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Author Topic: Reinventing the wheel  (Read 3174 times)

Offline NeilTheCop

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Reinventing the wheel
« on: August 24, 2015, 06:30:36 pm »
I, like many others, have been cursed with hive beetles, and on reading many publications it seems that these little monstrosities hide in crevices where the bees can't get to them. So I decided to take away some of their hiding places and at the same time redesign the hive frame making it far easier to make at home with just a table saw.
Remember the Dadant and Langstroth frames are both well over 100 years old, and were designed before modern adhesives, plastic foundation and the hive beetle, so maybe it's time for an update.

All cut from a 2 X 6.


Identical top and bottom bars. 1/2" thick, 1" wide and 16 13/16" long. The groove is 1/8" wide and 3/16" deep.


Sidebars. 1" wide, 3/8" thick and 6 3/16" long


Quality glue, 1" staples, trued and left long enough for the glue to set.


Galvanized flashing cut to 19" long. Marked 2 1/2" from the edge with a felt pen then cut to the wide side of the line giving enough extra metal for bend radii.


Folding bar has a 3/8" edge and was used to form a safe edge.


Impromptu anvil, and the edge was flattened.


Repeated the other side.


Folding bar used again to give a 3/8" lip on both sides.


The steel clamped on the wood frame and adjusted to give an equal overhang.


Screwed in place. The screws are offset so they don't enter the groove underneath.


Pushpins give exactly 3/8" spacing.


Plastic foundation slipped in perfectly with just a little free play.


When it's in a super there's no room for the beetle to slip past. And as it's metal it won't expand and contract with humidity, so the end clearance can be kept at almost zero.


And if they try to hide under here there's plenty of room for the bees to get in and chase them out.


I'll let you know in the spring if the bees can work with these frames and if it makes any difference to the beetle population






Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints

Offline Eric Bosworth

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2015, 09:38:32 pm »
Interesting... My concern would be that when they are covered in propolis they will be difficult to put in the boxes. I have to pound them in with standard sides.
All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns; that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party. ---Mao Tse Tung

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. ---Benjamin Franklin

Offline NeilTheCop

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2015, 10:25:04 pm »
I'll let you know in a few months how it works out.
I just got fed up making the intricate and complex top and side bar shapes and thought there must be an easier way. :wink:
Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints

Offline divemaster1963

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2015, 10:49:27 pm »
Very interesting. Should make for easy work uncapping. Maybe build a slide guillotine to use for uncapping .

John

Offline NeilTheCop

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2015, 11:53:10 am »
I didn't get as far as decapping, so that may be a bonus. I mainly just wanted a far simpler method of construction and to help eradicate the beetles  :rolleyes:
Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2015, 01:16:18 pm »
Looks pretty good. Not sure how the bees will be able to keep the SHB out from under the metal tabs. I think you will still find that the SHB will use the bottom of the comb to hide in.
How long does it take you to make a frame Or 100 frames?
Commercially it may be very easy to make the metal top quickly and easily. It would be a lot cheaper to make the frames. All one size wood is being used.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #6 on: August 25, 2015, 01:18:04 pm »
I didn't get as far as decapping, so that may be a bonus. I mainly just wanted a far simpler method of construction and to help eradicate the beetles  :rolleyes:
Try using screen bottom boards with oil trays to eliminate SHB. Kills them by the thousands.
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline NeilTheCop

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2015, 02:03:11 pm »
I have already built one. I'm now experimenting with a sort of cattle grid to go in the bottom board near the entrance.
The idea is to have a section that the beetle larvae have to cross to get out of the hive. This section will have thin wire, I'm using the wire from my MIG welder, spaced at 1/8". The wire will only run in one direction, towards the entrance.
As the larvae wriggle out of the hive to pupate they will have to balance their way across the wire, which hopefully they can't so they will fall into a container of oil rather than onto the ground.
Still a work in progress.
Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints

Offline OldMech

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2015, 10:42:21 am »
Sticking a piece of scrap in the metal tabs at each end would fill them and keep the SHB out, but would require more work. Interested how it works out for you. The only issue i can see besides the hiding spot in the ends of the metal bars would be when those frames are well propolised in.. prying them up and out may rip the screws out. Keep us informed!
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Reinventing the wheel
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2015, 11:22:40 pm »
Neal,
Bees can crawl between wires spaced 1/8 inch apart.  Why not just use #8 wire. The bees can flatten out but they cannot get through #8 wire.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin