Hive Cam

I installed a web camera on one of my hives today. Here is the first picture from inside the hive. Now I can look in without opening the box. We will see if this continues to work after the bees get comb built. For now it is just cool to see them in action.

Topbar wax starter

I am constantly on the run and don't seem to have much time to document much here but I will add what I have done to get my hives ready for bees.

For topbar hive that means adding "starter strips" of bee wax. See the pictures I have loaded in picasa.

http://picasaweb.google.com/curtis.hensley/TopbarWaxStarterSolution#

Crushed comb centrifuge

I have this idea that I cant get away from.

It started when I ordered a 5 gallon bucket filter set. It has 3 stages of filters to be used for filtering honey. Then I thought I could build a centrifuge that would use these 5 gallon buckets. I got this idea from a "merry-go-round" I saw at a Renaissance festival. It resembles a may pole, and carry about 20 people. This bucket centrifuge would be huge but not as large as the "merry-go-round" and it would take many buckets of freshly harvested honey.

As the thought continued to bother me I realized this would be a lot of expense and only a very few people would be able to harvest enough honey to use it. However, I did realize that if this device was built in and/or by a small village when not in use it could be used as a swing for children. It would be a blast! I guess if the village was keeping bees there might be enough honey to use this huge device, but not likely.

Then the other night I picket up a large mouth mason jar. Then picked up a small mouth mason jar. With the ring attached the small mouth will fit inside of the large mouth. No big revelation here I am sure many people already knew this.

Then I remembered a website I visited a site where the guy used a mesh as a filter. I think it was mosquito netting. He put this mesh under the ring of a mason jar then taped the mouths of the mason jars together and inverted them much like an hour glass. Over time the honey was filtered into the bottom jar.

I did like the idea but thought the process took too long and tape is a probably not to be had in some areas of the world. So if you have the large and small mouth jars you could do this same filter process without the tape by stacking the small on top of the large mouth jar. It would still take a lot of time.

So if I scaled down the centrifuge to hold two quart jars stacked on top of each other I could speed up the process. The centrifuge would hold up to 8 quarts of crushed comb honey and as few as 2 quarts. Well now that I have just written that it could be reduced to the smallest two jars that you could find.

So now it is time to build a prototype. From this prototype the design could be scaled up to use eight 5 gallon buckets with standard filters.

2 weeks and counting

I will have bees in 2 weeks. I am almost ready. Just need to add the wax for starter strips.

I have the hives in the location that I plan to leave them in for this season. The hives did very well in the last storm, no leaks from the roof and the wind didn't seem to phase them.

So far so good.

New contacts

I finally made contact with a local beekeeper. It took time and persistence but I did it. I now have a part time job helping him on a volunteer basis.

He said he just bought 80 hives from someone that has not tended them in about 3 years and "they are mean" he said. So soon I will get to go with him to split requeen and otherwise try to tame them. He said "it will either make or break you", I took that as a challenge.

PUT ME IN COACH!

He also said they are striped tail and most likely have a lot of African in them and are runners. I almost don't like the idea of requeening all of these hives but I am just here to learn.

Oh and he doesn't really like the idea of topbar hives but we agreed that keeping bees is pretty much keeping bees. Then he listed about 7 different types of hives including flower pots and said bees act the same in all of them. So we are off to a good start.

Busy as a bee

I have not posted here as I have been on a forum across the Internet trying to drum up support.

I fear I did more harm than good. No matter what I said it was wrong. So I made my last post over there. I hope they let me keep my account active. I really like their site, it just seems they don't like me.

Well anyway, I have posted some pictures of my work over the last couple of weeks.

The conservation hive is something I build as a neat idea but alas I think it would not be good for this part of the country. The idea was to build a hive that could be built and placed in the "woods" and left. It would attract bees and they could establish wild hives as a way to re-populate and increase genetic diversity in the bee population.

I think it is a good idea for places that are much further north of the "African bee migration" line. Not that I have anything against them but I think the general population does and it might not be wise to encourage wild hives around here.

That site is also big on using old pallets for wood. So I broke one down and used the wood for this hive and took pictures. I will copy and post my entries from that site here later. For now look at the pictures. I think this little box is cool.

http://picasaweb.google.com/curtis.hensley/ConservationHive?feat=email#
http://picasaweb.google.com/curtis.hensley/PalletDeconstruction?feat=email#

Bees at the White House

I guess the presidential chefs want fresh veggies from the back yard. Hey also have bees for honey. I hope they are topbars.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031902886.html?hpid=topnews

Injection Mold

I have been asked to explain what I mean by injection molding.

You would have to see the hive to fully appreciate what I have in mind but here is an attempt to explain my intent.

This is the really exciting part for me.

First and foremost the inside of the hive, the part the bees and honey are in contact with will be 100% wood i.e. topbars, entrance and sides. Of course this could be post consumer stock or top quality cabinet grade products. I suppose if the bees gather on the outside of the hive, as the are prone to do, they will be in contact with the plastic but the day to day activities will not be in contact with the plastic.

That being said the hive would be made of a plastic compound that would have to not be UV sensitive and food grade and it would have to stand up to extremes of heat and cold.

The whole thing would be light, much lighter than a complete wooden hive and would be strong enough to support the moving of a hive full on honey. The best part is that when empty it would fold up for shipping. Setting it up would be measured in minutes and would allow the total novice beekeeper or person that is not inclined to build things quick and simple access to the topbar hive.

I also believe it could be produced at a price point that is far less that the same volume Langstrom hive.

Paint

I hate to paint. I am just about finished painting the 3 hives I have built. This is my 2nd coat of paint on top of primer.

I am more convinced than ever that many people do not use TBH because you can't just buy one from any supplier.

I am currently revising the design of the hive legs. The wonderful think about creating new designs is that it sometimes takes hands on doing to better understand and transfer from paper to reality.

Centrifuge extraction of Topbars

I have so many random thoughts that it is hard t remember them at once. I think I have a way to extract topbars with a standard centrifuge extractor. As with all of my ideas I need to try or find someone willing to give it a try.

Wild hive removal

This will be my first attempt to remove a wild hive.

I answered a post on Craigslist last fall from a person near my home who had a hive living in their chimney and they wanted someone to remove without harming the bees. I explained that I am new to this but was excited to give this a try. They seemed willing to let me.

That was the end of the conversation last fall. I just got an email from them and they are still interested. Now that it is spring it is time to try the move. I hope to hear from them this weekend and I can make a scouting trip and start a plan.

Overwhelmed

I just started reading the blogs from several researchers. I am completely intimidated. I still think my design is strong but suddenly I feel like a small fish in an big pond. I hope I can get some of those really smart people to take a look and give me an honest opinion.

Spun honey machine

I have a wonderfully simple idea to create a machine that would make top quality spun, whipped, or whatever you call crystalized honey. I would create batches from one to many pounds of spun honey is very short order.

The best Top Bar Hive ever

I think I have created the best Top Bar Hive EVER!!

Let me first say that I am a capitalist who believes it is possible to both make a profit and give things away free. So my idealist plan is to develop this bee hive and produce it commercially then give the plans away free. If this design is as successful as I think it will be I would not want to keep the ideas and principles way from developing countries or hobbyist who could not other wise buy my commercial hive. I think I will be able to make and sell the parts and pieces of this hive to those who other wise could not build it from the plans either because they do not have the skill or they do not have the time. So in the end I hope to provide both a saleable commodity and a free set of plans that can be used to build a hive with the same specifications.

My friends have asked me why is it that I think I have designed the best hive ever when people have been keeping bees for thousands of years. Surely someone has come up with these ideas before. I suppose it is arrogant to think I have come up with something and no one else has ever thought of before. But if it is then it is. I really think I have done it. However, I am not so arrogant to think that my design will actually work in its current form.

This is why I need help. I need researchers and beekeepers who are willing to work with me in the development process. I also need help setting up a company that will offer stock to all the people who help.

My process of developing this hive started when I learned that for the most part honey bees will live and produce honey in just about any open space that will keep them dry when it rains. So I reason that any other design characteristics are purely intended for the beekeeper. As long as we keep the bees dry they should produce honey.

I have researched and read so much stuff on bees and hives that I think I will go crazy. There are so many benefits to the foundationless top bar type of hive and beekeeping that can be found though simple Internet searches that I will never have the time to list them here. There are also as many ideas on building top bar hives as there are people building them. So I will not list them here. What I will list are the issues that I think I have addressed below.

My design is a top bar hive that:
1) Is stackable for moving and storage.
2) Is easily moved with little or no damage to the top bar comb.
3) Easy to protect from varmints such as skunks.
4) Has a one bee space porch type entrance that;
a) allows guard bees to ambush unwanted guests.
b) is easily closed for moving.
c) can easily be reduced for over wintering.
d) does not allow for flying directly into the hive. This is needed to help keep unwanted guests out.
5) Eliminates or allows the bees to regulate high humidity.
6) Has built in temporary comb storage to allow for easier manipulation and inspection of the hive.
7) Can be "supered" with standard foundation type honey supers.
8) Brood chamber can be expanded easily.
9) Has open or mite screened bottom that can easily be reduced for over winter.
10) Is particularly suited for keeping more aggressive or "African" strains of bees.
11) Allows for a more natural hive development.
12) Honey can be harvested without disturbing the brood.
13) Aggressive bees can be relegated to the brood chamber to allow honey harvest with NO bees flying free to harass the keeper.
14) Up to 10 of these hives can easily be loaded in a US standard 8 foot pickup bed.

Other items:
1) A feeder that can feed either liquid bee feed or honey or solid fondant type food.
2) Rack to fit into a pickup truck to allow for greater ease in movement of hives.
3) Harvesting devices that allow for greater ease and faster harvest times.
4) Modifications to existing harvesting equipment to allow top bars.

Special note:
I have built prototypes of these hives and they are far simpler than it would seem.

My vision is to have this hive made in injection mold process but need someone to step forward and help with that process.

Getting ready

I spent all of the afternoon working on the new hives. The design is coming along nicely. I need build follower boards and the roof. All of the top bars are done. In all I have 135 top bars. I sure hope I get honey this year.

Blog Day 1

Just started this blog. I want to set a place for my adventures in bee keeping