Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Beelab on May 01, 2021, 09:06:28 am
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I have a few hive stand situations around my place, but what is the easiest and quickest solution for a stand for 2 hives with a bit of room to work them?
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A double stack of cinder blocks set under each end of a couple piece(s) of scrap lumber. 2x4's or 2x6's or some such. Cut to length if needed.
Wish I could take a picture - mine are about 6' behind me right now. ... but I'm in my blind, and there's a Tom turkey working his way in right now. Sorry - its archery season. :cool:
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The Tom went the other way. Here's a picture of what I do.
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A double stack of cinder blocks set under each end of a couple piece(s) of scrap lumber. 2x4's or 2x6's or some such. Cut to length if needed.
Wish I could take a picture - mine are about 6' behind me right now. ... but I'm in my blind, and there's a Tom turkey working his way in right now. Sorry - its archery season. :cool:
Multitasking this morning, Alan? :cheesy:
I just use 2 cinder blocks as a hive stand. Level the ground, space them far enough apart, set the bottom board on them, done.
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Multitasking this morning, Alan? :cheesy:
I just use 2 cinder blocks as a hive stand. Level the ground, space them far enough apart, set the bottom board on them, done.
:cool: yup.
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mainly cinder blocks ill build a wooden one if on a slope.
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In an outyard where I leave splits, I use two aluminum sawhorses, four pressure-treated studs, and 2-1/2" deck screws to build a hive/work platform suitable for 2-3 hives. Cheap, easy, portable, comfortable working height.
Cut 25" inches off the end of each of the four studs. Set them on the sawhorses, and space them 3.5 inches apart. (Use a cutoff for spacing as you assemble.) Fasten the short pieces perpendicular to the long ones. The screws will be hidden underneath when you flip it over.
The gap between the studs allows rain to drain.
After trying several methods, this is my preferred setup for working two small-medium hives or 3 nucs. It provides place to lay the lid, set tools, set the smoker where it doesn't catch your mulch on fire. A ceramic tile works great as a "trivet" for the smoker.
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Individual stands I made. Also use the blocks and 4x4s.
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Excellent ideas here. It?s gonna be on a hill.
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Just take you a hoe or shovel.
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I had a couple of those steel frame dog beds, you know, the ones that you put a hessian bag on. I added some pipe to the legs and cross braces to raise it to a comfortable height then made a simple slatted base and whacked a lick of paint on them. I fit 2 hives on one stand with a comfortable space between them to sit a spare box and tools.
Cinder blocks are easier I agree however ants always seem to be an issue here and I simply grease a section of the legs and re apply every now and then and no worries. High temp grease.
Probably wouldn?t advise situating hives on a slope, last thing you want is to lose your balance and fall while holding a box full of annoyed insects with a distinct way of voicing their grievances.
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I make my hive stands out of pressure treated 2x4's and 4x4's, mainly salvaged lumber from stuff I pick up. The sides are 4x4's cut to 21 inches and the ends are the 2x4's cut to 18 inches. I nail the 2x4's on the ends of the 4x4's and set them up on 3 cinder blocks, one per side and one across the front. Any shimming needed goes between the cinder blocks and the wood base. I leave just enough room between the hives to stand or step through if needed but mainly work them from the rear. Think some of my first bases made that way are over 15 years old and still going strong. Not sure how cost efficient the design would be for a big operation but as a hobbyist with just six hives they work great for me.
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Each of these shown and described stands are nice. I have a question. When you add more boxes to the taller ones, do you have much trouble handling these hives when that point is reached?
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I usually just have 2 deep supers on the one deep broodbox. Always a comfortable reach.
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Use 4 cinder block and 2 4x4s. Do not try to put the 4x4s on just one cinder block. It makes it too easy to tip the hives over. Make it so that the front of the boxes are lined up with the front 4x4 and leave the back of the hive over hang one inch. This allows you to feel how heavy the hive is.
Jim Altmiller
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https://photos.app.goo.gl/mGRhbW3HmgqJRBUb8
Nothing fancy.
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The Tom went the other way.
He saw ya tapping on your phone CB. Eyes on the prize, pal!
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The Tom went the other way.
He saw ya tapping on your phone CB. Eyes on the prize, pal!
:cheesy: back at it again this morning .... cell phone in hand ... :cool:
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I made use of wooden playground equipment we replaced at church. skip in the middle is full now.
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I made use of wooden playground equipment we replaced at church. skip in the middle is full now.
Njce!
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Njce!
[/quote]
Hive stands or turkeys in the back?
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Both 😊
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Due to environmental issues (I'm in a very wet and humid climate area), I primarily use just cinder blocks as they won't rot, sag, rust or lose strength over time like wood or iron. They're cheap enough and tolerate reasonable abuse moving them around. In a few circumstances (very uneven ground), I use cinderblocks with multiple 10' 2x4's to make a stand to hold 5-6 hives (8-frame hives & 5-frame NUC's).
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Quick and easy. T-posts, U-bolts, and 4x4 posts. Took me about 30 minutes to set this one up from start to finish. This hive stand is really great for a sloping lot.
The 8 frame supers are actually top feeders that will be removed once my packages draw out the foundations.
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Major, if those hives amount to anything they could all topple over with the weight of honey. The fence post will sink unevenly.
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Argh.
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Major, if those hives amount to anything they could all topple over with the weight of honey. The fence post will sink unevenly.
Hmmm, you may be right, I guess I'll carry a bag of ready mix over there and pour some collars around those posts to keep them from sinking.
This is a modified design of the one Frederick Dunn uses. He claims to have been using this type of hive stand for 12 years without any problems. His design uses metal electrical conduit instead of wooden posts and he uses a set of t-posts between each hive along the stand. He likes to run a ratchet strap over each hive too.
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If your soil is rocky enough you might be OK but the post are designed to be driven in the ground easily. If you cast the collar with a hole in the center you can slip it over the post and put a bolt thorough the nearest hole and then tap it down until the bolt touches your cast block. Then you can move and reuse. It wouldn't hurt to X brace the polls so the whole thing doesn't rock in the wind. Fence wire is good enough.