Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: Violacea on May 12, 2005, 07:27:14 pm

Title: Level?
Post by: Violacea on May 12, 2005, 07:27:14 pm

Is it necessary to be meticulous about how level a hive sits on the ground?  I never really thought about it before, but I had a former beekeeper over a while ago and he noted that one hive was tilted to one side.  I couldn't see a tilt, so I went over it with a level and it was about 1/8 of an inch off.  Whenever I set up a new hive I make sure it is very sturdy and doesn't wobble, they 'look' level to me, but should they be exact?  The hives themselves do not sit directly on the ground, but up on cement blocks, and they sit on the edge of a wooded area, so the ground is somewhat rutted but it's not like a steep incline or anything.  What do ya'll do for yours?

Title: Level?
Post by: Jay on May 12, 2005, 07:50:15 pm

The only thing about level is, water runoff. If the hive is tilted backwards then the water from rain, interiror moisture, etc. will collect in the back. If it is tilted slightly foreward, then the water will run out the front door. If you have a screened bottom board, this is not as much of an issue. :D

Title: Level?
Post by: Horns Pure Honey on May 12, 2005, 09:20:20 pm

My friends and my hives are "level" enough that we will never have tipping problems. If you are talking about perfect well then no, mine are not perfect. I have good runoff and my hives are sturdy, tilt free, that is all that matters to me and the bees.  :D

Title: Level?
Post by: Rich V on May 12, 2005, 09:32:11 pm

My hives tilt forward just a little for water run off. I guess if you stacked them really high this could be a problem.

Title: Level?
Post by: Michael Bush on May 13, 2005, 11:30:22 am

>Is it necessary to be meticulous about how level a hive sits on the ground?

They will never be exact, but they should be close.  A really lopsided hive will cause combs to end up drawn funny because the bees want the comb to be straight down and the hive is leaning to the left.  Also if the hive gets really tall, you have to worry about it falling over.

I have a level in my beeyard all the time and I always level them when I set them up.  But sometimes they settle and lean anyway.  Then I try to shim them back upright.

Title: Level?
Post by: Horns Pure Honey on May 13, 2005, 08:16:46 pm

I check mine after hevy rains and winds, we had some the other night and the hives are a little off now. :)