Che Guebee Apiary: Joining hives with Dowels instead of Screws and Nails

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Joining hives with Dowels instead of Screws and Nails

I will stop with using un-sustainable materials for making top bar hives. I will stop making mesh floors totally. Reused and Recycled screws and nails are just fine but under no circumstances am I to buy new ones :)
Instead I will learn hot to join hive planks with wooden dowels and wood glue. I have lined up to make a few top bar hives for my Apiary this winter and I see no reason for not joining them with wooden dowels.
Stay tuned ;)

This set costs under 3 Euro in Sweden. Note the 4 dowel centers to mark the exact position of the previously drilled holes onto the other one, NICE ;) I think I have a hand drill too, happy days!

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What is Natural Beekeeping?

"Natural Beekeeping" is a concept, an idea which springs from a human mind and as such will differ from one person to another, from one culture to another, depending on our limited and conditioned perception about what it IS being a Honeybee. Since natural beekeeping is an idea and not the actuality it is not to be taken rigidly. Instead it is to be directly inspired by the Actuality. But let's avoid going too philosophical about it and let me simply describe how I see "natural beekeeping" benefiting honeybees (these are only guidelines not a dogma);

- free wax comb construction resulting in clean wax and various cell size

- bees overwinter on their own honey stores (feeding sugar syrup ONLY if absolutely necessary)

- lots of peace (low interference from the beekeepers part)

- treatment free (The only way to have a sustainable system of beekeeping is to stop treating, instead making splits from survivor colonies seems the most natural way to me)

- bees are allowed to raise as many Drones as needed (no drone culling)

- natural Queen selection resulting in the strongest Queen (no queen cell culling and only working with local Queens or my own)

- pesticide free bee zone and supporting organic farming (this is a global issue and must be dealt with locally first through environmental organisations and by buying and growing organic food/clothing, etc ...)

- expanding my apiary every year by making splits using Queen Cells from my own strong survivor colonies or catching local swarms. This is the best way to counteract winter losses.

- planting for the bees flowering trees, bushes and plants covering all seasons. Biodiversity is the best healer for the bees and all other creatures.

Natural Beekeeping

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Joining hives with Dowels instead of Screws and Nails

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Catching my very first Prime Swarm