Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Check these hives out!!  (Read 9830 times)

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Check these hives out!!
« on: January 07, 2010, 10:56:51 pm »
check these hives out.

Bienenwerkstatt

I absolutely love em!!  I being a bee-nut was of in space watching this video not really paying to much attention to it.  I then found myself figuring out how the boxes work.  I have concluded that they rock.  You can build these any hight with plywood and 1 x whatever.  You can set the boxes down on anything without crushing bees.  The line up easily when you stack them.  who care if you chip the corners when you pry them apart cause you can repair the 1 x whatever over and over.  I believe with these boxes your seams dont have to be flawless on the inner box making boxes much easier to make.  Butt joints are not a problem cause 1 x whatevers give you extra strength.  The 1 x whatevers also make great handles on all sides.  And whatever else you can think of.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline RayMarler

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 520
  • Gender: Male
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2010, 11:59:02 pm »
And, did you notice his smoker?

Offline rdy-b

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2286
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2010, 01:35:29 am »
THere just Regular size boxes -(dictated by frame size)-with four cleats top and bottom am I                                                missing something :lol: 8-) RDY-B
« Last Edit: January 08, 2010, 02:31:53 am by rdy-b »

Offline KD4MOJ

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 719
  • Gender: Male
  • Bees... Motorcycles... amateur radio...
    • TangleWood Apiary
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2010, 10:14:13 am »
If that was me... I'd have bees up my shorts!

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

Offline David LaFerney

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 924
  • Gender: Male
    • The Door Garden
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2010, 10:32:15 am »
I agree - by using the 1x3 (or whatever) and having it extend above the top of the plywood inner box there is no need to machine a rebate into the ends.  You could build those easily with nothing more than a skill saw and they would still work with standard equipment.

However.  Assuming that the plywood is at least 1/2" thick and you did use standard frames You would have to put a filler of some kind in the rebate to keep the frames positioned end to end.  And if you didn't fill that extra space it would be a wonderful spot for hive beetles to live.

It would be a great way to construct stackable top bar hives like Warres though.
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Samuel Clemens

Putting the "ape" in apiary since 2009.

Offline rdy-b

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2286
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2010, 05:31:04 pm »
I dont think those boxes are  nationals-but i find the design of the british national intriguing also is this what you are thinking of-

http://www.scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/learning/documents/number%204%20national%20hive.pdf
  :)  RDY-B

Offline kbfarms

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 31
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2010, 10:15:04 am »
I think I"m going to build some of these in an 8 frame design and see how they do.....I really like this idea!!!   Just bought 8-frames for my 8 year old daughter......could have saved the money!!!!

Offline Sparky

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 804
  • Gender: Male
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2010, 10:25:28 pm »
The horizontal strips could be fastened to our Lang boxes in the same manner and as you mentioned who cares as you pry on the one by that it is damaged because it is easy to replace. I do not see that it would keep any more bees from being squashed but it looks like it would make for a good hand grip. Did you notice that the bee space must have been a bit large because the frames had a bunch of comb hanging on the bottoms ?

Offline Ollie

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 145
  • Gender: Male
    • www.olliesrockwall.com
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #8 on: February 17, 2010, 08:01:37 pm »
6min, 48 sec.
There appears to still be a rabbet in the end of the box, if you look at the way the frames came out, notice that the "rim" 1X3 goes all round at the same height on both side and end, the box is the highest part of the assembly so the rabbet has to be in the box for the frames to sit on.
Life is good...Make it gooder!

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2010, 04:33:41 pm »
6min, 48 sec.
There appears to still be a rabbet in the end of the box, if you look at the way the frames came out, notice that the "rim" 1X3 goes all round at the same height on both side and end, the box is the highest part of the assembly so the rabbet has to be in the box for the frames to sit on.

Yes there is still a rim for the end bars to rest on.  That can easily be cut with a table saw.  The rim/recess typically is 5/8 deep and 3/8 wide.  Notice then that the one by that is on bottom of the box must be lower than the box which contains the frames in order to rest on the one by on the top of the box it will sit on.  If it is 5/8 an inch then you will have that much more bee space under frames when you set the box on something flat like in the video.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline Ollie

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 145
  • Gender: Male
    • www.olliesrockwall.com
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2010, 08:37:05 am »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey#Preservation

This link has a picture of the same type of hives.
Life is good...Make it gooder!

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #11 on: February 20, 2010, 03:46:04 am »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey#Preservation

This link has a picture of the same type of hives.

Other than not having a one by one the bottom of the boxes.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #12 on: February 20, 2010, 03:58:40 am »
I think Im going to build some of these soon.  Menards has 1" x 8" x 10' on sale for $5.78.  120" gives you 3 - 19 7/8 and 4 - 14 3/4.  They also have 1" x 8" x 6' on sale for $2.80 which gives you 2 - 19 7/8 and 2 - 14 3/4 which is basically $3.00 for a medium box.  Cheap!!  I am also giving thought to 9 ply, plywood sides (19 7/8) and then regular boards for the end with the recess or bar rest.  Add those 1' x 2"s and I think they will hold up fine.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline lakeman

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 242
  • Gender: Male
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #13 on: February 20, 2010, 08:29:51 am »
What kind of smoker is that? what powers it? Sounds like he is speaking German. I do not think anyone realizes the real benefit to this design, it could solve one big problem many have commented on often on this forum. A 1x10 is actually 3/4x 9 & 1/4, not being wide enough to make a deep. If you use your band to give you your space you usually rabbit out, and lower band on upper box sitting on upper band of lower box, a rabbit is not needed, or if anything a partial rabbit. Whereas in the past I have had to glue a strip on each 1x10 I used for deeps, using the bands, I can use the 1x10 without adding to it's width.
I am my own biggest critic!

Offline alfred

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 420
  • Gender: Male
    • Alfred's Massage
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #14 on: February 20, 2010, 10:06:54 am »
I guess that I don't see it... I have looked and looked and then I also looked at the link given but I still don't see anything special. They look like they are basicly regular boxes except that they are made of ply and held together with the strips at the top and bottom. They look like they still have the rabbit for holding the frames cut into the inside of the sides just like regular boxes. Only real difference that I see is the use of ply so they are cheeper and probably need the strips to hold them together

They kinda look like mine after a day of repairing old boxes.

Offline lakeman

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 242
  • Gender: Male
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #15 on: February 20, 2010, 10:53:46 am »
I guess that I don't see it... I have looked and looked and then I also looked at the link given but I still don't see anything special. They look like they are basicly regular boxes except that they are made of ply and held together with the strips at the top and bottom. They look like they still have the rabbit for holding the frames cut into the inside of the sides just like regular boxes. Only real difference that I see is the use of ply so they are cheeper and probably need the strips to hold them together

They kinda look like mine after a day of repairing old boxes.


You are not seeing it as it is, there is no rabbit (or if there is you ignore it and do not rabbit ), you just raise the band up a half inch and you actually then have your rabbit on all four sides. what it does is allows you to use a 1x10 to build your boxes, without glueing on 3/8", or have to use a 1x12, and rip it down.
I am my own biggest critic!

Offline David LaFerney

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 924
  • Gender: Male
    • The Door Garden
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #16 on: February 20, 2010, 12:42:30 pm »
If you used these boxes mixed with standard equiment it looks like they would stick out about 3/8 on all sides which probably wouldn't make much difference - except with telescoping covers.  The beauty thing about them is that they wouldn't require any special tools, setups or jigs to make complex joints (box joint, dovetail) - and the total material cost could be less if you were careful. 

The downside is that each box has 12 parts instead of 4 - which absolutely is a real trade off.

BTW, the other videos by this guy about queen rearing are very interesting and informative even though they are in German.  I arranged them more or less in order here if anyone is interested - honey bee queen rearing videos
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Samuel Clemens

Putting the "ape" in apiary since 2009.

Offline alfred

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 420
  • Gender: Male
    • Alfred's Massage
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #17 on: February 20, 2010, 06:16:33 pm »
I get what you are saying now, basicly like a National Hive, but that is not what is shown in either the video or in the pic at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sealed_Honey_in_frame.JPG 

In each case the top cleat/handle is clearly about 1/4 inch below the top edge of the box and the box has a rabbit cut on the inside. Looks basicly like a Lang made without box joints and so cleats were added all around for strength. In the video he has cleats near the top and at the bottom. In the Wiki pic they are near the top only.

I have done this to many of mine as they get old to hold them together better or to fix broken corners or edges. I would think that these would be less strong than the standard box made with proper joints. I would be worried about strength as well with the sort of national idea of tagging a strip across the top edge of a box inorder to create an inner ledge.
Might be worth a try if you are making brood boxes out of dimensional lumber because you could make them without doing any rip cuts or rabbits. But wouldn't work the same for supers, at least with dimensional lumber and your boxes would lack the strength of box joints.

Offline kedgel

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 192
  • Gender: Male
Re: Check these hives out!!
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2010, 08:49:37 pm »
What kind of smoker is that? what powers it? Sounds like he is speaking German. I do not think anyone realizes the real benefit to this design, it could solve one big problem many have commented on often on this forum. a 1x10 is actually 3/4x 9 & 1/4, not being wide enough to make a deep. If you use your band to give you your space you usually rabbit out, and lower band on upper box sitting on upper band of lower box, a rabbit is not needed, or if anything a partial rabbit. Whereas in the past I have had to glue a strip on each 1x10 I used for deeps, using the bands, I can use the 1x10 without adding to it's width.
I bet he has ammonium nitrate in it, judging by the constant stream of smoke and the sizzling/crackling sound coming out  of it.  That would also explain why the bees aren't eating him alive in his stylish attire.  I used it once while doing a cutout on some really aggressive bees.  One good toke of that stuff and they all just sat on the combs going, "far-out man!" and singing "Give Peace a Chance"  :mrgreen:.  It works great it on very cranky bees.  I over-dosed one layer of comb with it and killed them, so I wouldn't advise its use except in extreme situations.  Besides, it is getting hard to find ever since that wack-job blew up the building in Oklahoma city with it.  Although it is a great fertilizer, I does happen to make a very nice bomb, also.   :shock:

Kelly
Talent is a dull blade that cuts nothing unless wielded with great force--Pat Travers

 

anything