Alternative Equipment Why alternative equipment? By Michael Bush Copyright 2005

Why alternative equipment? To Reduce Lifting –We beekeepers are aging –People in general are not as strong feed used to come in 100# sacks now 50# –Gravity is getting stronger Ive noticed this every year and cant understand why its not being investigated

Why Alternative Equipment? Cost –Some alternatives are less expensive Standardization –Some alternatives simplify and standardize Dealing with Pests –Some alternatives help with mites, skunks and other problems

Lifting How much do you want to lift? The weight, full of honey of a: 10 frame deep: 90# 10 frame medium: 60# 8 frame medium: 48#

Comparative weight of full boxes

Lifting One alternative to lifting as much, is to standardize on all medium depth frames and boxes.

Standardization All the same size frames means: The option to use surplus honey to boost other hives for winter Allows opening up the brood nest by moving up honey and brood to the box above Simplifies life because everything is the same size

How to convert to mediums Just buy mediums instead of other sizes Cut down deep boxes Cut down deep frames Add onto shallow boxes

Converting to 8 frame boxes Only buy 8 frame boxes Use existing 10 frame boxes for brood and use 8 frame boxes for supers

8 frame 10 frame 8 frame

Long Hives Can use deep frames without cutting down Can reduce or eliminate the amount of honey supers lifted on and off to get to a brood chamber to inspect

Top Bar Hives Less expensive to build Clean wax because the comb is built by the bees without foundation Natural sized cells to help with Varroa mites, but without expensive foundation Can easily do natural spacing (1 ¼) of brood combs for smaller cells Bees stay calm because only a small amount of the hive is open at one time

Kinds of top bar hives Kenya top bar hive (KTBH) –Sloped sides for less stress on the comb Tanzanian top bar hive (TTBH) –Square sides for ease of manufacture

Foundationless Frames To get the same effect of natural sized cells with frames you can use: A frame with a comb guide A frame with a small cell starter strip A frame with a blank starter strip

Historically proven technology

Ventilation Adding top ventilation with a top entrance –Also controls skunks if you eliminate the bottom entrance

Other equipment Smoker Insert –Keeps smoker from going out

Contact Info: For more info, questions, or to discuss this further: bees at bushfarms com