MakerSpace Bee Hive make our own honey?

Science
#102

https://beelogger.de/ is the logger info code parts etc if you havent seen that yet. but like others have mentioned humidity would be a plus. or 1 step up. what if at a certain temp range it triggers servos to open a vent or close the vents if it drops below a temp threshold.

what was prohibitive for my setup was power and signal. my hive is deep. like 1 hr from my house in ft worth. and then another 100 yards from the main house. with no power around. so i looked into solar… which is less than efficient it seems. so an entire build was going to be $200+ for a bad quality webcam. might as well at that point go hunter deer cam or something.

so for me the main thing for me is a webcam that i could log in and check since my babies are so far away. moreso than INSIDE the hive like many seem to try…

1 Like
#103

this could also be applied to a mason bee hive or other solitary bee homes. doesn’t have to be a huge maintence project like honey bees if that undertaking is either not manageable or desired but a maker still wants to participate and make something cool.

1 Like
#104

I’ve got a lot to learn. But if I’m going to have a hive, then my inner Poo Bear in me wants honey.

3 Likes
#105

Oh, I want bat houses also.

3 Likes
#106

If you have meetings or builds I am in. I can’t have hives at my house but I would still like to build a hive, although I more interested in the top bar hive than the Langstroth. The V-bit on the multicam could make some great top bars.

1 Like
#107

im seeing so much about top bar right now! why do you like them? i havent looked into it enough. seems hard to manage.

and i agree having boxes that we could make accurately and cheaply would save us a $70-80 a pop. and be so useful to have extra deep/ or medium boxes around. or get to know the other dms beek and swap gear etc.

#108

Capture
Capture.PNG1077×593 69.9 KB

getting there… ugh… slowly but surely… why does anyone use inches? orz

p.s. i should have this finished in the next few days. it lives here if you want it~
https://a360.co/2Ku1uht

#109

My limited research showed that bees are happier in top bar as it is more natural. And they are more appealing to look at.

1 Like
#110

finished this ltoday. pm me if you want to talk bees and make cool stuff

hivecadd
hivecadd.PNG1085×1006 595 KB

9 Likes
#111

thank you very kind of you to give away your hard work. Beekeeping is such an enjoyable hobby.

1 Like
#112

I’ve mentioned this before, but BeeSource has a number of well-thought-out plans for beekeeping equipment.

http://beesource.com/build-it-yourself/

Keeping “Bee space” is critical, and using the same bees space as other existing equipment you may own is crucial for interoperability. For example, there should be 3/8" space between the top of a frame and the bottom of the frame in the box above. Where is the dividing line relative to the top of the box though?

Some bee equipment manufactures place the top of the frame bar even with the top of the box. Others place 3/8" lower such that the bottom of the FRAME is even with BOTTOM of the box. Still others split the difference and place the top of the frame 3/16" from the top, and thus the bottom of the frame 3/16" up from the bottom.

Is one more “correct” than another? From the bee’s perspective, no: they’ll respect the bee space in any of these arrangements, but if you mix styles, the bee space between boxes could vary from 0"-3/4" depending on how you mix them. Gaps much smaller than 3/8" will get filled with propolis and gaps much larger than 3/8" will get filled with burr comb: neither is optimal from a hive management perspective.

3 Likes
#113

yeah i just took known measurements from a previously made cut list. nobody has to reinvent the wheel here.

2 Likes
#114

Speaking of not re-inventing, it would be rather starightforward to convert the open source plans HERE into vCarve or Fusion 360 files to use on the CNC router, which would make building the hives dead simple.

This site also has tons of plans that could be readily converted;

I love the hive you’ve done, but I would have avoided the heavy use of box joints. Yes, they look great, and are very strong, but joinery in general is a semi-advanced skill in woodworking, and even experienced woodworkers routinely make booboos doing them. It’s not really possible to cut a box joint on the CNC Router, though there are a few workarounds out there (Kee has experimented with at least one of them).

2 Likes
#115

How many beekeepers do we have that have an interest in bee rescue/removal?

2 Likes
#116

there is very strong interest in this, what if DMS bought a small piece of land out in the country to put its hives on?
Crazy idea?

1 Like
#117

You’re thinking backward here. Beekeepers also make a living by renting hives out to farmers, nurseries, etc. Seems people will pay for the privilege,

I wonder whether (were the Board to support it) a deal could be worked out with the City of Carrollton (large landowner with lots of landscaping needs) to provide, maintain, and publicize a civic beekeeping project?

6 Likes
#118

(slowly raises hand) Count me in.

2 Likes
#119

My dad and I raised bees back in the 70s. They are the most amazing creatures and are essential to human survival. I’m interested in helping out where I can.

1 Like
#120

Count my wife and I in to help.

#121

how would we move forward to find those people? The season is too late this year but we can prepare for next year.