Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: contactme_11 on July 22, 2008, 12:47:11 am
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I'm thinking of building some new hive stands and I'm curious to know how high off the ground you guys keep them. Just curious if anyone has found any particular advantage to a specific height? Pros/ Cons?
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I was thinking 14-16"
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I use 4 x 4's and cinder blocks, quick and easy. Here's a pic: (http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5306/cimg2328fp1.th.jpg) (http://img149.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2328fp1.jpg)
...JP
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looks solid
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High enough that it's off the ground, and low enough that the uppermost super sits below your shoulders. Otherwise you'll have a heck of a time lifting those supers off when they're full.
That means if you stack your hives, you'll need it to be lower than if you don't stack them. If you're tall you can have it a bit higher. Once you get it a couple inches off the ground, it's whatever is most convenient for you.
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Mine are all 3 1/2".
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I've had them 18 inches high at first..I made them from Dexion(angle iron with holes)but felt that they might get too tall eventually. Ive made them from cemented 4x4s in the ground, 12 inches high.This was good but more work than necessary.. My most recent ones are just like JPs..I think steveok did his like JP too..They are very easy to put together, in just a matter of a few minutes, and very strong!
Hey,...Where is Steveok?
Wheres Dayvalley Dahlia?..She didnt get in the fire, did she?
I miss them both!
your friend,
john
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I've had them 18 inches high at first..I made them from Dexion(angle iron with holes)but felt that they might get too tall eventually. Ive made them from cemented 4x4s in the ground, 12 inches high.This was good but more work than necessary.. My most recent ones are just like JPs..I think steveok did his like JP too..They are very easy to put together, in just a matter of a few minutes, and very strong!
Hey,...Where is Steveok?
Wheres Dayvalley Dahlia?..She didnt get in the fire, did she?
I miss them both!
your friend,
john
Actually John, they take mere seconds to put up in reality.
...JP
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i have some that are 6" and one that is about 4" off the ground.
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I put mine on cement blocks, which was a mistake because I have no way to slide a mite count board under the SBB. Gonna have to shim the whole hive to provide a slot. My helper says it won't be a big deal to prop the 2 deeps and 1 medium super up to shim it. Problem is, it will take the 2 of us, and he is afraid of the bees :-)
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use your hive tool like a pry bar under the bottom board and shim one corner at a time.
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I know it when I see it; this is too tall:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2662258417_273cc3abc1.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbroberg/2662258417/)
So this was our first hive. We had no idea we'd need to stack three medium supers on it this year. Live and learn. Now the extra weight has caused the mounts to settle into the ground a bit unevenly too. It didn't seem to make much difference until all those supers went on and now the extra height exaggerates the very slight angle. We'll be moving this one to a new hive stand some time later this summer.
The cinder-block idea looks simple and effective.
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Um yeah, that has got to be a difficult task at that height. Bet your arms are sore after doing the 60lb military press to remove those mediums. :-D
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I like it, 2 wheeler!!
I'd like to see you work it too! :-D I like the idea that you have a picture of your first hive like this too!.Good thinking! ( The picture, I mean!)
I bet when a stranger see this, and theres nobody around, They probably say to themselves"Geez, I sure dont wanna mess with the guy who owns THAT bee hive!"
your friend,
john
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We harvested that extra tall hive today. What fun it was from the ladder - not! Here's my better half checking things out from the nose-bleed altitude. But I was the one lifting those monsters from that angle.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/2705599934_0a90170e03.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbroberg/2705599934/)
It's been a great year for our bees and our honey. We've bottled over 120# from the two hives so far and they're still going strong. We still have 2 fully loaded and nearly capped supers on each hive for a later harvest. :-D
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>What fun it was from the ladder - not!
Now you see why I moved mine down to 3 1/2". :)
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I'm a believer in lower hives. Mine have not needed stacking of multiple supers yet, so I have not yet expereinced the benefit of not having to reach. I have enjoyed the benefits of not having to stoop and put pressure on my back. I put my hives on a cinder block on the front and one on the rear. I level them all ways first. When I work the hive, I simply kneel down on the ground next to them rather than bend over. It has really saved my back when pulling and closely examining 20 frames out of two deeps.
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Mine are about 18" high but I think I'm going to knock off about 6". My business partner is 6' 4" and he doesn't have too much problem reaching the top but it's a bit of a stretch for me at 5' 9". I made mine out of steel I got from the job. I welded the four legs to a sheet of 7 gauge plate steel then welded a 'handle' to the bottom to hook my ratcheting tie down straps to and to hook a turnbuckle. I got a screw-in dog tie out stake and screwed it into the ground under the stand and hooked the other end of the turnbuckle to it and pulled the stand down tight. The critters can't tip it over, although that doesn't seem like it's going to be a problem. I made two more this year using stainless steel angle for a box to set the hive stand into and welded on four legs and a cross member to weld the 'handle' to for the tie downs. It's probably all overkill but I have the materials and the equipment to make the stands. The first two I made I painted with an etching primer and then topcoated with Krylon. The finish held up well for two years with only a little surface rust. I stripped the paint this year and refinished them. The two stainless ones I made this year won't have a rust problem and will require very little maintenance.
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My hive stands are about 9 inches. I take 2 4X4s stacked then tie them together with 2X2s or 2X4s. I cut the 4X4 the same length as the hive and add the crossmembers. I tack a sheet of old vineer or pressboard on the bottom to control wees.
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I use 4 x 4's and cinder blocks, quick and easy. Here's a pic: (http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5306/cimg2328fp1.th.jpg) (http://img149.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2328fp1.jpg)
...JP
That's exactly how I did mine, but with only 2 hives currently. It's a very solid and easy way to make nice level stable hive stands. Mine are actually a bit lower; because I made the platform perfectly level side to side by digging a hole then adding sand up to the appropriate height to level it. It's take a serious earthquake, tornado or a bear (all but the tornado are so rare in missouri it's not worth worrying about) to knock it over.
(http://C:\Documents and Settings\jeremy\Desktop\P8220562.JPG)