Okay, I admit it. I’m enthralled with the word “eke.” But even though I called them “spacer rims” until recently, I’ve been a fan of ekes for a long time. An eke in the Langstroth world is just a very shallow super. Most are between two and three inches deep, but there are no rules. […] Read more
I’ve always stayed away from eight-frame hive equipment. A few years back you could buy eight-frame brood boxes and supers, but it was hard to get specialty pieces like Cloake boards, slatted racks, and escape boards. That has changed—especially in the last year or two—but I still don’t like the idea of buying non-standard equipment. […] Read more
There’s a growing movement afoot that advocates leaving wooden hives unpainted. The reason given for this is that the wood can breathe better without a coat of paint and, because it can breathe better, it will wick condensation from the hive and provide a drier environment for the bees. I don’t support this idea and […] Read more
Unless you order your bee boxes assembled, they will arrive at your door in four pre-cut pieces with a bag of nails. They sometimes come with instructions and sometimes not, but I never follow them anyway. Everyone does this differently, but here is my take on the subject. I’ll concede right from the beginning that […] Read more
This is one of the most confusing words for beginning beekeepers. It has been used incorrectly by so many beekeepers for so long that the meaning has actually changed. English is like that; once incorrect usage overwhelms correct usage, there is no turning back. Eventually, proper usage is determined by the majority . . . […] Read more
Over the years I have developed a specific way to store empties, but a lot will depend on how many supers and how much storage space you have. Another issue is pests. Mice and wax moths can be especially hard on stored equipment. I keep empty bee boxes—with or without drawn comb–in stacks in an […] Read more