[JWChesnut]

I consider this the first postulate of beekeeping~~
"No matter how many boxes you start the season in reserve, there will come a day in June when you are scrambling to fabricate more."
Jenga anyone?

 

[78-79fordman]

Agreed . Lol I have a semi delivery tomorrow on hive body's my self didnt think I ordered that many . But truck'n company called to confirm it . Lol

 

[angel]

x2! Picking up 50+ this weekend! Nice photo, I'd frame.

 

[Moonflower]

Nice garden & wood piece/sculpture. Boxes look great too!

 

[Phoebee]

Honestly, we have not had that happen yet. What we have noticed is that as soon as you get your order of supplies in that has everything you could possibly need, you need enough other things to place another order.

First order: two complete starter hives with extras such as beetle traps and feeders, plus smokers, bee suits, etc.

Second order: a complete third hive identical to the first two, because you need something for swarms and, what the heck, be ready to expand. Oh, and some warning signs and ....

Third order: A bee life cycle poster would be nice. Oh, and while we're at it the beekeeper's year. And a new hood and some gloves. Wow, an observation hive for under $150. We need one of those!

The third order having arrived, I'm thinking some shallows to make quilt boxes and corpse boards might be a good idea.

 

[Andrew Dewey]

and corpse boards might be a good idea.

OK, I'll bite, what is a corpse board?

I just got an order from Brushy consisting of queen cages, a queen marking pen and a couple of decals for me to give to friends.

 

[beemandan]

A corollary, in my opinion....never underestimate your bees.
I was out checking hives yesterday and today....and I still have some bees drawing comb. Never, in my memory have I ever had this happening so late. I open up a hive expecting to see undrawn foundation that was put on two weeks ago....and it is all drawn out and filled.....and there are a load of bees on the frames looking up at me....and it looks like they're thinking....'it's about time that fool came around to check.' And, of course, I have plenty of frames with foundation....but have run out of boxes to put them in.

 

[Sovek]

This is the one that worries me with my Top Bars, the inability to easily expand and/or split hives... combining could be problematic as well. The upside though is that its cheaper to do and with some practice becomes quick to assemble

 

[psfred]

I have all the hive bodies and supers I intended to use for expansion this year but lost two hives and didn't need them. Well, sort of didn't need them -- my package just got the second medium on top of the deep today, and I put another shallow on the big hive -- this make three boxes completely full, and the last one of foundation I put on a couple weeks ago is almost completely drawn and they are capping it in the center of the frames. Monster honey year, I think, as we are just now at the end of catalpa bloom! Got clover yet, plus the fall stuff.

It's very difficult to stay ahead on frames and boxes, they seem to disappear very quickly for some reason.

I'm also short of nuc boxes, only two left and I plan to use those for overwintering. Guess I need to get busy this weekend and make more.

Peter

 

[Acebird]

Normally I would agree. But the scramble I think is in the spring when there are many unknowns. Changes or developments occur in the summer that could be bounty or bust. I find myself not in need of equipment right now because of what I did in the spring.

 

[Phoebee]

OK, I'll bite, what is a corpse board?

I just got an order from Brushy consisting of queen cages, a queen marking pen and a couple of decals for me to give to friends.

A shallow box on four legs, screened bottom, placed in front of the entrance of a hive on a stand. This collects cast-off bees for analysis. Bayer uses them at their research center to collect dead bees to determine cause of death.

I may not like their products, but they have some interesting methods.

 

[Lauri]

Tell me it's not so! My hands are so sore from splinters, scratches, stings and the like, I don't think I can fabricate much more. Check out those nails:

Nothing that a few days at the beach won't cure though. A little salt water therapy

 

[sqkcrk]

I knew u had muscles, Lauri. But I didn't know they were that big.

:lookout:I know that isn't a muscle. Don't shoot me.

 

[GLOCK]

I'm am ready

 

[slimspickin]

[URL="[/URL]
This is my first year I started with 26 colonies so I built 300 mediums and 150 tops and bottoms I am at 48 colonies now so I am glad I built everything ahead of time. Better to have extra in my eyes

 

[sqkcrk]

It's always best to have more than you need than it is to have less. Of course.

slim, why do some boxes have hand holds and some not? Aren't those w/out hand holds going to be hard to pick up?

 

[slimspickin]

sqkcrk- the picture was from winter I was in the process of cutting handles when I took it I finished cutting them all and finally finished treating and painting everything.

 

[Lauri]

Look at you guys go! Thanks for the inspiration. Glock, I like that blue color. Ya, this was me last winter. (Who else remembers working in the wood shop on those bitter cold winter days?)

It is probably not enough.

But I'm using 8 frame deeps for nuc's now. Room to grow and room for interior feeder

 

[jsorber]

ooohhh...razor clams!

 

[sqkcrk]

sqkcrk- the picture was from winter I was in the process of cutting handles when I took it I finished cutting them all and finally finished treating and painting everything.

So you cut the handles after assembly? How do you do that?