Is there a statute of obstacles on beekeeping subjects for the web?
How often will have to a blogger write about swarm keep an eye on or thelytokous parthenogenesis or the provenance of honey?
The solution after all is as frequently as they wish to. It is a unfastened global.
However that does not imply that the posts might be learn 🙁
If I wrote about swarm keep an eye on each week, I might temporarily run out of recent issues to write down, however – much more temporarily – I might run out of readers. It is a fascinating subject, there are many tactics it may be completed (and several other through which it can not) and, from time to time all through the beekeeping season, it is one thing all of us need to do.
However selection is the spice of lifestyles, 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 might most probably live much longer than the persistence of readers (via a couple of fortnight).
So, possibly the frequency with which an issue is roofed will have to mirror its significance to all beekeepers, or my talent to pronounce it?
Common readers will have to remember the fact that they have been new readers as soon as. Some can have discovered the website online, loved a publish or two after which rummaged again during the archives for different issues of pastime. On moderate, guests to the website online get right of entry to 1.8 pages … so for each 5 guests an afternoon there are about 9 pages learn (or no less than seen).
Different new subscribers by no means glance again, do not use the quest facility and sweetness why I have by no means mentioned the intricacies of – for instance – dummy forums. So that they publish a query (or e-mail me immediately) about no matter subject is at the leading edge in their minds.
Is a decade lengthy sufficient?
Any readers, common or contemporary, who have been on the lookout for a piece of writing on dummy forums can have had to return a couple of decade.
Every week may well be a very long time in politics, however within the extra first rate and sedate global of beekeeping, a decade continues to be a very long time.
I have most effective posted two times on them sooner than, in February and July 2014, they usually have been most effective examine 1500 occasions final yr (a fragment of a fragment of a % of the overall … I will be able to be lovely certain maximum of you studying this did not learn them). Each posts now redirect right here, however you could possibly to find them in an web archive.
Essentially, the one factor that is 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 is not inflation … that is theft.
The usage of the Financial institution of England’s inflation calculator, a £6 dummy board in 2014 will have to now value about £7.89.
Hmm?
If I may call to mind a superlative more than horrified, I’d use it now.
However, I am 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 most probably name them follower forums.
A dummy board is a board the similar width and intensity as a normal body this is used to control the bee area adjoining to – normally – brood frames.
The Nationwide hive is designed for 11 frames. Assuming the frames don’t seem to be 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 area is necessary. It permits 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 ‘further’ area messes up the bee area within the hive and the bees will construct brace comb within the hole. Below sure prerequisites 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 right kind bee area (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 area to paintings, the bees might not be rolled or beaten and lifestyles might be a lot more straightforward.
In most cases, this implies that you are going to want one dummy board according to brood field.
This is one I made previous
Dummy forums are trivial to construct.
One piece of 6-9 mm thick plywood (of the appropriate dimensions in your frames) and a few planed softwood of about 8×8 mm or 8×15 mm for the highest bar. The usage of some water-proof picket glue and body nails, connect the highest bar to the plywood.
Activity carried out!
I may not insult your intelligence via suggesting how best possible to chop the picket to measurement, or get the ply and most sensible bar centred, or clamp the whole thing in combination whilst the glue units. Or, for that topic, 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.
In reality, it is that straightforward?
Sure. For a tiny outlay, you’ll be able to make one thing that, bought commercially, prices a ridiculous amount of cash.
Are they as just right?
Necessarily, sure.
Through the years – through which I imply a few years – those easy forums now and again delaminate just a little.
Unpleasant? Possibly.
A subject matter on the subject of hygiene? Now not truly if the dummy board stays in the similar hive. If no longer, blowtorch it nicely.
An obstacle to serve as? Infrequently.
The £15.70 business dummy forums most probably don’t delaminate. They in most cases have birch softwood strips alongside the top grain of the plywood.
Then again, in my view, a restricted quantity of delamination is an overly small worth to pay for the ~£15 saving I make according to board.
However plastic dummy forums are ‘most effective’ £8
The similar Lamborghini-driving business providers who promote wood dummy forums for £15.70 additionally promote a plastic identical for approximately £8.
Part the associated fee and not more than part as just right individually.
However nonetheless an excessive amount of.
I feel there are 3 issues unsuitable with the plastic ones:
- they are plastic. The bees have the benefit of plastic (polystyrene) hives, so I am fairly satisfied to place up with the petrochemical merchandise. Then again, I will be able to see very little receive advantages for the bees from a plastic dummy board, no longer least as a result of …
- the lugs are fragile. A number of of mine have damaged. Possibly I am much more clumsy than I believed? You’ll ‘repair’ them the usage of a screw rather than the lacking lug, however it is not truly ultimate.
- they do not cope too nicely getting used as a stand for a sizzling smoker on an adjoining poly hive roof. They’re additionally slightly heavy.
Then again, of their favour, they don’t warp or delaminate (in going via some previous 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 business beekeeping providers additionally promote tremendous dummy forums. I have by no means had a reason why to make use of those and – amazingly making an allowance for the scale of my bloated stockpile of “beekeeping issues I have purchased however now not use” – do not even personal one.
I do not automatically investigate cross-check 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 well, I take away frames to ultimately depart 9.
Possibly I am lacking one thing? Then again, I am fairly assured that tremendous dummy forums are one thing I will be able to do with out.
Different dummy forums I will be able to do with out
With one exception – see underneath – I will be able to additionally do with out dummy forums which might be any thicker than a unmarried piece of ~9 mm plywood.
I do know some beekeepers construct dummy forums which might 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 area within the nuc.
While this reasoning is completely sound, I take a realistic method.
I most effective have 3- or 4-frame nucs when I am getting queens mated in late-Spring or Summer season. I doubt the bees want the additional insulation at the moment of the yr and am satisfied to make use of a unmarried skinny dummy board (C within the schematic diagram above).
If the colony expands and builds brace comb at the back of the dummy board, then I have been remiss in my inspections. I will have to have added further frames and allowed them to extend correctly. A fatter dummy board would possibly save you the brace comb … however the overcrowding would possibly inspire swarming.
DIY to economize
I feel the cost of business dummy forums is a compelling argument for doing just a little of fundamental DIY for beekeeping.
In truth, desirous about it, I may most probably purchase the picket, the Evo-stick glue and an affordable tenon noticed for the cost of one business birch dummy board.
The wonderful thing about DIY for beekeeping is that I do not want to spend £145 on Maismore’s new ‘Adapta-Dummy’ which automagically fills the vacant area in a hive – any hive.
I will be able to spend 5 mins and ~70 pence knocking easy dummy forums in combination from bits of ply or, if I truly felt they have been vital, construct one thing of any thickness I sought after with a bit ingenuity … and no longer a lot more moolah.
And, if I sought after to determine whether or not a one-frame-width insulated dummy board was once really useful, I might construct a couple of and take a look at them. That is 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 collected mud and cobwebs within the shed.
Fats dummies
If the monetary financial savings of creating easy dummy forums are a compelling reason why to ‘do it your self’, then the industrial availability of ‘fats dummies’ is any other – similarly compelling – reason why.
The Maisemore’s Adapta-Dummy is fictional.
No less than, I’m hoping it’s.
Fats dummies don’t seem to be, however to my wisdom they don’t seem to be to be had commercially.
Grasp on … what is a fats dummy?
My definition of a fats dummy is one thing that occupies a considerable area in a brood field. In most cases, for causes I’m going to get to in a while, the ‘really extensive area’ is that occupied via 3.5 brood frames.
Usual self-spacing Hoffman frames are 35 mm thick, so 3.5 frames occupy 122.5 mm.
Two fats dummies due to this fact occupy the similar width as 7 frames which, in a Nationwide brood field, leaves area for 4 further frames (D within the diagram above).
This setup – two fats dummies separated via 4 frames – is what’s used within the ‘Ben Harden’ queenright queen rearing manner.
This technique, which Ben Harden did not invent however did popularise with articles in BIBBA’s ‘Bee Growth’, is a very easy (and due to this fact just right) method of queen rearing. Personally it is a perfect manner for inexperienced persons to queen rearing to begin with; you want one sturdy colony, some enthusiasm, and no specialized apparatus.
Rather than two fats dummies.
Ben Harden queenright queen rearing
I have used this system for years and written about it broadly. I am due to this fact most effective going to concentrate on the facets related to this publish on fats dummies.
Within the Ben Harden setup, the 2 fats dummies are separated via 4 frames.
The 2 frames adjoining to the flanking fats dummies comprise pollen retail outlets; it’s crucial that there’s a variety of protein within sight 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 comprises open brood to draw a variety of nurse bees up (from the brood field underneath) to the speedy neighborhood of the chosen larvae.
The concentrated nurse bees make sure that the growing queens are nicely fed. Except there’s a sturdy nectar glide it’s in most cases 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 have constructed various fats dummies for queen rearing.
The most cost effective and highest to build have been made out of salvaged Correx ‘For Sale’ indicators, strapped along with yards of gaffer tape. I stuffed them with polystyrene chips or bubble wrap, reasoning it will supply higher insulation, even though I am not certain if it made a lot of a distinction.
Then again, it can not 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 low winters) and ‘simply paintings’. The edges have bowed out just a little through the years, however it does not truly have an effect on their serve as.
However, if you’re going to DIY, you’ll be able to virtually all the time ‘construct one thing higher’.
Since it is frequently really useful to feed syrup when rearing queens, it was once logical to construct a ‘Mark 2’ fats dummy with an integral feeder. While I am competent with Correx, creating a syrup-tight feeder was once past me, so I used skinny plywood on a wood body. The latter (I feel … it is a very long time in the past) consisted of butchered brood frames, spaced accurately with some scrap softwood. Once more, those have been full of some type of insulation.
The feeder is sealed at the inside of, most probably with varnish. On the other hand, I have sealed functionally-similar body feeders via sloshing round some molten beeswax inside of.
Fats dummies for different duties
For Ben Harden queen rearing there is truly no choice 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.
After 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’m going to normally use the newspaper manner with a 2nd brood field part-filled with a fats dummy.
I’m going during the hive to be requeened and take away the undesirable queen, lay a few sheets of newspaper excessive bars after which upload a 2nd brood field. The latter is part-filled with one or two fats dummies, relying on whether or not it is a 3, 4, 5 – 6 body nuc that is being united. 3 or 4 frames move 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 have in the past mentioned taking your ‘iciness losses within the autumn’ via uniting vulnerable (wholesome) colonies with sturdy colonies in past due autumn, slightly than doubtlessly shedding them within the iciness.
Then again, inevitably, I have additionally attempted overwintering vulnerable colonies. You’ll use a fats dummy to part-fill the distance in a brood field, striking this over a powerful colony separated via a cut up board with a double-mesh display. The bees within the higher field have the benefit of the heat of the colony underneath, and use the higher front supplied via the cut up board.
Then again, the ‘receive advantages’ would possibly nonetheless no longer be sufficient to stay the small colony alive … I am due to this fact a lot more prone to depart the fats dummies within the shed overwinter and unite the vulnerable colony sooner than the top of the season.
Conclusions
Dummy forums and fats dummies are a just right instance of easy beekeeping apparatus that:
- strengthen colony control
- are used as a rule in each hive (dummy forums) or hardly ever (fats dummies) … you both want to acquire a number of, or they’re unused for lots of the yr
- value ‘foolish cash’ when bought commercially, or don’t seem to be in the stores
- will also be simply and inexpensively built
If someone can persuade me that £15.70 represents just right worth for cash then be at liberty to depart a remark underneath.
Notes
Someone pondering the name referred to sure actions on social media may well be dissatisfied, however nonetheless right kind.
Observant readers will word that not anything has modified at the web site since final week. I hit a last-minute glitch, now resolved, so plan to switch issues on Tuesday subsequent.
I’m hoping 😉