Today I Made

[Ben Framed]

Very good looking quality work Les...

Phillip

[The15thMember]

That's phenomenal, Les.  I knew you could do it! 

I actually built something this week.  I needed a couple more moisture quilts for the upcoming winter.  I make them by taking a shallow super, drilling vent holes in the side with a countersink bit, and then putting hardware cloth halfway up the super.  We do have a staple gun, but it's really old and temperamental and I'm kind of scared to use it, so I just use thumbtacks to affix the mesh.  This way I can fill the top of the box with wood chips to absorb moisture over the winter, and the bottom space gives me room for emergency winter feed.  I'll cover the vent holes with mesh too once I get the boxes painted. 
 

[Lesgold]

Good stuff Reagan. To me, what you have done is a good example of what we have to do as beekeepers. We make stuff using the resources that we have around us to solve a problem or save a few dollars.

[Lesgold]

I was able to get a bit more done this morning. The plywood for the top was cut and fitted as well as a ladder to enable bees to climb the vertical face to get to the plywood where the actual trap strips will be fitted. I will cut a hole in the plywood when the plastic strips arrive early next week. I want to be able to see what I?m working with. A sliding entry was also attached today. Two cup head bolts with wing nuts will secure the entry block to allow the bees to enter below the pollen trap and move straight into the hive or an upper entry can be created to enable the pollen trap to be engaged. This was a good feature in the Sundance trap and I thought I?d follow suit.

[Ben Framed]

Les it appears your very nicely made pollen trap is soon to be finished. I would like to see pictures of bees entering and exiting the trap as well when the time is right, pictures retrieving pollen from the pollen holding area of the trap. I am of the opinion you are doing a "great job" on this project! I would like to thank you once again for sharing this with us!!!

Phillip

[Lesgold]

Thanks Phillip. It will be a few more days before my order is delivered and then I will be able to get back into construction mode. I spent a bit of time this afternoon modifying the lid that I made late last week. Michael?s comment about bee space in the lid not being correct ended up having a simple solution. A piece of plywood was added to the inside to reduced the gap to 9mm. I now have a lid with an enclosed air space which will improve thermal properties as well. I was thinking that shredded paper or layers of corrugated cardboard added to the space would help to keep the hive cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

[Lesgold]

Put the top entry lid on a hive yesterday to see how the bees would take to it. The bottom entrance was blocked and I sat down and watched to reaction of the hive. As there were a lot of bees in the field, the consequence of this action was obvious. Bees quickly accumulated at the blocked entrance and numbers built quickly. There was one very small gap in the corner that wasn?t fully sealed. Quite a few bees tried to burrow their way in but as the gap was only about 1mm wide, they couldn?t make any progress. The interesting aspect of the experiment was how the bees reacted to the top entrance. Within a minute, guards established a base at the new opening and started fanning. The odd bee that had settled at the old entrance became airborne and flew towards the guard bees. A few started to enter and eventually the cluster at the base started to diminish slightly. Late in the afternoon there were still a couple of hundred determined bees at the old entrance with most adopting the new high entry point. It may take a few days for the transition to be completed. I will check again later this morning.

[The15thMember]

Late in the afternoon there were still a couple of hundred determined bees at the old entrance with most adopting the new high entry point. It may take a few days for the transition to be completed.

It usually takes my girls 24 hours at least to learn my bottom trap, so it wouldn't surprise me if it takes them a few days to get the hang of it. 

[Lesgold]

As the pollen trap I?m making is a top mounted trap, it becomes a two part issue for the bees. I thought it would be easier if the change was staged over a few days. Hopefully the trap will be finished towards the end of the week.

[Lesgold]

The strips for the traps arrived today. When I looked at them, the holes were just a bit smaller than I would have liked. It was suggested that 5mm holes is a standard size that is used for pollen traps in my state. When tested against drill bits, it appeared as though they were about 4.7mm. Decided to run a 5mm bit through each hole just to enlarge them slightly. I was surprised as to how quickly this task was completed. The strips were stapled below the plywood so that a natural dam would be formed to prevent any lateral movement of the pollen. If my thinking is a bit off, I can always change this later as non of the components will be glued in place until the trap operates as it should. The next step is to put a layer of mesh below the entry strips.

[Michael Bush]

First you need to get them working the top entrance if they are used to a bottom entrance.  Then give that a few days to a week.  Then use the trap.

[Lesgold]

Thanks Michael. That?s the plan. With the top entrance in use for a day now, I?m already noticing the bees slowly making an adjustment. I?ll be interested to see how the hive is performing in a few more days.

[Ben Framed]

"Lesgold"
When tested against drill bits, it appeared as though they were about 4.7mm. Decided to run a 5mm bit through each hole just to enlarge them slightly.

Les the .3 mm difference could have very well have been a problem. I hope this works out for you. Did you by chance check the holes sizes on the plastic 'purchased trap' that you pictured in an earlier photo on the topic "Re: Pollen and Other Specialty Bee Products (Re: Today I Made)?" Reply 31

Phillip

[Lesgold]

Hi Phillip,

I measured the opening size on the yellow trap using my 5mm drill as a guide. As you know, the openings are a trapezium and not round like the current trap that is being constructed. The parallel sides of the opening are about 5mm apart whereas the long and short sides are a little larger and a little shorter than this distance. At a guess I would say that 4.5mm and 5.5mm would be close to the measurements on these sides. The length of the diagonals is also slightly over 5mm. It will be interesting to see what happens. If the trap doesn?t remove most of the pollen coming in, that is still a good outcome. I may get a chance to get back to the project later in the afternoon.

[Lesgold]

The middle shelf below the pollen trap entrance was constructed this morning. A couple of spacers were attached to stop the sagging of the entry shelf. The bee escape into the hive will be via slots on the side. A drawer opening was also constructed. The final task is to build a pollen drawer and then I will test the trap before it is painted.

[Lesgold]

Just finished the pollen trap. When the glue dries, I will put it on a hive that has been given a top entry. After 3 days, the transition has taken effect and most of the bees are now ignoring the old entrance (except for a few that persist at a small gap at the bottom of the hive)

[Ben Framed]

Awesome, can't wait for the results!

[Lesgold]

The trap was placed on the hive 15 minutes ago. As you can see from the photo, the bees immediately adopted the entrance which was the first part of the test getting a tick. You may not be able to see it but there is not a huge amount of pollen coming in due to the slow build up this season. That?s OK as the real purpose of the exercise is to see if the trap works. I sat down next to the hive and watched bee movement for about 5 minutes. I did notice some bees with pollen still attached coming out the entrance. This would be expected as they will need time to negotiate their way through the maze and would be a little confused at the moment. Tomorrow the lid will be lifted to see traffic movement through the trap. If the hole and mesh sizes are within limits, I would expect to see a small amount pollen in the screened drawer. Exit via the escape cones will also be examined and will also be an important aspect in relation to the success of the project.

[Ben Framed]

Thanks for the update Les. Looking good!

Phillip

[The15thMember]

Amazing, Les!  I can't wait to see what you collect.