Burning Bee Boxes In The Diary

General Discussion of Diary Posts and Questions on Beekeeping Matters
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Colino
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Burning Bee Boxes In The Diary

Unread post by Colino »

I can't believe that people wouldn't want those old boxes, they would make excellent swarm traps. The propolis and bees wax in them is a great swarm attractant. With a little lemon grass oil or queen juice nothing works better. Any Newbees out there who want to increase their apiary should beat a path to your door. If you weren't over 3 hours away I'd come get some.
Colino
Narcissism is easy because it's me or I, Empathy is hard because it's they or them.-Colino
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dtompsett
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Re: Burning Bee Boxes In The Diary

Unread post by dtompsett »

If you were only 3 hours away I'd have been over by now!
3000km's one way...
Allen Dick
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Re: Burning Bee Boxes In The Diary

Unread post by Allen Dick »

Well, the long and the short of it is that people dream , but when it comes to showing up with a big truck and doing more than picking a few out and taking up my time, nothing of any significance happens.

Although some of these boxes look sound, they vary in height and length and the rabbet depth. The ends may be warped out a bit. No commercial beeekeeper wants them.

When you walk in to a commercial beekeeper's storage, the stacks are all exactly the same height, not higglety pigglety. Many of these reject boxes are homemade by people who could not measure or had bright ideas on how to 'improve' on standards -- and the standards varied between manufacturers.

It's a crime, but different manufacturers still make boxes with differing dimensions and mixing suppliers can be problematic. That is why I so love EPS boxes. All the mfrs use the same dimensions (almost). These imperfect boxes served for me while building up since I bought a lot of stuff cheap, but are now no longer interesting to most beekeepers. New stuff is too cheap and money is too easy to come by.

I need to clear the property of such junk and the way to do it is fire. I considered loading all this wood junk onto the trailer and hauling to the landfill, but that is a huge job. This I can do a bit at a time and it will be done.
Allen Dick, RR#1 Swalwell, Alberta, Canada T0M 1Y0
51° 33'39.64"N 113°18'52.45"W
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/Allen%27s%20Beehives.kmz
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Countryboy
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Re: Burning Bee Boxes In The Diary

Unread post by Countryboy »

This is the good and the bad of the internet...easy to share ideas and learn from folks all around the world, but hard to transfer equipment. Like others, if I was close, I'd grab extra boxes in a heartbeat.
When you walk in to a commercial beekeeper's storage, the stacks are all exactly the same height, not higglety pigglety.
The commercial guy I helped in 2010 only ran about 800 hives, but his hives were a mix of everything. Stuff they had bought new, stuff they had bought from other beekeepers, and stuff they had made. About the only thing consistent about the boxes was the paint, and about all the boxes had several coats of paint.

I'm not commercial. I only have about 75 hives, but I have enough boxes for about 150. My boxes are all mix and match. Plastic, styrofoam, and a ton of different designs of wood boxes. I'm guessing mine sound like your pile. I use boxes until they fall completely apart. And yes, I have some really rough boxes still in service.

A lot of times, when you advertise free stuff, folks think it is worthless junk because you are giving it away. You should try advertising used boxes for $5 each, and see how many people come to get boxes. When they come, give them some extra bonus boxes for free and make them think they got a really good deal.

I've seen people put unwanted furniture by the curb with a free sign, and it sit there for a week. Then they put a sign of $5 on it and within a few hours someone has stopped and stolen it.
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Re: Burning Bee Boxes In The Diary

Unread post by Allen Dick »

One of the hurdles on the way to to becoming a large commercial beekeeper is standardizing. Another is mechanizing, and a third is obtaining help when needed.

Beekeeping already has far too many moving parts and if they are not interchangeable, one is stuck dealing with that instead of the important stuff. That is why these boxes are in the pile. We bought 1,000 or two new identical, standard boxes and replaced them.

Now that I look at them, I see only one in twenty that my commercial friends would keep, but they did get us to the point where we could afford better. When new boxes can be had in quantity for about ten dollars, assembled, the hassle of dealing with junk is just not worth it. I also see the damage done by years of hired help, or maybe beekeepers themselves prying on the ends (rabbets) instead of the sides of the boxes.

I did offer the boxes for sale for $5 and for 50c, but no real takers. As I say there are plenty of broken ones there and some rot, plus lots of off-size and damaged. Some have no handholds. Some have slats, some are plywood.
Allen Dick, RR#1 Swalwell, Alberta, Canada T0M 1Y0
51° 33'39.64"N 113°18'52.45"W
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/Allen%27s%20Beehives.kmz
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Biermann
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Re: Burning Bee Boxes In The Diary

Unread post by Biermann »

Hello Allen,

You have my full sympathy on this. I bought a company in 1996 that was held together with bale wire and duct tab and I through more away over the past 20 years than my farmer and mechanic heart would have, but when it was advertised, nobody wanted it. When it was just ashes or in the salvage yard, many said 'I could have used that'.

Often, the first loss is the best and one has to have a vision and follow that.

At least, with burning, you killed what ever bugs and viruses where in them.

It hearts, but 'such is live'.

Cheers, happy New Year, Joerg
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Re: Burning Bee Boxes In The Diary

Unread post by Allen Dick »

Thanks. It hurts to waste things, but that is the way of these times. Too much of everything.

My biggest hassle is not getting things, but getting rid of things. It is amazing to me, but things we used and enjoyed, even in new condition are not good enough fo people these days and any trip to a dump will reveal perfectly good items sitting there about to be dozed into a pit and crushed.

While this is a big job, if and when I complete it, I'll be happy to see clear uncluttered ground and green grass where these piles of equipment sat. I may even be able to repair my Quonset which needs a new cover, but is inaccessible at present.
Allen Dick, RR#1 Swalwell, Alberta, Canada T0M 1Y0
51° 33'39.64"N 113°18'52.45"W
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/Allen%27s%20Beehives.kmz
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