Week 9 - Where to make the hive stronger and last longer

One way to make the hive stronger that comes to mind, is whenever I join two pieces of wood together; it is best to use a nail/screw as well as wood glue. This will greatly increase the strength of the wood joint decreasing the chance of the joint from breaking apart and will help it last a lot longer. In addition, I could also put in multiple nails/screws whenever I put in one, this would also greatly increase the strength of the joint and makes it last longer.

 Another way to make the hive stronger is to coat all of it with a primer when painting the hive. This will help make the paint and the Hive last a lot longer and help protect it from the weather, rotting and from insects, like flying ants. It will also help the bee’s know which hive is their hive and stop them from getting confused - when there are multiple ones in a row. It would be more beneficial if multiple coats of paint are added, as every coat of paint added means it will last a little bit longer.

Also, one way where I could improve the hive is adding a metal roof. I will still continue to make the wooden roof for the hive with cedar but it would be best to put an aluminium metal sheet on top of this. By doing this, it will greatly help to preserve the hive and make it last longer, especially during the winter months or whenever it is very wet. The aluminium sheet will help preserve the wood much longer by stopping it from rotting, mould or any damage from objects or other animals.

As seen in the picture on the left, the hive in the picture is one of my hives that I have had for four months, it also has no metal roof. As you can see it has already taken a little bit of damage, if I were to have had a metal roof on top this wood not have happened.

Also if I were to add a metal roof on the hive I am building, it will also greatly improve the strength of the hive as well as helping it to last a lot longer in harsher conditions, than it would have if it did not have a metal roof.

As you can see in the picture to the right, this is my other hive that I currently own, it is wooden and has a metal roof. 

This hive is much older than the one above and you can see doesn't have any visible damage on the top of the hive. I believe that this is due to the metal roof that has allowed it to last much longer without incurring any damage. This has also allowed the bees inside to carry on working without any worries, as the roof will protect them from the elements and possibly inquisitive animals, like cows or deer.

Furthermore, I believe that it would be advantageous to add some wool or any other insulating substance that will help the bees to regulate or maintain the temperature within the hive. What I mean by this, is that in the colder months of the year all bees will hunker down and huddle together during the winter in order to keep warm and to ensure that the hive will survive for the following year. So in order to help the bees, beekeepers will often add wool or any other material that is good at keeping heat, and add it into the hive to help the bees keep warm.

I too have also done this and have added wool into both my polystyrene and wooden hive to ensure that the bees keep warm. This can be seen in both of the pictures shown here, on the above photograph you can see the wool in my wooden hive and in the photograph on the right shows the polystyrene one. Doing this will help keep the bees warm and will also allow them to keep foraging a little longer before they hibernate. This is very important as it is between life and death if the bees can or cannot get enough food for the winter.

So for the hive I am going to build, it would be in my best interests to include either wool on the top of the roof (on the inside) or add some woodchips or any other material that will help keep the bees warm.

When cutting and joining the wood it would be best to use multiple different ways to join and cut the wood. This would make it easier for different parts of the hive as each cutting and joining method is better than the other in their own category. For example, different areas might need this certain type of cutting method while the rest of the area needs this other method.

How this helped me?

This has helped to open my eyes to what the hive needs to improve in order for it to last much longer in good condition. This will allow me to improve the hive in ways that could greatly increase the strength of the hive and help it last much longer than any hives that don't have this improvement. These improvements will also help the bees survive much longer, (esp during the colder months when they are hibernating) than they normally would and also improve the honey and larva production.

As I have my own hives, it has given me a unique advantage as it has allowed me to see where improvements can be made to make the hive last longer. For example putting some woodchips into the roof cavity, as this will make it easier for the bees to maintain the temperature for much longer in terms of producing wax and for keeping warm and with relative ease. This will make it easier for the bees to keep warm without having to expend energy and use their honey stores too soon.