Once in a while, we’re stunned to be told what a large distinction a easy merchandise could make in our lives. In beekeeping, using beehive stands within the apiary is an ideal instance. They’re a type of items of beekeeping apparatus that you simply don’t need to have. Alternatively, when you be informed extra about benefits of conserving your beehives on hive stands – chances are you’ll make a decision you in reality want them.
Each piece of beekeeping apparatus that you select must assist you to do a greater activity of managing your colonies. Regularly, one of the vital simplest selections make a large affect.
Advantages of Beehive Stands
Use hive stands can get advantages the whole well being of your honey bee colonies in different tactics.
- enhance air flow
- offer protection to from pests
- cut back moisture
- simple get entry to for beekeepers
Air flow & Air Float
Honey bees have a perfect gadget for conserving hive temperatures inside of secure levels for brood rearing. Having the trendy beehive on a hive stand is helping air drift freely vs sitting at the cast floor.
Hive air flow is essential all the way through all seasons of the yr – no longer simply all the way through the recent summer season temperatures.
Offer protection to from Pests & Predators
When located on a increased hive stand, your colonies have a bit of of coverage from a number of issues. Retaining ants out of a beehive is a battle for some beekeepers. When you use a hive stand – you might have extra choices for making a barrier.
Additionally, small animals reminiscent of skunks generally is a nuisance within the apiary. With the hive raised up off the bottom – the ones little fellows won’t be able to devour your bees at evening.
Much less Moisture
An excessive amount of moisture generally is a drawback within the keep watch over setting of the beehive. With hives sitting at the floor, water coming into the internal all the way through wet sessions is an actual chance.
The hive this is raised up off the rainy floor is much less more likely to enjoy moisture issues – a few of which give a contribution to illness.
Simple Get right of entry to
If you’re over a undeniable age (that differs for all folks), you’re going to briefly be informed the key benefit of the use of beehive stands on your apiary. Bending doesn’t get more uncomplicated for many folks – and beekeeping containers are heavy! Save your again.
Varieties of Hive Stands
You’re going to in finding many other shapes and sizes of hive stands. Some are designed to carry just one hive whilst others would possibly supply give a boost to for two beehives or extra. There are two choices for purchasing one:
- purchase a industrial possibility
- construct your individual – DIY
Commercially to be had stands to your beehives are great as a result of they’re able to make use of. And, if you select one from a credible corporate – they must be sturdy sufficient to give a boost to your colony.
The downside is that the nice ones are moderately pricey (some other price of beekeeping) they usually additionally is probably not on the peak you want.
If you’re making our personal you’ll be able to customise it to suit your instances and even perhaps use one of the vital fabrics you have already got readily available.
DIY Beehive Stand Concepts
The subject material you utilize to your hive stand is dependent to a point at the glance that you simply hope to reach. When you put numerous concept into your bee backyard design, chances are you’ll want for an elaborate stand that fits the décor.
Or, possibly you need a minimalist glance that blends into the surroundings. Steel stands supply energy with out numerous visible impact. For the ones folks out within the sticks – appears is probably not an element.
An important issue is to make use of strong picket (or steel) and right kind bracing to make sure balance. Selfmade bee hive stands will also be higher than bought ones if they’re built neatly.
Wooden Hive Stands
I select to use handled picket when construction my hive stands. Sure, I’m just a little interested in chemical compounds within the picket – on the other hand, the bees hardly come into touch with the picket of the stand.
The consistent warmth and rain in my area would motive common picket to fail briefly. The use of handled picket with a water based totally sealer permit the stand to final for years.
DIY Cinder Block Hive Stands
One of the crucial more uncomplicated tactics to make a hive stand is through the use of cinder blocks. Beekeepers use them by myself or together with picket rails or steel rails.
More than a few strategies of stacking the cinder blocks are used. The one rule is to ensure the stack is strong and no longer susceptible to tipping.
4 8″ cinder blocks stacked in a crisscross trend for balance will provide you with about 16″ of peak. I upload 2 small items of panorama trees to carry my hive in position with out destructive my screened backside board.
If you wish to make issues lovely, as a substitute of cinder block – use ornamental stone. The use of any form of stone is okay so long as the stand is stage when completed.
Steel Hive Stands from Upcycled Items
Once in a while we beekeepers want to use our creativeness. Any sturdy strong shape can serve as as a hive stand. I latterly used an outdated steel base from a Craftsman desk noticed for a transportable hive stand. It really works nice and has a large base to withstand tipping.
Dimension & Top
It’s simple to customise the specifics of your hive stand to suit your personal wishes. Simply take into account that the most efficient or prettiest construction is nugatory except it’s strong and robust.
Hive Stand Dimensions
Dimension issues. You will need to be certain your hives can take a seat relaxed at the hive stand with slightly more room to spare. You don’t want to fret that it’s going to fall if it shifts a bit of a method or some other.
For a one hive, a platform or base give a boost to of 24″ through 24″ is a great dimension for a Langstroth hive of the correct dimensions. If you wish to have 2 beehives sitting on one stand upload greater than 2 x that quantity to the duration.
Along with sitting the two hives at the stand, you might have so to get your fingers in there to govern the containers all the way through hive inspections.
Actually, my 2 hive stands are vast sufficient for three hives. That is very helpful as it offers me room to take a seat down my most sensible and interior quilt or perhaps a tremendous field when I’m taking a look within the hive.
Stage Your Beehives
Irrespective of the fabric used to make your individual beehive stand, you should make the effort to stage it correctly. Don’t “eye-ball it”.
Use a degree and make sure that the stand sits stage in all instructions. This makes the stand very strong and no more more likely to tip when the soil turns into rainy.
Maximum beekeepers put some form of barrier beneath the hive and stay the realm freed from tall weeds or grasses. This turns into extra essential in spaces with Small Hive Beetles.
Top
The perfect general peak of your hive stand is topic to private choice with 16″ – 18″ from front to floor being the norm.
How tall are you? How prime are you able to with ease succeed in? What number of containers do you plan to stack at the hive each and every yr? When you take away honey supers after they’re crammed chances are you’ll best want to succeed in about 3 containers prime.
When you wait to harvest the honey crop unexpectedly, chances are you’ll finally end up with 4 or 5 containers stacked up. The ones photos you notice of 8 honey containers stacked up 6 ft tall are lovable. However, when they’re heavy and whole, getting them down is hazardous.
FAQs
A beehive hive stand is a construction that your hive sits on. It can be manufactured from picket, plastic, steel or different fabrics. The primary goal of the hive stand is to boost your beehive front up off the bottom.
A stand for a beehive manufactured from stacked cinderblocks is likely one of the best possible and extra strong choices. They aren’t pricey and can final for years.
Preferably, the highest of the stand lets in the hive front to be about 16-18″ off the bottom. This size isn’t too prime and no longer too low for many beekeepers.
Beekeepers have a hit controlled honey bee colonies for years with out using hive stands. Alternatively, they do make beekeepers duties a lot more uncomplicated and supply a more healthy location for the bees.
Ultimate Ideas
After opting for a just right location to your beehives, environment them up correctly is a brilliant factor to do. The use of a robust hive stand of the correct peak makes beekeeper duties extra stress-free. So long as the stand is robust sufficient to carry your hives and stage, the fabric and design is as much as you.
Assets