonies producing honey next year. This means I need to get about 20 deeps and at least 40 shallows ready.

Just wondering if anyone else is getting the winter work out of the way?


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

It is 11 degrees outside and I have over 12,000# of unassembled equipment to be delivered tomorrow. I may or may not still be alive in three months.

Tomato plants...I can smell them now


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## philip.devos (Aug 10, 2013)

Good thread!. I wish I had a "greenhouse". We are crowded in my girl friend's basement. We have only 4 colonies at present, and are keeping fingers crossed, hoping to get them through the winter. We do have about a dozen frames in the freezers, mostly drawn and partly filled with honey and/or pollen, so we will be ready for adding supers and splits. We are quite small time, but hope to double or triple the number of colonies in 2014. Also hope to raise some queens in 2014.

While waiting for winter to end, I am reading up on queen raising, and reading beesource for better ways of doing things. I am currently using 8-frame deeps, but am considering going to 5-frame deeps.

Phil - 2 yr.


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## Fire Guy (Nov 20, 2013)

I am also busy making new bee equipment. I have 3 hives now and 1 in a bee tree that is going to be cut down. I have 2 more packages and 3 queens ordered for next spring. If I can get my bees through the winter I should have 9 hives next spring. I am planning on trying to raise some queens and increase my hive count to 20 by next fall.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

not to hijack the thread, but does anyone put their nucs/weaker hives in greenhouses in early spring to get them moving along a bit faster and reduce the stress of the cold nights?


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## Fire Guy (Nov 20, 2013)

I would give it a try if I had a greenhouse.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

A bad idea. Over the years there have been a lot of threads on it. 
David


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

seems like most of the posts say it's a bad idea because the bees die trying to get out of the glass, and it's too warm in the greenhouse compared to the outside. My unheated greenhouse has an open top (glass greenhouse + 3 young sons = missing glass) and our winters in this part of VA are very mild so my bees are out flying about 3 days a week and we have plants blooming all winter.

So, with all those variables covered, would it make a nuc draw comb and raise brood faster, as well as moderate the cooler nights? I can typically put seedlings out there mid March and will only have to cover them with newspaper 1 or 2 nights to protect from freezing weather until our last frost date of mid April.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Do not try it. It does not work. Read old threads for the several reasons.



ruthiesbees said:


> seems like most of the posts say it's a bad idea because the bees die trying to get out of the glass, and it's too warm in the greenhouse compared to the outside. My unheated greenhouse has an open top (glass greenhouse + 3 young sons = missing glass) and our winters in this part of VA are very mild so my bees are out flying about 3 days a week and we have plants blooming all winter.
> 
> So, with all those variables covered, would it make a nuc draw comb and raise brood faster, as well as moderate the cooler nights? I can typically put seedlings out there mid March and will only have to cover them with newspaper 1 or 2 nights to protect from freezing weather until our last frost date of mid April.


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## bassbee (Apr 26, 2013)

I'm in Eastern NC so we have had some warmer weather still before the hard winter gets here. Last year I started to prepare equipment in January when it got really cold and I couldn't get outside and do things. I had 20 deeps, 40 mediums and 600 frames come in today from mann lake so I may have to start earlier this year. Winter always kills my energy so I will work on stuff a couple of hours here and there. Always best to be ready though.


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## merince (Jul 19, 2011)

Apart from the issues with bees getting stuck in the glass roof, a nuc in a warmer environment would have a bigger brood nest. However, brood development and wax building also depend on the incoming pollen and nectar.

Back on the original topic: I am looking at building at least 60 extra boxes. I have a heated garage aka workshop.


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## khicks12 (Feb 28, 2012)

I've been setting up a shop in my basement - just received 75 deeps from Kelley (free shipping Thanksgiving week) that I need to assemble, and I plan on making about 100 nuc boxes.


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

I'm jealous. All I have gotten done this past week is move snow (60 hrs) and I have a heated wood shop at home with a long list of projects.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I have Mann Lake PF frames on the way ordered when 10% off and I can't afford to build frames with foundation for what I paid for them. I will just run them thru the tablesaw at 1 1/4" so 11 fit in a box as that is optimum for getting them drawn. I will just poke them in the garage attic and Any boxes I need can get built when it starts to warm up as I won't need them til well into spring. I have serious studying to do on queen rearing, a new skill set I want to learn and those records I kept in notebooks need put in the computer and thought about.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

I have got a couple hundred board feet of rough cut lumber that needs to be turned into stuff but with the loss of the Corbett yard and half of my OW nucs already this year my plans are not as certain as they were. I got too confident last winter and am getting a pretty good smack down on this one, which is bad because I generally do not loose hive and nucs until beginning of February.


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## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

I have more frames and foundation coming to assemble and hopefully a air stapler under the Christmas tree to put them together with !!! And of course more box's to build and give a couple nucs a shot !!! Problem is work keeps getting in the way !!!!


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

khicks12 said:


> I've been setting up a shop in my basement - just received 75 deeps from Kelley (free shipping Thanksgiving week) that I need to assemble, and I plan on making about 100 nuc boxes.


Just got my 50 deeps from Kelley today also.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

I got out most of my older equipment today and culled frames then cleaned supers. I need to retrieve some empty equipment from an outyard and make a 150 mile trip to get the rest. I have plenty of foundation but will not install any until sometime in March.

I melted down a pan of wax yesterday and let it settle overnight. The result was about 15 pounds of wax though it needs one more melting and filtering to be completely clean. 

At this point, I have 3 deep brood chambers and 12 shallow supers ready to go on the bees. I will build a few deeps and maybe some shallows tomorrow. There is plenty of other work to do so I am not rushing, just maintaining a steady pace of preparing equipment for use.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

We built 7 shallow supers and 10 deep Killion bottom boards today. I have a box of shallow frames to assemble that will be used in the new shallow supers. I am planning a quick check of the bees if the weather cooperates the next few days. I have 3 gallons of dark honey set aside for feeding so I can get some early queens. Early in this case means April 1st or thereabouts. With typical first pollen about Feb 10th, it takes 40 days from egg to mature drone. Some feeding will be needed to push the bees to make queens and to produce drones.


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

I began working hard on my expansion projects in the fall and have finished up a number of weeks back. these projects included assembling and wiring 250 new wooden frames, additional new supers - 1 medium and 1 shallow for each of my 6 production hive, six new hand built 5 frame deep nucs with covers and bottom boards and 12 new hand built shallow supers for the nucs. 

This doesn't sound like a lot compared to the work some of you are facing but I am glad that it's all done.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

I am working toward making nearly 60 new boxes for nucs I have at this moment. We already have the bottom boards and outer covers made. Need to get honey made to purchase the materials for boxes. after that we have 18 each 5 frame nuc boxes to make both med and deep.

My table saw died in the process of making the frames for those boxes so at the moment I am looking for a deal on a used table saw.

So far it is being a two steps forward one step back process. I am starting to feel the pinch of time.

For the moment honey sales are very good so I am being distracted by that. Plus I am working every moment of over time I can in order to pour more cash into the apiary.

Money is doing well which means little time to get other work done. if i get the time to do the work money will be short but progress will pick up. it is how it works.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

I suppose it matters what you have for a green house but I would not want my equipment in a green house like this one in the spring. There are too many temperature swings and bugs hatch early. Besides it is too much work moving stuff in and out.

http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv333/acebird1/Bus Stop - Green House/GreenHouse004.jpg


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

The methods I have seen that seem to work are moving indoors keeping them in the dark and keeping them cool for the winter. Not sure what I think of that in comparison to comments from Micheal Bush about prolonged spells of no flight being a problem.

Keep in mind trees grow in the spring best after the coldest of winters. they need that period of dormancy. How important is the winter period to the health of the colony? A period of rest is as critical as periods of production. mange them to their maximum potential. Understanding why there is a need for rest. what it provides and what the needs of the bees are for maximizing that period are what I consider important. For the very same reason I need rest. It restores my ability to be productive. You cannot just endlessly push the bees to produce. It will result in a situation of diminished returns. Right up to no return due to death.


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## Homemaid (Sep 4, 2013)

We are new to beekeeping and have been getting hives ready to get started in the spring. This is what we have so far.


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

I'm planning to get together with a friend and make supers -- he had three or four hives and wants more, plus needs supers for them all. I need a couple more deeps and need shallow supers for three hives, and frames for everything.

Now that I have the electricity fixed to the garage (neutral line was badly worn by the cable hangers improperly installed 40 years ago) I can get to work. Might even get frisky tomorrow and get the furnace fixed so I have heat!

Peter


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

We built 7 new deep brood chambers today and will paint them tomorrow after the glue has dried overnight. I am now up to 21 supers repaired and painted with frames ready to go on the bees, just add foundation. I plan to start cycling out old equipment any time there is a warm enough day. I would like to have completely refurbished equipment on all colonies by late March. This represents an input of about 80 hours so far. I have about 200 frames to assemble so may get started on that tomorrow.

The stacks of equipment look very good considering that I usually don't get this much done until late March. I am very picky about getting the equipment prepared properly including glue and galvanized spiral nails with two solid coats of paint. With the humidity here in the Southeast, equipment has to be built right to deliver 20 to 30 years service.

Tomorrow I plan on visiting an outyard and retrieving some unused equipment.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

I really like the stripes, it breaks up the solid colors. I had a pile of covers I let the kids paint on a while ago and they were just not that into it. 
I have got to get out and build some shims, I have been pouring some dry sugar down the outside to the solid bottom boards but a shim would allow me to have a top entrance and have a place to put sugar. Maybe drill a hole or two that I can put some #8 screen on for ventilation, it would cover feeding top entry and ventilation.


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## DLMKA (Feb 7, 2012)

I have 700 frames waiting to be assembled but first I need to fabricate boxes for all of them. Hoping to use some time off over Christmas for making bee equipment.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

We retrieved several empty hives from an out yard today, cleaned them out, and prepared them for a fresh coat of paint. I also put the first coat of paint on the 7 deeps we built yesterday. When I build boxes from scratch, I deliberately make them about 1/32 of an inch too wide. Then after they are glued and nailed and have dried overnight, I run them back through the table saw and shave to the exact measurement. It is just a small thing to do, but the result is a box that is square and true in all 3 dimensions. The paint should be dry enough tomorrow to put on a final coat. I will have to buy some more paint, the gallon I have been working on is nearly gone.

We are predicted to have 70 F temps Saturday (very unusual for late December). If the weather cooperates, I will swap some equipment out on at least 6 colonies.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

I got 5 colonies swapped out with either new or refurbished deeps, new deep Killion boards, and cleaned plastic bottoms. All of them are in excellent condition with clusters about the size of a soccer ball and small patches of brood in most. Temperature yesterday was 75F and today was about 65F which is plenty warm enough to swap equipment around.

Three of the colonies have enough honey to make it to spring, but not enough to reach maximum population early enough to split. I will feed all of them starting in February to stimulate early buildup. At this point, I still need to get at least 10 more deeps repaired and frames ready with foundation. Tomorrow will be another busy day.


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## Akmac (Jun 16, 2012)

Now that we finally have snow here I can use the snowmobile to go collect saw logs. Unfortunately Alaska is exempt from the free shipping deals so wood is very expensive. Thankfully I live where there are lots of trees.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Why would you bring wood to Alaska? Makes about as much sense as bringing oil to Texas.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

For the same reasons we purchase ready made equipment. savings in time and labor. Plus with free shipping it costs pretty much the same. I am buying my boxes for 10 frame hives this year even though I have a complete shop I can make them in. I will make nearly 20 nucs and am making over 700 frames. Frames may be 70 cents to just buy but I can make them fro about 5 cents. For now I am not even paying that.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

http://s1110.photobucket.com/user/A...16098_zps7sxoxj7t.jpg.html?sort=6&o=0&src=wap

http://www.bibba.com/john_harding_method.php


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Harding's method of queen rearing is not very efficient if you are trying to raise a dozen queens in early spring. In other words, his method won't work very well in early spring and it is not adapted to producing relatively low numbers of queens. For these conditions, the Cloake board and method is a better choice.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Dar, thanks for the feedback. I like to raise my queens in June because by then there is plenty of everything and then I make nucs and overwinter them. Have you used the Harding method?


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

No, I have not tried Harding's method, but it is relatively easy to analyze how it works and why. My first objection is that it requires the supersedure impulse instead of the swarm impulse. There is a marginal but measurable decrease in performance of queens produced by the supersedure impulse. The second is to ask how this method will work during a major flow. It really won't work very well in a heavy flow, too many of the nurse bees will wind up pulling nectar handling duties. Third is to ask how it will perform in early spring when temps are variable and perhaps flows are erratic. It would actually work fairly well but some modifications would be required to the setup and maintenance steps. The mid box would have to be set up at least 3 days prior to first grafting, the amount of brood rotated into the center would have to be increased and would need 1 or 2 frames of emerging bees to sustain higher nurse bee numbers, etc.

We assembled frames today and put in a little foundation, just some stuff for early use as soon as first pollen comes in. Tomorrow we will refurbish about a dozen deep brood chambers. I plan on having at least 40 brood chambers ready to go by next April.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

We repaired frames and hive bodies today. It was a table saw day. There are 8 more deeps to be painted tomorrow and enough frames to fill them all up. I have enough equipment now to support 15 colonies. That is still 5 colonies short of where I want to be. My plans are to boost up from 10 colonies today to 20 colonies by early April.

The bees that have been upgraded to new equipment are looking very good so far. I fed one weak colony and checked status on all of them. I still have 4 colonies to swap out equipment, has been too cold to open bees for the last week. Tomorrow will be warm enough so I may get some more done.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Today 2013/12/28 Saturday was another repair day. I now have all the deep brood chambers repaired except 7 or 8 that are still on colonies. It is too cold to attempt to swap out equipment so I will have to wait on another warm spell before doing any more. I will focus on getting frames built and wired over the next few days. It is time to clean up the greenhouse and prepare to start onion, cabbage, broccoli, and Cauliflower seedlings.


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

I sorted stuff in the garage today, and have decided I need another medium and at least 9 more shallows, although the shallows probably won't be needed until next year. That will give me four more hives with a deep and a pair of mediums for brood and three shallows apiece for honey along with what I have. I also need to make a few more frames, and then whatever my brother needs, will have to check.

I'll be making boxes and frames for a friend next month, so will have to set up a production line I think. He's going to have to decide if he want's mediums or shallows, though!

Peter


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Vance G said:


> - I will just run them thru the tablesaw at 1 1/4" so 11 fit in a box as that is optimum for getting them drawn.


Why would you do that?


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Too cold to work on bee equipment today so I took most of the day to rest. I now have 10 deep broodchambers ready to install foundation and all with 11 frames each. I have 26 shallow supers prepared for honey. It is time to clean up the greenhouse, and consider building some new frames and maybe a few more new brood chambers. I have end bars to make about another 100 of the 1.25 inch narrow brood frames so that is probably where I will focus attention over the next week or two. I also want to build another 10 of the Killion deep bottom boards.


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

Worked on deeps today...It warmed up to -6f today so I went out to the shop (unheated)
for an hour or so and cut up 1 by 12s for 7 deeps then couldn't feel fingers so that was it
for today...need about 24 deeps and 24 shallow boxes before april...also want to build my
own frames...frame factory should be interesting,,looking forward to it though...

==McBee7==


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## captwillie (May 7, 2012)

So far five feeder boards, (in use) and ten med nucs. Deep nucs and frames still to come.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Fusion_power said:


> Too cold to work on bee equipment today


Cold in Alabama? How cold is it?


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

High of 36F, low of 19F, projected high Monday of 18F and low of 8F


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## ashb82 (Apr 22, 2010)

40 nucs built and my cnc router put together.


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

Finished assembly of 7 full deeps in the house.... my wife is an angel....she treets
me like one of the kids.....lets me make a mess then cleans up(with my help) when
I'm done....
More deeps to go, then supers, then frames--frames are a little intimidating.....will see...
Ashb82 that cnc router sounds intreging....just nail it to a tree and let the computer
make it into something...lol...

==McBee7==


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

McBee7 said:


> Ashb82 that cnc router sounds intreging


It will wear out long before it pays for itself.


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## ashb82 (Apr 22, 2010)

it will be ok if it wears out I will just repair it. owning a machine shop I made most of it myself.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Today was a bit relaxed. We cleaned up the work area, then my youngest (22 years old) son built a brood chamber and painted it so he can start a colony in the spring. I have frames for him to assemble so he can build the entire setup from scratch. He might be getting a case of the beekeeping "bug".


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Today we cleaned the last of the frames and have them all ready for spring. Tomorrow I am going to swap out equipment on the last 3 colonies and get them prepped for splitting in 2 months. We will have 63 degrees with bright sunshine so it should be just about right to do the work. I'm at the point of needing to build more equipment, need another 10 shallow supers, maybe another 20 deep brood chambers. I'd like to find some cypress instead of using pine. At this point, I need another quart of glue, 200 sheets of wax small cell foundation, and another gallon of paint. This week will also be busy with starting tomato seed for early seedlings, about 3000 plants in this round, 50,000 to be started in 6 weeks!


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## McBee7 (Dec 25, 2013)

Today I discovered the "rejected paint department" at Menards---:}

$1 per quart or $5 per gallon .....I bought 5 quarts of varous bright colors...

also finished 7 more deeps..2 of them I put a divider board in to run as nucs

like michael palmer does in his vidios...

==McBee7==


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Cut out another 5 mediums, hehehee, I need some real wood working equipment. They are sturdy from 1x4s and 1x2s but sure not purty. Got to assemble another 100 frames this afternoon. Added pollen patties yesterday in the hives with brood. Got queenless hive that has the most stores. Guess need to do a paper combine this week.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

McBee7 said:


> Ashb82 that cnc router sounds intreging....just nail it to a tree and let the computer
> make it into something...lol...


Now, that's a good laugh! :applause:


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

I got the last 3 colonies swapped into new/refurbished equipment today. One of them was very strong with a full deep of bees. They had 1/2 of a frame of just finished emerging brood. This is very early for brood rearing in my locale. The changeout consumed 6 brood chambers but I brought 6 back to refurbish. One of them may be beyond repair. Any boxes in the beyond repair category usually get nailed up to make a bait box for swarms. They usually catch about 1 swarm for 2 bait boxes.

I now have all colonies in "spring" configuration with one deep of combs and honey, one completely empty deep which will be filled with frames in about 2 months, and one shallow super either empty or else 2/3 full of honey. If the brood chamber was heavy with honey, I left an empty shallow super, and if the brood chamber was a bit light, I left a shallow with 6 to 7 frames of honey.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Building new benches to accomodate the nucs this spring. 2 down, several more to go...










I make 36" benches so I can place the hive bodies close together. Very close. Crazy close, you'd think they'd drift. But they are offset, facing different directions with the entrances all towards the center. I lets me easily reach each one from the back without geting in the way of flight from the neighboring box. My mated return of virgins is very high..no drifting. I put these empty 8 frame hive bodies here so you can see what I mean. Each one will be a different color with a different color lid. I use telescoping lids or 10 frame migratory lids on 8 frame deeps to have better coverage so I need a bit of room between box's. 
I use 8 frame deep for nucs so they have room for interior feeder and room for growth.











View of offset hive bodies , they offer different flight paths, different orientation angles, no drifting. Each box will be a different color. I use black, white, gray or dark brown stained colors. As you can see I use these tables for everything. not just bees. They make good work benches, hold picked produce or hold live plants with good drainage and air circulation.










Here is the offset placement in actuality. All entrances are in the center of the bench. 










I had a roll of galvanized cage wire and this was a good way to make use of it. Drains well In my wet climate.
I didn't like this cattle pannel you see above. Too bulky. And the table is too high. I made these nucs late summer and they grew quickly into doubles. Mount your benches no higher than a cinder block and you will save yourself some work.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Lauri said:


> I had a roll of galvanized cage wire and this was a good way to make use of it. Drains well In my wet climate.
> I didn't like this cattle pannel you see above. Too bulky. And the table is too high.


I was going to ask...

You build things so robust but not efficient. Just a suggestion ... Run your 2x4 cross ties in the center of each hive box but towards the bottom of the 2x6. Lay a 2x4 on top of the cross ties flat wise even with the top of the 2x6 down the middle so it supports the staggard boxes. Essentially your cross ties are 1 1/2 down from the top of the 2x6. Git rid of the wire it will only collect junk unless there is another purpose for these bases.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

> I was going to ask...

Funny, I didn't see a _question _in that post .... :scratch:



:gh:

... looks good Lauri :thumbsup: ....


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

I finally got started on my spring list.
42 deeps, 26 suppers & 10 feeders cut out, TODAY.
Monday I will be assembling it all.
It was worth taking the time to complete the dust collection system.


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