The projects are all centered on the table saw as the main power tool. I’ve done my best to get things right by building each item in the shop, taking down notes and making sketches, writing up a plan, then going back into the workshop and using these instructions to build it again and tweak if needed. Most of the projects presented here have detailed step-by-step instructions to ensure your success on the first try. I guess a harder question to answer would be: Why not? You can find and use sources of scrap wood that will save you money and keep stuff out of the landfill. By the time you are finished, you will have a much better understanding of the parts that make up a hive, how they are constructed, and how they all work together as a unit. Continuing the tradition of people working with their hands and solving their own problems is another good one. Why should you build your own beekeeping equipment? The sheer pleasure of doing it yourself is reason enough. At the end of the season, which, as beginner’s luck would have it, was a banner year, I extracted 400 pounds of honey from those five hives! I will never forget it. What mattered was that I made them with my own hands, and they worked. The spring I used for the smoker bellows was a little weak, and the nozzle was made from copper pipe fittings, so it didn’t puff out clouds of smoke like the fancy store-bought models. My boxes were a little too wide and the bees attached some extra comb to the sides.
#ADJUSTING AMPERAGE ON GECKO DRIVER PLUS#
I scavenged the local landfill for cans to build a homemade smoker, and I built two complete hives plus most of the parts for the other three, minus the frames.īear in mind that everything didn’t come out perfect. I cut, ground, and filed an old lawnmower blade into a hooked hive tool. I ordered five packages of bees from Betterbee, in Greenwich, New York. When I decided to get honey bees after a season of observing and helping my friend Paul Dugal, I jumped right in with both feet and really wanted to be immersed in the process. I also have to acknowledge Mike Palmer, Dewey Caron, Ross Conrad, and countless others who are willing to speak to the many beekeeping clubs, large and small, around the country.īeekeeping is a fascinating adventure, whether you have one hive in the backyard to help pollinate your garden and supply a little honey to family and friends, or enough hives to produce honey for sale at your local farmers’ market or co-op. I should also mention Anne Frey and the members of the Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association, Dan Conlon and members of the Massachusetts Beekeepers, and the crew at Betterbee in Greenwich, New York, who all put on annual conferences or field days for beginners and experienced beekeepers. I’d also like to thank Deb Burns, Alethea Morrison, and Becca Bradburd, who all convinced me that I could write this book in the first place, and everyone who works behind the scenes at Storey Publishing to organize a pile of papers, sketches, and pictures into something presentable. Thanks to Doone Mackay, my musical partner, who shared her plan for the double hive stand. Thanks to Tom Stefanik, who has a great love for bees and people and has done a lot to help promote our club, the Northern Berkshire Beekeepers Association, and beekeeping in general. Lloyd and Jeff are everyone’s “go-to” beekeepers when they have a question or a problem or need a queen or frame or brood. They enthusiastically share their years of knowledge and experience. Thanks to my beekeeping buddies Lloyd Vosburgh and Jeff Burdick. We’ve spent many hours sipping coffee, planning strategies, smoking the hives, and taking trips to Betterbee. When I was just observing from a safe distance, he gave me his extra veil and got me up close. This book would never have been possible without the help of many people, and I’d like to give them thanks.įirst of all, to my dear friend Paul Dugal, Sr., who sparked my interest and got me started in this crazy business of keeping honey bees. Variation: Swiveling-Bucket Swarm CatcherĬhapter Nine: Building 8-Frame Hive and Nucs The Best-Ever Jig for Installing Foundation Traditional Boardman-Style Entrance Feeder To my daughter, Mackenzie, my biggest cheerleader, who has always had faith in my abilities and has encouraged me all the way, even though she is terribly afraid of bees.įinally, to all people young and old who want to feel a direct connection to the land and the joy of making something with their own two hands. To my son, Joshua, who spent many hot summer days helping put up electric fences, chasing bears away, and lifting equipment as we checked the hives, and who hand-cranked literally hundreds and hundreds of pounds of honey through the extractor before we put a motor on it. I dedicate this book to my wonderful wife, Leila, a creative and kindred spirit who loves to make things with her own hands.
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