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I need to build a hive stand to hold maybe three hives, and I'm trying to put together some idea of how to do one that will prevent SHB's and ants from just walking in. For materials, I've got a broken heavy duty aluminum extension ladder that I think would make a great horizontal platform to set the hives on. I also liked an idea I got from Goat Man for the stand legs. He runs them through PVC pipe end caps with their open end pointed down, then fills that protected hollow with stiff grease that the beetles and ants can't cross, but I'm not sure what he used for the legs. He did mention rebar, but I don't remember just how that was used.
I'm thinking of embedding lengths of 2 in. Schedule 40 PVC pipe into concrete footings, cutting holes through 3 in. PVC pipe caps to slide over and seal to the legs inverted, then cap off the tops of the legs with 2 in. pipe caps to keep water out. Where i'm looking for ideas is in how to attach the ladder to the PVC legs securely enough to support up to three hives. My best idea so far is to use "U" bolts to attach cross pieces of treated 2 x 6 lumber that a piece of the aluminum ladder can be attached to with deck screws. I'm afraid they'd slip down though, with the weight of the hives. One solution for that would be to make the legs two piece, joined with a PVC coupler that would stop the "U" bolts from slipping down. This is getting really complicated though, and if someone else has done something like this, I don't want to reinvent the wheel.
I really don't want to drill any holes in the PVC pipe legs. Any water getting in could freeze in cold weather and break the stand legs. I'd also like some opinions on how high off the ground an ideal hive stand would locate the hives. I know they could get quite high with a few supers on them. I'm running 10-frame Langstroth hives, and I'm completely new to all this. Thanks a lot for any ideas you might have. :scratch:
I'm thinking of embedding lengths of 2 in. Schedule 40 PVC pipe into concrete footings, cutting holes through 3 in. PVC pipe caps to slide over and seal to the legs inverted, then cap off the tops of the legs with 2 in. pipe caps to keep water out. Where i'm looking for ideas is in how to attach the ladder to the PVC legs securely enough to support up to three hives. My best idea so far is to use "U" bolts to attach cross pieces of treated 2 x 6 lumber that a piece of the aluminum ladder can be attached to with deck screws. I'm afraid they'd slip down though, with the weight of the hives. One solution for that would be to make the legs two piece, joined with a PVC coupler that would stop the "U" bolts from slipping down. This is getting really complicated though, and if someone else has done something like this, I don't want to reinvent the wheel.
I really don't want to drill any holes in the PVC pipe legs. Any water getting in could freeze in cold weather and break the stand legs. I'd also like some opinions on how high off the ground an ideal hive stand would locate the hives. I know they could get quite high with a few supers on them. I'm running 10-frame Langstroth hives, and I'm completely new to all this. Thanks a lot for any ideas you might have. :scratch: