Dummies, fats dummies and fans

Synopsis: How can one thing so easy value such a lot? Dummy forums and fats dummies. Some you’ll be able to purchase, however shouldn’t. Some you’ll be able to’t purchase in any respect. Each may also be constructed very inexpensively.

Creation

Is there a statute of boundaries on beekeeping subjects for the web?

How often must a blogger write about swarm keep an eye on or thelytokous parthenogenesis or the provenance of honey?

The solution in fact is as frequently as they wish to. It’s a loose global.

However that doesn’t imply that the posts might be learn.

If I wrote about swarm keep an eye on each and every week, I’d temporarily run out of latest issues to write down, however – much more temporarily – I’d run out of readers. It’s an enchanting matter, there are many tactics it may be completed (and a number of other wherein it can’t) and, every now and then all through the beekeeping season, it’s one thing all of us need to do.

However selection is the spice of existence, and there are many different attention-grabbing beekeeping subjects that deserve consideration.

Like thelytokous parthenogenesis.

Then again, if I wrote about thelytoky for 2 weeks in a row I’d almost definitely out survive the endurance of readers (through a few fortnight).

So, possibly the frequency with which an issue is roofed must mirror its significance to all beekeepers, or my skill to pronounce it?

Common readers must keep in mind that they have been new readers as soon as. Some could have discovered the website online, loved a put up or two after which rummaged again in the course of the archives for different issues of hobby. On reasonable, guests to the website online get admission to 1.8 pages … so for each and every 5 guests an afternoon there are about 9 pages learn (or no less than seen).

Different new subscribers by no means glance again, don’t use the hunt facility and beauty why I’ve by no means mentioned the intricacies of – for instance – dummy forums. In order that they put up a query (or e mail me without delay) about no matter matter is at the leading edge in their minds.

Is a decade lengthy sufficient?

Any readers, common or contemporary, who have been in search of a piece of writing on dummy forums could have had to return a few decade.

Per week may well be a very long time in politics, however within the extra decent and sedate global of beekeeping, a decade remains to be a very long time.

I’ve handiest posted two times on them prior to, in February and July 2014, and so they have been handiest examine 1500 occasions final yr (a fragment of a fragment of a p.c of the whole … I will be beautiful positive maximum of you studying this didn’t learn them). Each posts now redirect right here, however you could possibly in finding them in an web archive.

Basically, the one factor that’s modified within the intervening length is the price of dummy forums when bought from the beekeeping providers.

In 2014 a dummy board value about £6 and I commented that I used to be ‘horrified’ one thing so easy may value such a lot.

The similar factor is now £15.70.

That’s now not inflation … that’s theft.

The use of the Financial institution of England’s inflation calculator, a £6 dummy board in 2014 must now value about £7.89.

Hmm?

If I may call to mind a superlative more than horrified, I might use it now.

However, I’m getting forward of myself …

What’s a dummy board?

In the United Kingdom, we name them dummy forums. Best bar beekeepers and the ones in america almost definitely name them follower forums.

A dummy board is a board the similar width and intensity as an ordinary body this is used to control the bee house adjoining to – normally – brood frames.

The Nationwide hive is designed for 11 frames. Assuming the frames aren’t closely propolised and that they’re driven in combination towards one wall of the hive, there stays a ‘less-than-one-frame’ hole between the final body and the other wall (panel A within the diagram).

This house is essential. It lets in the adjoining body to be separated from its neighbour and lifted transparent with out rolling the bees on the interface of the frames.

Then again, this ‘additional’ house messes up the bee house within the hive and the bees will construct brace comb within the hole. Underneath sure stipulations they fill this with nectar or brood.

To steer clear of this you insert a dummy board, shut sufficient to the final body to give you the proper bee house (panel B).

When beginning an inspection it’s simple to take away the dummy board, shake off the few adhering bees after which gently prise the final body transparent of its neighbour. With house to paintings, the bees is probably not rolled or overwhelmed and existence might be a lot more straightforward.

Normally, this implies that you’re going to want one dummy board in step with brood field.

Right here’s one I made previous

Dummy forums are trivial to construct.

One piece of 6-9 mm thick plywood (of the proper dimensions on your frames) and a few planed softwood of about 8×8 mm or 8×15 mm for the highest bar. The use of some water-proof picket glue and body nails, connect the highest bar to the plywood.

Process carried out!

I received’t insult your intelligence through suggesting how highest to chop the picket to dimension, or get the ply and most sensible bar centred, or clamp the entirety in combination whilst the glue units. Or, for that subject, supply the picket … the offcuts bin of a neighborhood bushes service provider is a superb position to begin.

Those dummy forums want no portray, waterproofing or remedy. The bees will quilt them in a skinny movie of propolis inside of days.

Actually, it’s that straightforward?

Sure. For a tiny outlay, you’ll be able to make one thing that, bought commercially, prices a ludicrous sum of money.

Are they as just right?

Necessarily, sure.

Through the years – wherein I imply a few years – those easy forums every so often delaminate a little bit.

Ugly? Most likely.

A subject when it comes to hygiene? No longer actually if the dummy board stays in the similar hive. If now not, blowtorch it nicely.

An obstacle to serve as? Hardly.

The £15.70 industrial dummy forums almost definitely don’t delaminate. They most often have birch softwood strips alongside the tip grain of the plywood.

Then again, individually, a restricted quantity of delamination is an overly small worth to pay for the ~£15 saving I make in step with board.

However plastic dummy forums are ‘handiest’ £8

The similar Lamborghini-driving industrial providers who promote picket dummy forums for £15.70 additionally promote a plastic an identical for approximately £8.

Part the associated fee and no more than part as just right individually.

However nonetheless an excessive amount of.

I believe there are 3 issues flawed with the plastic ones:

• they’re plastic. The bees have the benefit of plastic (polystyrene) hives, so I’m relatively glad to place up with the petrochemical merchandise. Then again, I will see very little get advantages for the bees from a plastic dummy board, now not least as a result of …
• the lugs are fragile. A number of of mine have damaged. Most likely I’m much more clumsy than I assumed? You’ll ‘repair’ them the usage of a screw instead of the lacking lug, but it surely’s now not actually very best.
• they don’t cope too nicely getting used as a stand for a scorching smoker on an adjoining poly hive roof. They’re additionally moderately heavy.

Then again, of their favour, they don’t warp or delaminate (in going via some outdated photos I see that they do warp).

Tremendous dummy forums

‘Tremendous’ as in becoming honey supers … even though the associated fee once more suggests a superlative product.

One of the vital industrial beekeeping providers additionally promote tremendous dummy forums. I’ve by no means had a explanation why to make use of those and – amazingly bearing in mind the scale of my bloated stockpile of “beekeeping issues I’ve purchased however now not use” – don’t even personal one.

I don’t robotically check out the supers so by no means want to make the distance to take away the primary body. My supers get started with 11 evenly-spaced new frames. As soon as drawn or filling properly, I take away frames to sooner or later go away 9.

Most likely I’m lacking one thing? Then again, I’m relatively assured that tremendous dummy forums are one thing I will do with out.

Different dummy forums I will do with out

With one exception – see under – I will additionally do with out dummy forums which can be any thicker than a unmarried piece of ~9 mm plywood.

I do know some beekeepers construct dummy forums which can be full-frame thickness, or two times that. They use those for ‘dummying down’ 3- or 4-frame nucleus colonies in a 5- or 6-frame nuc field.

Those ‘over-width’ dummy forums would possibly also be insulated to save lots of the bees heating the lifeless house within the nuc.

While this reasoning is completely sound, I take a realistic method.

I handiest have 3- or 4-frame nucs once I’m getting queens mated in late-Spring or Summer time. I doubt the bees want the additional insulation at the moment of the yr and am glad to make use of a unmarried skinny dummy board (C within the schematic diagram above).

If the colony expands and builds brace comb in the back of the dummy board, then I’ve been remiss in my inspections. I must have added additional frames and allowed them to amplify correctly. A fatter dummy board would possibly save you the brace comb … however the overcrowding would possibly inspire swarming.

DIY to economize

I believe the cost of industrial dummy forums is a compelling argument for doing a little bit of elementary DIY for beekeeping.

If truth be told, serious about it, I may almost definitely purchase the picket, the Evo-stick glue and an reasonably priced tenon noticed for the cost of one industrial birch dummy board.

The wonderful thing about DIY for beekeeping is that I don’t want to spend £145 on Maismore’s new ‘Adapta-Dummy’ which automagically fills the vacant house in a hive – any hive.

I will spend 5 mins and ~70 pence knocking easy dummy forums in combination from bits of ply or, if I actually felt they have been vital, construct one thing of any thickness I sought after with a bit of ingenuity … and now not a lot more moolah.

And, if I sought after to determine whether or not a one-frame-width insulated dummy board used to be recommended, I’d construct a couple of and take a look at them. That’s a ways higher than promoting a kidney to due to this fact uncover that they have been no higher than my present setup, and simply accrued mud and cobwebs within the shed.

Fats dummies

If the monetary financial savings of constructing easy dummy forums are a compelling explanation why to ‘do it your self’, then the economic availability of ‘fats dummies’ is any other – similarly compelling – explanation why.

The Maisemore’s Adapta-Dummy is fictional.

A minimum of, I am hoping it’s.

Fats dummies aren’t, however to my wisdom they don’t seem to be to be had commercially.

Hang on … what’s a fats dummy?

My definition of a fats dummy is one thing that occupies a considerable house in a brood field. Normally, for causes I’ll get to in a while, the ‘considerable house’ is that occupied through 3.5 brood frames.

Usual self-spacing Hoffman frames are 35 mm thick, so 3.5 frames occupy 122.5 mm.

Two fats dummies subsequently occupy the similar width as 7 frames which, in a Nationwide brood field, leaves house for 4 further frames.

This setup – two fats dummies separated through 4 frames – is what’s used within the ‘Ben Harden’ queenright queen rearing means.

This technique, which Ben Harden didn’t invent however did popularise with articles in BIBBA’s ‘Bee Growth’, is an easy (and subsequently just right) approach of queen rearing. Individually it is a perfect means for novices to queen rearing initially; you wish to have one sturdy colony, some enthusiasm, and no specialized apparatus.

As opposed to two fats dummies.

Ben Harden queenright queen rearing

I’ve used this system for years and written about it broadly. I’m subsequently handiest going to concentrate on the facets related to this put up on fats dummies.

Within the Ben Harden setup, the 2 fats dummies are separated through 4 frames.

The 2 frames adjoining to the flanking fats dummies include pollen retail outlets; it’s important that there’s numerous protein within reach to make sure that the growing queens are well-nourished.

Between the pollen-rich frames is one body containing decided on larvae to be reared as queens (normally it is a cellular bar body containing grafted larvae).

The overall body incorporates open brood to draw numerous nurse bees up (from the brood field under) to the quick neighborhood of the chosen larvae.

The concentrated nurse bees make sure that the growing queens are nicely fed. Except there’s a sturdy nectar go with the flow it’s most often vital to feed the queen rearing colony with ~200 ml of skinny syrup (1:1 w/v) each day or so till the cells are sealed.

Fats dummies for queen rearing

I’ve constructed quite a lot of fats dummies for queen rearing.

The most affordable and best to build have been constituted of salvaged Correx ‘For Sale’ indicators, strapped along side yards of gaffer tape. I crammed them with polystyrene chips or bubble wrap, reasoning it could supply higher insulation, even though I’m now not positive if it made a lot of a distinction.

Then again, it could actually’t have carried out any hurt.

Those Correx fats dummies have been constructed over a decade in the past, are nonetheless in use maximum summers (and coffee winters) and ‘simply paintings’. The edges have bowed out a little bit over the years, but it surely doesn’t actually have an effect on their serve as.

However, if you’ll DIY, you’ll be able to virtually all the time ‘construct one thing higher’.

Because it’s frequently recommended to feed syrup when rearing queens, it used to be logical to construct a ‘Mark 2’ fats dummy with an integral feeder. While I’m competent with Correx, creating a syrup-tight feeder used to be past me, so I used skinny plywood on a picket body. The latter (I believe … it’s a very long time in the past) consisted of butchered brood frames, spaced appropriately with some scrap softwood. Once more, those have been packed with some type of insulation.

The feeder is sealed at the within, almost definitely with varnish. Then again, I’ve sealed functionally-similar body feeders through sloshing round some molten beeswax within.

Fats dummies for different duties

For Ben Harden queen rearing there’s actually no selection than the usage of fats dummies very similar to the ones described above.

However they may be able to be used for different issues as nicely.

Once I unite nucs with a complete hive – for instance, when requeening a hive with a brand new queen mated from a 3-5 body nuc – I’ll normally use the newspaper means with a 2d brood field part-filled with a fats dummy.

I’m going in the course of the hive to be requeened and take away the undesirable queen, lay a few sheets of newspaper excessive bars after which upload a 2d brood field. The latter is part-filled with one or two fats dummies, relying on whether or not it’s a three, 4, 5 – 6 body nuc that’s being united. 3 or 4 frames pass between two fats dummies, any further and I simply put the nuc frames towards the sidewall and push one fats dummy up towards them.

I’ve up to now mentioned taking your ‘iciness losses within the autumn’ through uniting vulnerable (wholesome) colonies with sturdy colonies in past due autumn, moderately than doubtlessly dropping them within the iciness.

Then again, inevitably, I’ve additionally attempted overwintering vulnerable colonies. You’ll use a fats dummy to part-fill the distance in a brood field, hanging this over a powerful colony separated through a break up board with a double-mesh display. The bees within the higher field have the benefit of the heat of the colony under, and use the higher front equipped through the break up board.

Then again, the ‘get advantages’ would possibly nonetheless now not be sufficient to stay the small colony alive … I’m subsequently a lot more prone to go away the fats dummies within the shed overwinter and unite the vulnerable colony prior to the tip of the season.

Conclusions

Dummy forums and fats dummies are a just right instance of straightforward beekeeping apparatus that:

• fortify colony control
• are used more often than not in each and every hive (dummy forums) or infrequently (fats dummies) … you both want to acquire a number of, or they’re unused for many of the yr
• value ‘foolish cash’ when bought commercially, or aren’t in the stores
• may also be simply and inexpensively built

If someone can persuade me that £15.70 represents just right price for cash then be happy to depart a remark under.

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Notes

Any person pondering the name referred to sure actions on social media may well be upset, however nonetheless proper.

Observant readers will notice that not anything has modified at the web site since final week. I hit a last-minute glitch, now resolved, so plan to modify issues on Tuesday subsequent.

I am hoping 😉