Author Topic: Mountain camp basket (Read 4942 times)

tjc1 · « **on:** October 03, 2015, 04:00:32 pm »

Seems I saw this idea suggested last winter... I made this basket for mountain camp feeding. The ideas were 1. to contain the sugar to make it easier to add sugar to if necessary and easier to remove left-over sugar in the spring, and 2. to keep from blocking off the tops of the frames to allow the bees and air to circulate at the top of the hive The strips of wood stapled to the basket are bee-space thickness. I made it about square so that there is open space above the frames at the front of the hive. The idea is to line the bottom with newspaper, as with standard mt camp.Any thoughts or experience with this idea?

jalentour · « **Reply #1 on:** October 05, 2015, 11:16:29 pm »

I like it.
Mainly, if I don't have time to make shims, I think I could use an extra medium instead.
Slide it in, fill it up and check on it from time to time.
Re-purpose the medium in the spring.
Your thoughts?

tjc1 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 06, 2015, 09:57:03 pm »

I would worry that having too much empty space overhead would cause heat loss making it harder for the bees to keep the cluster warm. So I would think that a shim might be better - just big enough to fit the basket/sugar. But that's just a hunch.

jalentour · « **Reply #3 on:** October 07, 2015, 12:54:55 am »

Right after I posted it occurred to me a 1/8" board divider with some type of burlap and wood shaving insulation would fit nicely in the empty space above the basket. Nothing too tight.

mtnb · « **Reply #4 on:** October 07, 2015, 12:44:09 pm »

That's not a bad idea. I like how it gives them space to move around on the top frames. I was just talking to my sorta local, within an hour, beeguy over the weekend to make sure I'm setting it up right for the winter. He told me to put the mt. Camp in like a 2" shim, then the inner cover notch down, then another little shim with a piece of thick styrofoam, then the outer cover. I wonder if you could do the basket, then some burlap and shavings to fill the rest gap, then inner cover, etc? I like it. I think I'll build one. What size wire did you use?...hey, you could even make a little pillow type contraption with the shavings so it would be easy to lift off and check and replace sugar if needed, and then cover it all right back up...I like it! lol

tjc1 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 07, 2015, 10:46:31 pm »

It's just from a roll of standard hardware cloth. I put it inside a 1 3/4 " shim. Over this I put the inner cover, notch down, but with the center hole blocked off (a piece of flashing taped over it). Above that I put an empty super filled with a bat of fiberglass insulation, then the outer cover. This works great to keep the inner cover warm enough to avoid condensation and dripping, tho I suppose that the sugar would catch any drips (until the bees ate the sugar).

Linda M. · « **Reply #6 on:** October 14, 2015, 08:19:36 pm »

How does this work? (I'm new to this) If the bees start at the bottom brood box and eat their way up through the winter to the top, do they get to the sugar in Jan or February? Do all the bees just cluster at the top and eat the sugar? (seems like a lot of bees to be at the top to eat) If you lay a sheet of newspaper across the top frames do they nibble through the paper to get to the sugar and the sugar dribbles down through to the bees through the nibbled holes? Or does the outside bees of the cluster grab some sugar and pass it along to the other bees? Guess I haven't quite figured this out yet.
Thanks in advance for any info to help me understand.

tjc1 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 14, 2015, 09:34:27 pm »

The sugar is poured onto a sheet of newspaper (either in the basket or on the uppermost frames) and then misted with water so that it clumps and eventually hardens (left loose, the bees are likely to cart it out as trash). It is late winter emergency feed in the case the bees run out of stores. If they do run out/run low, they will be at the top of the hive anyway, where they will chew through the paper and lick the sugar. During late winter hive checks, you can add more sugar if they are eating it all up. It has the added benefit of absorbing moisture in the hive and helping to keep any condensation from dripping down on the cluster.

OldMech · « **Reply #8 on:** October 14, 2015, 11:30:09 pm »

If its cold when the sugar gets poured on they wont cart it out, they will use it. they will eat through the paper as necessary. if you were about to starve wouldnt you?

The problem with loose sugar is that a lot of it will end up in the bottom of the hive come spring. Not really a bad thing, because your going to scrape the bottom board anyhow right? The bad part is if it plugs up the lower entrance.. so long as you are using a top vent/entrance even that will not cause a problem.
This page shows how I winter here, and the "cakes" I make to do so. The advantage to cakes is that you dont need a candy thermometer, just sugar and water, and a pan to press it into to let it dry and harden.. The good news is, if the bees dont need it, or use it, you can still dissolve it into 1/1 syrup for spring, OR, save it for next winter!

http://www.outyard.net/index.html

Linda M. · « **Reply #9 on:** October 15, 2015, 08:26:38 pm »

Thanks OldMech! That link to your website was very helpful!! Full of lots of great information! Good thing for this internet and all the information you guys share - I'm very grateful for all of you!

rober · « **Reply #10 on:** October 25, 2015, 10:48:06 am »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WLCc21-Hkhere's one way.

I've made several candy boards over the years but decided on this change; I'm now making the same sugar syrup recipe as I used on the candy board & pouring into baking pans. after it sets up I remove & put thin sticks on top of the frames & put the candy on the sticks. I then put a 2" spacer rim on & close the hive. my thinking is I have a lot of 2" spacers that I use for treating mites, adding pollen cakes, etc. by using them for candy as well I'm getting double duty on the rims. we all have plenty of equipment to store & eliminating more candy boards frees up that much more space.

mtnb · « **Reply #11 on:** October 25, 2015, 12:28:31 pm »

Thank you roper. That's a good video. I like how you just layed those sticks on the top frames.

Here's my update. I did make a basket per tjc1. I like it but it was a pain to make. I also made a pillow filled with red cedar shavings I got from the pet store. http://s284.photobucket.com/user/MTBeeGirl/media/Wintering%202015/image.jpg1_zps1aka7cqt.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

This is where I'm at. My question now is about the vent hole/upper entrance. I see in your video, roper, that you are not using a quilt or styrofoam and therefore your outer cover can lay securely over the upper entrance, like you show. For me, as in the picture in the link above, the yellow wedge is where I have my gallon feeder baggy right now and that will be the box for the basket with the pillow on top. I'm thinking of putting a 3/4" hole right above the top frames, right about where my sugar will be. (just about the same as the exit hole in the inner cover) With the basket, it keeps it nicely off the wall and they could emerge and get air through there. But I wonder, not being sheltered by the lid, will the draft be too much right over the top frames? Is that the only hole I need or should I drill another hole by where the quilt pillow lays?

I just want to get this straight lol...the 3 lower boxes where the bees are, the yellow box with entrance on the bottom containing the basket and quilt cover, the inner cover (notch up or down? Maybe notch down and then I won't need to drill another hole?) and the oval taped shut, then another 2" wedge for my styrofoam, the the outer cover...?

ADDED: Just rereading comments. Tjc1, you mention inner cover notch down, but is that your upper entrance? How are your bees getting past the sugar?

annette · « **Reply #12 on:** January 08, 2016, 03:10:39 pm »

I cover only half the frames with newspaper, and pour bakers sugar in a pile on top of the newspaper. I then spray the sugar with water to make the sugar get harder. I always have to place a small spacer super on top of the super to give the sugar room. This works out well, but we do not have such a long winter as they have back east.

I did not do this this year and I hope I won't regret it. The bees have not been making much honey since our drought.

mtnb · « **Reply #13 on:** January 09, 2016, 11:13:04 am »

What a pain in the butt that basket was. Not worth the effort. lol How the heck would you pour sugar on just past of the frames ie newspaper, Anette? You go real slow and spritz lots of water? Mine just flowed everywhere. lol Mine are definitely towards the top now on the sugar. I can really hear them through the tubes of my stethoscope. Plus they were out in force the other day when we were in the mid to upper 30's. Good luck! Hope they make it!

annette · « **Reply #14 on:** January 10, 2016, 02:23:25 pm »

Place newspaper on half of the super (top of the frames). This gave me enough room to pour a big mountain of sugar. I guess if you want to use more sugar there would not be enough room.

I do use bakers sugar.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 12, 2016, 07:27:23 pm »

Annette,
What is the difference between bakers sugar and regular sugar?
Jim

LKBruns · « **Reply #16 on:** January 12, 2016, 10:45:19 pm »

Baker's sugar is a finely-ground sugar synonymous with "superfine sugar." Bakers use it because it dissolves and incorporates more easily into recipes.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 13, 2016, 05:32:33 am »

Thanks LK.

Wombat2 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 13, 2016, 06:03:03 am »

Just as matter of interest my wife ran out of icing sugar so I said why don't you just grind some regular sugar - she looked at me as though I had 3 heads or something and said that won't work! Now themselves fighting words. 5 minutes later a couple of bursts in the blender and we had castor sugar - couple more and we had super fine icing sugar. She said why didn't you do that before - I said you weren't desperate before. We only buy regular sugar now and still have 3 different sorts on the shelf.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 13, 2016, 12:28:25 pm »

Wambat,
Thanks for sharing. I will try it.
Jim