Bad Back Bee Keeping, Any Advise?

[Hee Haw]

I am in my second year as a beekeeper, and find it very interesting, and am enjoying it very much,accept I have a bad back, previous back surgery years ago. After lifting a full super of honey yesterday to add another supper betweet them,I realized I better get some advise from others,and plan to make alterrations in order to stay in beekeeping.I am currently running 2 deep suppers on some hives, and 1 deep with 1 med on the other two hives.

Any of you out there do any alterations to compensate a bad back? Your insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#lighterboxes
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#horizontalhives
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#topbarhives
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeseightframemedium.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeshorizontalhives.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beescarts.htm

[ClatsOre]

I have same problem I went to Long hives that take Lang frames my hives are 4 feet long the bottom boards are removable so I can clean and put in screens in the summer… works great.

[peggjam]

You can always take the frames out one at a time, and place into smaller boxes that you can handle. I start with an empty box, and pull the full frames and place into the empty until I get a full super off, then use the now empty super for the next box. Or you could go to all mediums as MB suggests.

[nc checkers]

When taking off honey its best to team up with a friend if you can. Those supers move easy with someone at each end.

[Mabe]

Ditto for Peggjam's method.
Ever since I've had bees I've kept extra hive bodies and supers where I'm working. I can sit down and when I inspect or do manipulations I move frames instead of boxes. This method also forces me to pay more detailed attention to each frame and is a great opportunity to keep up the equipment as you can scrape/touch up paint every time you switch out a box if you want to. Of course, I only have 6 hives, so the time required isn't a big deal.

[power napper]

Just bite the bullet and go to medium frame equipment now! Eight frame supers will even make a better arrangement. Sell or trade the existing equipment that is deep! Sounds kinda harsh but now that I no longer have any deep frames makes me smile. That is what I did!

[peggjam]

But I like my deeps! I like the extra brood area, and the fact that I don't have to have alot of extra boxes to make up the differance. Interchangeablity is also important, so everything I have is deep.

[Sundance]

I use a modified 2 wheeler when
I offload empty supers. Haven't
had to worry until this year about
pulling honey.... Gonna have a
bunch this year.

I bought an electric hive lift.
An updated version of the old
Kelley lift. I am mounting it to
my 18 ft trailer, it has a 16 ft
swing out boom. My back would
fold if I didn't use something.

[tecumseh]

i feel your pain hee haw....

although smaller boxs are an excellect option, the change which made the greatest difference for me was to place my hives on stands. some back stress reduction is undoubtly associated with not being required to place each and every box at ground level when the hive is dissassembled and/or stooping to retrieve the same boxs upon reassembly. a stand height of about 14 to 16 inchs works for me.

[D. Murrell]

Hi Hee Haw,

Build a honey cow :>) That's a top bar hive with legs. It's an ideal solution for someone who doesn't want to lift tons of equipment and just wants a few hives.

A long hive with legs is also a great solution and allows standard frames, etc to be used.

Just build them with enough volume so that you can work them (or not) at your leisure. It they are too small, the bees needs could dictate a frequent working schedule which might not coincide with the needs of your back.

Regards
Dennis

[ June 30, 2006, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: B Wrangler ]

[beecron]

I use the one-at-a-time method suggested above(back surgery 1 1/2 yrs ago) when removing supers for harvest too.

--After lifting a full super of honey yesterday to add another supper betweet them...--

Why? Why put yourself through lifting off heavy supers to put an empty under them? Super on top. Read up on the theories of top supering in relation to upper entrances versus bottom entrances.

[palikaji]

I fell off a horse 2.5 years ago and permanently handicapped by back. Finally this year - its amazing how long it took - like 5 - someone I found out about 8 frame hives. Woo hoo, I can't believe they don't push these more in most of the supply houses! I'm in 8 frame bliss. I don't use any deeps they'll kill you for sure regardless how many frames. I use all medium depth boxes and have switched to 8 frame hives. You can cut them down from 10 frames boxes - see MBush's site, or order really nice ones from Brush Bee in North Carolina who also really support 8 frame users.

Also ditto on the stands, all my boxes are 12 - 16" off the ground and I have extra stands next to hives that I move around to wherever I'm working, so nothing is ever worked from ground level.

Finally a 18- 30 year old male helper has always been a treat now and then. (no jokes here, I mean with the bee work only y'all.)

[Michael Bush]

I put all my hives on treated four by fours. I sit on a toolbox (that is a deep nuc with a bottom and lid) to work the hives. When I set a box off of one of the hives I stack them on one of the other hives or one of the horizontal hives. I never set them on the ground because I don't want to bend over that far. I also don't like putting supers on from a step ladder.

[B100B101]

Hey - if any of you are attending the Heartland Apicutural Society meeting in Indiana this week, check out my seminar "Back Care for Beekeepers" July 6,7,8.

Best,
Joanne Thomas

[Aspera]

I just read a book on backyard beekeeping that, like Micheal, made a very strong argument for using 8 frame medium equipment (Brushy Sells the stuff).

[James Henderson]

As I am fast approaching the over the hill age of 40 (I AM NOT saying any of YOU are over the hill...JUST ME), I picked up a back brace at Lowe's.

It works wonders. I never work the bees without it. Even use it when extracting honey and planting stuff in the yard.

I also invested in a hive cart from Brushy Mountain a few months ago, which I use to move deeps and supers. It's like the one Michael has (premodification).

I am still looking for a 18- 30 year old male BEEKEEPING helper. Actually, female, long blond hair, mid to late 30s, enjoys honeybees and gardening; millionaire, would be preferable.

[Hee Haw]

Thanks Everyone for all the ideas. I just have 4 hives right now, I will rob these, transfering frame by frame into a empty supper in about 7 weeks.
Come next Spring,when I do my next splits I will try the black 8 frame perico meds. Thanks for all the great insight.
Any other ideas are welcome.

[sierrabees]

I use all of the above except the top frame or 8 frame mediums. I have had a history of back problems since I was 13 (now 67)and been in continuous pain for over thirty years. I quit beekeeping in the 1980's partially because of the pain of lifting and being put out of comission so often. I started back about three years ago and now have about 50 colonies, half in 8 frame deeps, half in 10 frames with deep first story and one or two shallows for the upper brood chamber.
Last year I experienced an interesting phenomena. I realized that for the first time in about five years I was forgetting to take my cane with me, and I didn't need it. I was pain free for the first time in 30 years. I was also very careless in my handling of the bees, working in a t-shirt with short sleeves and getting stung a lot. I had to stop that last winter when I opened an angry hive, picked up about twenty to thirty stings before I could get my gloves on, and ended up in the emergancy hospital going into shock. Not I work smarter, get stung less, and am experiencing some pain from my back and hips. For me it seems that if I pick up one to four stings a day my back does pretty well, over that number and I take a couple of benadryl right away.

One other thing that helps if you have the kind of wife I have is the two man(person)hive lifters you can get from most supply catalogs. My wife and I can easily lift two full 8 frame deeps without getting hurt and in one of my yards we have to carry them up a 45 degree hill a few feet.

Keep trying, work smart, get lighter equipment, and find a helper.

doug