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Let's talk about viewing-windows

24K views 61 replies 19 participants last post by  Che Guebuddha 
#1 ·
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Again, I did a search and couldn't find a thread dedicated to just top-bar viewing-windows..................am I wrong?

I am in the process of custom building two hives for a lady and I'm using the general design of Phil Chandler over at biobees.com
for the overall hive.

I saw someone mentioned over at his forums something about locking hinges. Has anyone here used those?

Please post photos of your viewing-windows and a bit of explanation about what works good about it and what doesn't work.

I was thinking about going with this general design. Any pros or cons I should look out for? (This is not my hive)



 
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#4 ·
Also, where you cut out the wood, insert a new piece the same size, glued to an additional, bigger piece of wood on the outside. This helps with insulation. I have my window attached with two hinges at the top and a slide lock on the side. I put the hinges at the top, b/c my little kiddos are often the ones peeking in. With the hinges at the top, if they forget to lock the window, the weight closes it somewhat. With the posted picture, if someone leaves the window open, the bees are fully exposed to the light.
 
#5 ·
Also, where you cut out the wood, insert a new piece the same size, glued to an additional, bigger piece of wood on the outside. This helps with insulation.
You could route a lip around a piece of wood too. I thought about doing this because my purchased hive has it but chose not to do it on the one I made. Instead I will put a half inch thick piece of foamboard insulation in between the glass and wood for winter, with tar paper or foil insulation covering the seam. That should give a better R value than the wood.
 
#6 ·
Make sure to leave room for expansion. I didn't use glass, I used 1/4 inch lexan. Glass would work better I would think, but I was worried about breaking it. It will get messy over time. I use the clasps with the bail on them. They work OK. The next one I may use the lock like you have in the picture. I've been told by the better half that the only hives allowed in the yard have to have windows in them!
 
#7 ·
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Since I live in Florida, is there really any reason to have the part of the door that extends into the window area a bit?

Notice the example I posted above. There is no raised part that fits snugly into the window opening - it just covers the outside flush.

What would be the drawback of just having it flush against the outside besides lack of insulation?
 
#12 ·
No, I didn't use locking hinges, as I used what was on-hand.
Used turnbuckles like you use for storm windows. Two at the top edge, two at the bottom edge. We like our windows!

Furniture Table Wood Bench


Then, I used a piece of duct tape to make a 'strap' which allows me to get the window out. I started with a piece of ribbon, but that ripped on some of the windows within a month, so I switched to duct tape. The sticky side of the tape is stuck to the inside of the window-cover. Then the remaining chunk of tape is folded back on itself to form a 'handle' of sorts.

My window-covers did swell in the heat. I ended up trimming just a 1/16" off all edges as I must have fit them too tightly to begin with. I had left a 1/8" gap all the way around - but that wasn't enough. Prying a window-cover off a hive full of bees is certainly exciting! I don't recommend it.....more gray hairs!
 
#14 ·
I prefer hinges on the bottom but also like some of the hives that I have seen where the door slides into place. The inside wall is routed so that the glass fits flush with the interior wall. I have a turnbuckle closure on one hive and a simple twist clasp on the other. During winter I place a sheet of the foil covered bubble wrap type of material in the outer depression and close the door over it.

Don't think you can go wrong with a window unless you neglect to put one in... I think it is one of the best features.
 
#15 ·
The full side glass looks nice. If you go that way make sure you use double strength glass or a Lexan type material. Especially if your ever planning on moving it; regular glass may crack as the full length box racks when you pick it up. Glass won't scratch up like the plastic when you cut loose any attached combs also. I router mine in, use bottom hinges. I buy a 4' piano hinge and just use ***** to cut them 1 1/2" long. You can make a lot of hinges out of a 4" piece.
 
#18 ·
Reflections can be a problem, don't know how to fix that, although the top swing out door should help, mine are pull out. When full of comb and bees a strong spot light helps but mine was still full and dark. You folk sure have some nice hives!
 
#19 ·
I don't make mine full length. I like the idea of them having more privacy and less light for the first 4 or 5 bars from the end where they start. Also they can seal that last area off in the winter better with them being totally surrounded by wood there. Glass will transmit cold down there if you make it full length. In my hives thats where the cluster ends up being in the winter so i like them surrounded by wood. I don't even bother in-setting the plexiglass in flush. Heck they can't tell the difference and i just nail it on the inside of the wood with the edge of thumbtacks. Works good and comes out easy. I use to put glass in my hives but it always breaks... just my humble 2 cents
 
#21 ·
The ones with the glass were older hives i first built, most of them 7-8 yrs old. Also using single strength glass... Moving them around and dropping them even gently cracks the glass. I'm pretty rough on my hives. I'm not gentle. I like to see how my designs hold up with rough use. I use all plexiglass now. Crystal clear, easy to cut and its much safer to use than glass. Problem solved and they almost never break, even shipping them.
 
#25 · (Edited)
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Does anyone have any suggestions about rust-proof (perhaps stainless steel) hardware for the hinges and lock/bolt device for the window cover?

I'm building twin hives for a lady who is demanding stainless hardware because she lives in St Petersburg, Florida, by the beach.

Here's my build thus far. And she wants it ALL painted white, even the roof shingles.

The white that's on the body is only a primer coat. I still have mucho painting to do.

They will have landing boards also, underneath the main three-hole entrance.:












Here is what I showed her and she told me she didn't want the brass hinges or the zinc-plated locking bolt. She wants stainless. She also (because I mentioned it) wants a chain for the door to hold it better so the hinges won't take such a beating......stainless, of course...... Yes, I know I only have two hinges on this hive that needs four. It's only a mock-up for now:







 
#28 ·
It's Phil Chandler's design over at biobees.com

The main idea behind it (which you may already know) is that the hive has two follower-boards which creates three different chambers. The main three holes are for the main middle chamber. Then on the back side are individual holes on the far sides for doing splits/raising nucs.

Supposedly it's working fine for many people. I'm not sure if the bees care where and how they enter, as long as they can enter.

But please elaborate on the issues you've been hearing about.
 
#30 ·
I think Stan is saying that as it can possibly increase the work of the beek. If the bees run out of room going one direction and you move the other follower you will end up with the stores on both sides of the brood nest. In the winter they cannot move from one end to the other. So in the fall you have to manipulate the bars to move the brood nest on one end. The problem you can run into with that is that the bars may not fit nicely next to each other.
 
#31 ·
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Here's what Phil Chandler at biobees says about his design:

You need to understand that the side entrances are used with two follower boards, as follows (see The Barefoot Beekeeper for full instructions).

Initially, the followers are placed either side of an introduced swarm or nucleus, with entrance holes also placed centrally, so the colony is held within the central third of the hive body. This means that they have a manageable volume within which to build their first combs, and I have found that this greatly increases the likelihood of these combs being built to follow the starter strips.

As comb building progresses, ONLY ONE follower is moved, two or three bars ahead of where the bees are building, so as to allow them to expand their colony unhindered. The space on the empty side of the non-moving follower is for use in making splits for increase or swarm prevention, if required.

The colony continues its expansion in one direction, initially placing stores above the brood, and the excess in combs beyond the brood area. As the colony contracts at the end of the season, the cluster forms close to the stored honey, and during the winter, they eat their way through their stores, comb by comb, moving away from the entrance. At no time is there any need to 'shuffle' combs. (Exceptionally, they may leave a comb of honey between the brood nest and the non-moving follower, which can be re-positioned at the far end if it is felt necessary.)

If - as is usually the case - there are empty combs either end of the colony as it approaches winter, they can be removed for melting (or stored for replacement in the same colony in the spring, if required). This enables the beekeeper easily to reduce the volume of the hive in winter, so the bees can more easily retain their heat.

Another major advantage of movable followers is that they enable the beekeeper to do a quick inspection of both ends of the colony at any time, with virtually no disturbance to the bees. You can check both stores and brood nest in a matter of seconds, without moving a single top bar, simply by sliding a follower away. Most times I do this, the bees barely notice. If I need to look a little deeper into the brood nest, for example, if I need to check for eggs or brood, then I can do so by moving only one or two top bars.

If you hold the colony against one end of the hive with a single follower - or use no followers at all - you cannot ever inspect the brood nest without moving nearly every bar in the hive!

As I said, the empty space beyond the non-moving follower can be used for making splits and for swarm control, as I provide it with another entrance on the opposite side of the hive to the main entrance.
 
#32 ·
Yes, I've read Phil's writtings and understand the philosophy. It sounds really good, but you limit the expansion of your hive or you set yourself up for having to re-arrange the combs if you have large hives that fill out the hive.

You can still inspect from the one end if you use a shortened follower board that you can remove and be at the front of the brood nest. If you put your entrances on one side towards one end you can also use a follower board.

It is what ever works best for the beek. If you like center entrances go with them.
 
#51 ·
I started out building two hives exactly to Phil's plan (three center holes), and hived my first package April 2012. I did no rearranging for the winter. Even with our extended cold and wet spring this year, my bees made it through and are still going strong.

That said, many people over at Biobees are re-thinking the center entrances, so I revamped the second hive to have end entrance holes, placed so I could have one top-bar blank, then a follower board, which will allow for inspection of the brood nest without too much disruption.

One of the main reasons Phil uses central entrance holes is to make the hive more mouse proof. Since, after watching my bees coming into the hive loaded down with pollen, I also added landing boards, plus moving the entrances to the end, I had to come up with a mouse excluder.

Wall Shelf Furniture Room Table
Wall Room Ceiling Stairs Plaster
 
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