Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Nice surprise.  (Read 3155 times)

cloddopper

  • Joined Jun 2013
  • South Wales .Carmarthenshire. SA18
Nice surprise.
« on: May 15, 2016, 03:09:42 am »
I've joined the charity called "  Men's Shed " it's been shown on TV as a place where males can go to meet others and do DIY type stuff & other interest /hobby things . We have all age groups and people are from all walks of life .
Many of the younger guys are coming back from depressive illnesses , the older ones are looking for something to do in their retirement for a few days a week  .

 On Tuesday & Wednesday I was setting up a time clock controlled mini sprinkler system to  reduce the need for carrying water by a 70 yr old guy .
 He spends a lot of time trying to drag bucket of water around the 40 x 20 commercial polytunnel to water several hundred seedlings and  a hundred of so plants growing in a raised bed made from old car tyres.
 He's really chuffed now he can sow seeds instead of carry water. Till I set it up and calibrated it he'd never seen a tunnel under a decent watering system . On Friday he came up to me beaming like a lighthouse . " Ere Dave , come and look at this " he said .
Off we went to the tunnel , everything is a real pleasing green and about four  times taller than when I started the exercise.

" I never knew things could grow like this", he said " it's bloody amazing , to think I was dragging water all over the place & none of these other buggers here would help me " .

 I took a couple of dwarf French marigolds with me from my glasshouse , telling him that once the insects get the scents from them they will come and help fertilize the bean plants in the tunnel
 I asked if anyone knew of any beepkeeprs locally .. no one did , a few seconds later I get a nice new honey bee fly in and land on my arm .

 That's a good sign as  there will also soon to be a fully equipped wood working shop which I'm setting up with a quality Sheppach bench saw , bandsaw,  morticer , several 48 inch wood lathes , a large semi commercial router table with 1/2 " router & several high level work benches .

I'm hoping to start making full flat roofed national beehives using western red cedar , with feeder crown boards and varroa mesh floors .
 
 Does any one have a set of national hive plans in imperial or metric sizes that I can borrow  for a few days to check my dimensions with ?
« Last Edit: May 16, 2016, 05:42:00 pm by cloddopper »
Strong belief , triggers the mind to find the way ... Dyslexia just makes it that bit more amusing & interesting

wheresthedog

  • Joined May 2016
Re: Nice surprise.
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2016, 06:59:37 pm »
Just in case you haven't seen this -

http://www.beekeeping.org.uk/is_national_hive.pdf

Vinnie

  • Joined Mar 2016
Re: Nice surprise.
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2016, 02:53:24 am »
That sounds like quite the set up. Not sure if it helps but I attached some plans that show the dimensions for 10 frame langstroth beehive.

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Nice surprise.
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2016, 04:25:28 am »
I know nothing about bee hives but isn't good to do something for someone else and share success  :hug:

cloddopper

  • Joined Jun 2013
  • South Wales .Carmarthenshire. SA18
Re: Nice surprise.
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2016, 05:39:46 pm »
Thanks WTD  I'd not found the pdf thing .

 Vinnie  ,
Those Langstroths are a young fit mans game as they must weight around 66 pounds  for a brood box sized super when it's full.
 The only crop I know of  in the United kingdom that will see them filled in double quick time is oilseed rape ( Canola)
 Out of 20 or so years of running a small commercial bee venture I only met two keepers ( also commercials ) who used them for all their hives .
Strong belief , triggers the mind to find the way ... Dyslexia just makes it that bit more amusing & interesting

Vinnie

  • Joined Mar 2016
Re: Nice surprise.
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2016, 05:40:34 am »
I should have read your comment closer I didn't see that you wanted national ones. In fact I had never heard about those kind but looking at the plans wheresthedog gave , they look interesting. The langstroth are very heavy

Bramblecot

  • Joined Jul 2008
Re: Nice surprise.
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2016, 08:24:20 pm »
The Men's Shed group in Exeter had a shop before Christmas and it was full of lovely things made or restored by them.  They seemed a jolly crowd and produced some great presents.  I did look a bit daft getting on the coach with a pitchfork and garden spade :farmer: .  Sadly I couldn't carry anything else.

cloddopper

  • Joined Jun 2013
  • South Wales .Carmarthenshire. SA18
Re: Nice surprise.
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2016, 12:21:14 am »
I should have read your comment closer I didn't see that you wanted national ones. In fact I had never heard about those kind but looking at the plans wheresthedog gave , they look interesting. The langstroth are very heavy

 The British National hive model was a scientific design to give an economical cost using a minimum amount of machined wood  available allowing the people of the UK to keep bees during the Second world war . It was also scientifically designed to get the optimum yet minimum sized hive to over winter apparently .
Strong belief , triggers the mind to find the way ... Dyslexia just makes it that bit more amusing & interesting

 

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