Hivebarrows and home tasks

In case you are studying this in an e mail e-newsletter on Friday night time then one thing went proper.

On the other hand, if you happen to won no e mail, it is Monday afternoon, and also you needed to seek for the web page on Google to search out this publish, then I have obviously nonetheless were given some paintings to do.

Transferring The Apiarist from WordPress to a brand new publishing platform (Ghost) has been just a little of a headache, however I am hoping that the worst is over and issues will now run easily.

If I am proper then I will be able to get started that specialize in beekeeping moderately than subscriber lists, damaged links or comparable geekery.

However, I am infrequently (ever totally?) proper, so – as my higher part has by no means heard me say – “Let’s get the home tasks out of the best way first”.

Home tasks

I have imported all of the subscribers that WordPress would record for me. Frustratingly, this excluded those that signed up by way of wordpress.com. When you have been some of the few hundred that have been unnoticed, then I apologise.

Please subscribe right here to be sure you do not pass over long run posts (assuming, in fact, you do not need to pass over long run posts).

Similarly frustratingly, WordPress best exports e mail addresses (with out forenames or surnames). When you’d – understandably – want to not be addressed as [email protected] you’ll check in and replace your account main points.

In case you are new to The Apiarist then welcome, if you are a ‘common reader’ then chances are you’ll wish to peruse my notes on navigating the rearranged web page.

I am conscious a couple of issues stay damaged … those come with:

• older posts can have thumbnail pictures with dud hyperlinks
• legacy feedback haven’t begun to be imported
• some primary minor ugly formatting problems stay

There is not any want to inform me about different stuff you in finding {{1}}. In case you are studying this on e mail and sweetness what the ones squiggly brackets are, then please learn this be aware about footnote formatting … or view the publish on the net for the totally immersive revel in.

OK, sufficient home tasks (as I do continuously say) … let’s communicate hivebarrows.

Transferring hives

Whilst you transfer a hive from one location to every other there are two essential issues to care for:

The primary of those are simple to care for. It is good to transport the hives early or overdue within the day; all of the bees will probably be ‘at house’ (so you do not lose stragglers) and – importantly – it is going to be cooler.

When you transfer a colony on a scorching day with insufficient air flow, they swiftly overheat and – on the very least – get distressed.

At worst, the brush collapses, and it is each an unholy mess and the possible loss of life of the colony.

If it is heat and/or you’re going any distance then take away the roof and crownboard and use a shuttle display (a framed bee-tight mesh costing about £23, or – for the ones of you who like saving cash – a 50 cm sq. of fibreglass insect mesh secured with an eke and a few straps. The bees will thanks and so will your pockets {{2}}.

Have compatibility the mesh the day sooner than you progress them, and – if you are at it – use a block of closed cellular foam to wedge the frames in combination so they do not shuggle about in transit. Strap the whole thing up, change the roof, after which they are in a position to move once you may have sealed the hive front (and got rid of the roof once more) tomorrow.

Thoughts your again

Hives and supers are heavy. They’re additionally cumbersome. This mix makes them awkward to boost and lift except you have got a body like Charles Atlas.

Since my higher torso extra carefully resembles that of Charles Hawtrey {{3}} I occasionally be afflicted by minor again traces all the way through the beekeeping season.

All the way through the honey harvest I will frequently elevate and transfer 20-30 supers; from the apiary to the automobile, to the shop, to the extracting room and so forth. At 12-15 kg every, with a couple of lifts and carries, it isn’t atypical to transport neatly over a (cumulative) ton of packing containers over an extended weekend.

Just right method – immediately again, bend your knees – is very important when lifting, however it is the bulkiness of the packing containers when transferring them from A to B that does the wear and tear.

Sporting the rest along with your fingers prolonged is tiring and a vintage approach to injury your again.

However in many ways the supers are simple, assuming they are empty of bees. Any jolting and jarring does not in point of fact topic. When you stumble and drop one, it creates a large number, however no longer a crisis.

When you stumble and drop a brood field filled with bees (and shops) it is also a large number … however you can slightly understand that as you (in brief) wonder on the spreading mushroom-shaped cloud of psychotic bees sooner than having to make a run for the hills.

In case you are transferring packing containers any distance and/or over tough terrain it is sensible to make use of a hivebarrow to ‘take the tension’.

Industrial choices

Thorne’s promote a hivebarrow to be had in an oh-so-subtle yellow color. I have no longer used it and even observed one even though I did revel in their ‘simple to collect’ (!) demonstration video.

Hive Barrow – Nationwide Hives best

Heavy responsibility hive barrow which can be utilized to transport Nationwide hive. Powder covered metal with a all terrain pneumatic 9.75″ tyre. Left or proper passed.

This hivebarrow is designed for Nationwide hives and – I believe – is best appropriate for cedar Nationals with deep recesses on reverse faces of the brood field. I doubt it might ‘have compatibility’ Abelo poly Nationals or any of the numerous different “Nationwide” variants. Upload a remark beneath if I am incorrect.

It additionally prices a whopping £96, even though this can be a small worth to pay to keep away from a nasty again.

On the other hand, I believe there are less expensive (or a lot more cost effective), extra versatile and higher answers to the issue of transferring heavy, cumbersome hives – be they Smiths, Nationals, Langstroths, Layens, and even Warré’s – over tough floor.

And, whilst I am in terms of tough floor, the Thorne’s hivebarrow has a moderately small diameter entrance wheel which I’d be expecting to manage poorly with tussocky grass or a rutted observe.

When you use cedar Nationals and easily want to transfer hives throughout your bowling green-like garden, then I am certain it might do an ideal process … and I really like the color.

Does my bum glance large on this?

You might have spotted that beekeeping was once, for a time, extremely popular. For the decade or so it is been a well-liked interest, and issues in point of fact took off all the way through the pandemic.

However, despite the fact that our interest could be trendy, the regalia we put on – the saggy beesuit, the veil, the Marigold gloves, the welly boots – is deeply unflattering and essentially retro.

I do know you’ll acquire primrose or lilac or biscuit-coloured beesuits … however those are simply vibrant and unflattering.

Within the apiary in fact no matter what we appear to be. Capability and practicality trumps the whole thing else. Taking a look just a little ridiculous is part of the joys. Feeling neatly safe conjures up self belief and improves your beekeeping.

However you almost certainly take your beesuit off sooner than venturing forth in public; to the petrol station en direction house from the apiary, to the grocery store as you pressure between apiaries, or the eating place when handing over honey to the farm store.

On the other hand, if you are the rest like me, through the years you simply forestall noticing the unusual seems you’re getting. As soon as you are resistant to the “What is that weirdo doing?” stares from the uninitiated, while you not care what others suppose, you are prepared to growth to the following level of ‘financial and sustainable beekeeping’ … and keep away from that unhealthy again.

Dumpster diving

If you wish to transfer hives about simply and cost effectively, where to start out is a skip.

In particular, search for one the place the developers are near to completing the renovations.

The skip could be complete to overflowing with stuff.

Do not be shy. Have a excellent rummage about. Put on one thing inconspicuous … no longer your cerise beesuit.

Passers-by would possibly stare, however who cares?

The extra precious issues – the inconvenient offcuts of Kingspan insulation, the floppy sheets of two mm Correx ground coverage, the “that’ll without a doubt are available in?” items of wooden – are buried … you’ll have been checking the skip a minimum of weekly to snag any of the ones.

However at the very best, the of entirety, you can be fortunate sufficient to discover a cement-encrusted and tatty-looking wheelbarrow.

Keep in mind that the contents of the skip belong to both the developers or the home-owner; do not simply assist your self.

Time to barter.

I counsel a excellent start line is one jar of honey for ‘the rest and the whole thing I would like from the skip’.

The discarded wheelbarrow almost certainly has a hollow within the barrow. An over-enthusiastic spade was once pushed thru a rusty nook, or the plastic/polythene cracked when any person dropped part a paving slab in it.

At worst, it may also have a puncture.

The best factor that issues is that the body of the wheelbarrow is undamaged and sound. You do not want the barrow, and will get a brand new internal tube for fiver. In case you are in point of fact fortunate, the cement-encrusted body will probably be galvanised.

Rescue it, blank it up, take away and discard the barrow, grease the axle, inflate the tyre, make a gaffer tape care for the place the plastic grip is lacking.

Recreation on!

Wheely excellent

You’ll be able to be aware I discussed an internal tube within the paragraphs above.

Any wheelbarrow is best than no wheelbarrow, however a wheelbarrow with a fats pneumatic tyre is far better than one with a slender moulded plastic wheel.

The cushioning equipped through a accurately inflated (no longer over-inflated) pneumatic tyre supplies a clean experience on your bees, and the extra width of the fatter tyre prevents the wheel sinking into the dust.

What about a kind of super-fat “ball barrows”, the place the entrance wheel is nearly round?

At the start, I am not certain if the ones are offered any further; secondly, I have no longer attempted one and so cannot meaningfully remark and thirdly, no self-respecting builder would use one so you can by no means in finding one in a skip.

OK, what about a kind of two or 4 wheeled lawn carts? I personal a kind of proven above and, on the rest however the smoothest floor, a standard wheelbarrow is a lot higher for transferring hives about.

With only one touch level at the floor – the wheel – you’ll use your fingers/palms to offer lateral stability to the wheelbarrow. There is a lot much less jolting and jarring for the bees.

There is additionally much less to get caught within the dust.

After all, just a unmarried wheeled wheelbarrow can be utilized to move a hive throughout a scaffold plank bridge, which is one thing I have carried out repeatedly to one in every of my apiaries (frequently at the hours of darkness).

In fact, this ‘distinctive promoting level’ would possibly no longer topic on your beekeeping.

So, only one wheel … a fats, pneumatic one.

Measure two times, reduce as soon as

A hivebarrow is just a little of a misnomer.

There is not any barrow.

The hive stands on a flat picket platform hooked up securely to the body of the wheelbarrow.

In case you are fortunate, the barrow attachment level will probably be very easily located, with the intention to merely bolt a work of wooden rather than the barrow. In case you are unfortunate, you will have to create some kind of robust picket body on which the platform is connected.

Use your creativeness, some lateral considering and just a little of ingenuity.

Don’t under-engineer the platform. 3 complete supers being wheeled throughout asymmetric floor will exert vital stresses to the platform and the attachment issues.

I like to recommend the use of M8 bolts with nylon/plastic-lined nuts that lock securely in position. Use washers to unfold the burden just a little.

For the platform I used a 52 cm sq. offcut of ~20 mm plywood, liberally painted with fence preservative. Quite than recess the bolt heads into the ply (which might have weakened the attachment) I added a number of parallel strips of 9 mm wooden to the higher floor. Those stand somewhat happy with the bolt head.

In use, you want to strap the hives/supers/paving slabs down the use of ratchet straps. On the other hand, in true ‘belt and braces’ taste, I added a 50 mm entrance lip to the platform to forestall issues sliding ahead. You best desire a lip on the entrance edge. Do not be tempted so as to add one to the perimeters or again – it prevents you transferring some issues which are wider than the platform, and it makes lifting packing containers on or off the hivebarrow tougher.

Buster

Give your hivebarrow a reputation. You’ll be able to confidently be in combination for a very long time, and you’re going to develop to realize the assist it (she? he?) is when you are transferring hives about, putting in a brand new apiary or transferring 500 kg of fondant on your beekeeping affiliation.

Mine is known as Buster after the caricature personality from the comedian Viz. Over time he is been precious for the extra muscular sides of my beekeeping.

For over 99% of the time Buster sits within the shed collecting mud and spider’s webs, but if the heavy lifting begins he has stored me a lot of effort.

I have even used Buster as a short lived hive stand after transferring hives overdue at evening. The platform is horizontal when stood at the wheel and legs {{4}} which makes issues even more uncomplicated. I have observed some designs through which the platform slopes (down) from entrance to again, so making the hive horizontal when it’s being wheeled {{5}}. On the other hand, I believe the design I finished up with is preferable general.

The regulations of physics

Ahead of I go back in brief to just a little extra home tasks I will have to remind you that the regulations of physics follow to hivebarrows {{6}}.

In use, the pivot level (the wheel at the floor) is probably far from the centre of mass (the stack of supers at the barrow). In consequence, when the attitude between the bottom and the centre of mass will increase, you want to use loads of torque to stay the whole thing upright.

Torque … which means shoulder and arm energy.

All this implies is that you want to take care to not stack issues to prime at the barrow. I don’t believe I would be pleased with greater than 3 complete supers. Even 6 to eight empty supers exert a large number of rotational inertia.

Take care.

It is usually value emphasising that the rest being transported will have to be securely strapped to the barrow. Use a few ratchet straps at 90° to one another – entrance to again and aspect to aspect. Do them up tight.

If the barrow and hive topples over when transporting it throughout tough floor it is going to shake the bees up just a little. On the other hand, if an unsecured and unstrapped hive topples over it is going to shake everybody up inside of 50 metres.

And in any case … extra home tasks, even though this time it is beekeeping home tasks.

Melting poly hives … or no longer?

I have been tidying up outdated frames, melting out wax and making ready for the season forward. It is been heat sufficient to paintings outdoor, however cool sufficient that the bees are not flying a lot … so ultimate prerequisites to make use of the wax extractor.

Within the dim and far away previous I constructed my very own steam wax extractor. It labored, however the hose connections to the steam generator (wallpaper stripper) have been dodgy and steam escaped below the sides of the roof. All this diminished potency.

I ultimately purchased an Easi-Steam from Thorne’s – simply the tray, eke and roof – and sourced some neat brass plumbing fittings to create a steam-tight enter connection. It really works really well.

I have frequently questioned if I may just use a poly brood field (moderately than the standard cedar) when extracting wax.

Possibly you do that already?

Polystyrene (styrofoam) has a melting temperature of 240°C, neatly above the temperature of a steam. On the other hand, the polystyrene beads used to create hives would possibly melt beneath this temperature, or there could also be different problems with temperature-sensitive glues or fitments.

All of because of this it wasn’t till previous this week that I attempted the use of a steam wax extractor and a poly brood field. I selected a Swienty field as I believe those are lighter and most likely softer than the Abelo packing containers.

The field survived simply nice, even though the plastic runners went just a little wibbly-wobbly. I would possibly strip them out and change them with chrome steel.

I will take a look at an Abelo field subsequent time round if I will be able to in finding one that is not filled with bees.

Not anything ventured, not anything received.

{{1}}: I will be checking, I in point of fact dislike being informed I have were given issues incorrect, and I am swamped with writing commitments.

{{2}}: This mesh is instantly to be had from Amazon or eBay, is solely as safe and can price neatly below £1 according to hive.

{{3}}: The actor born in 1914, no longer the one born in 1858 (who was once chunkier).

{{4}}: Is that the proper time period for the care for extension a part of the body?

{{5}}: Despite the fact that this will depend on your top and achieve.

{{6}}: Newton’s infrequently discussed fourth legislation of movement.