How to impose frames – using effective homemade products

Replacing old sushi in an apiary is an ongoing process that cannot be abandoned for obvious reasons. The health of bees and the strength of families depend on the quality of the honeycomb. Over time, the cells shrink – young insects also become smaller in size. And the honeycombs themselves acquire a characteristic brownish tint and look sloppy.

It is recommended to reinforce up to 30% of the existing frames on the farm every year. Home-made devices made for the apiary by skilled owners can help in this process.

The content of the article

  • 1 Pattern or spur – which is more practical
  • 2 Electricity use
    • 2.1 Using a rectifier
    • 2.2 Glass press
  • 3 Fastening with a cold method on a nylon thread
  • 4 How and why the foundation is cut

Pattern or spur – which is more practical

Traditionally, many beekeeping textbooks recommend using a toothed disc or spur with a roller mounted on a suitable shaft.

To get a full-fledged electrical device, the same spur can be fixed on a soldering iron. This will simplify and speed up the attachment of the foundation sheets to the frames.

But at the same time, do not forget about the shortcomings of the roller (spur). About four rows of cells along the entire width of the frame deteriorate – they become transitional, the uterus will not lay eggs here. Moreover, this method is considered labor intensive.

In the absence of electricity, you can use a special mold. This device allows, if necessary, to bring the nourishing process to an industrial level..

The pattern is assembled as follows:

  1. On two scraps of linden board, folds are selected at the ends and front edges – a depth of 12,5 millimeters.
  2. On the front edge, the boards are connected with two loops. In this case, the working surface of the device has a length of 412 and a width of 260 millimeters.
  3. Metal plates with a length of 15 millimeters are stuffed onto the surface of the top board. Place them in four rows, as shown in the figure below. The spacing between the plates, counting from the middle of each, is 15 millimeters. The distance between the rows is no more than 60 millimeters.
  4. The part of the plates protruding above the surface is slightly sharpened (about 2-3 mm). The surface of the bottom board is left clean – there are no additional elements here.

homemade mold

The whole procedure of fixing the foundation using a mold takes up to 5 seconds. The honeycombs rebuilt afterwards are distinguished by high strength and quality.

The winding is carried out by pressing. The bottom smooth board is moistened with water. A foundation is placed on top, a frame with an already stretched wire is placed on it. Then the fixture is closed and gently pressed from above. This completes the whole procedure – all that remains is to remove the frame, ready for use.

Electricity use

A more advanced navachivanie method involves the use of electricity. This method is ideal for areas where there are no power supply problems. But it is not always available in nomadic or forest apiaries.

Craftsmen propose to build a water rheostat that is connected to the lighting power supply.

To do this:

  1. Take a half-liter jar and a block of wood that can be tightly inserted into a glass container.
  2. In the bar, using a drill, two holes are made at a distance of 5 centimeters from each other.
  3. Two pieces of iron or copper wire are passed through the holes. Wire thickness 5 mm. Both pieces must not touch the bottom of the container! The wire is separated from it by 2-3 centimeters.
  4. A jar prepared in this way is filled with salted water by three quarters. If the heat needs to be increased, a small portion of table salt is added to the water again and mixed well.

This is how the finished device looks like:

water rheostat

The stretched frame is laid on top of the foundation in such a way that its edge is tightly adjacent to the upper bar, and it is in contact with the wire with its entire surface. The ends of the wire are connected to the wires (see picture).

The work is done together, it’s more convenient. One person puts the foundation and connects the wires, while the other monitors the frames – he puts them on time, slightly presses them from above and removes them.

When the wire is heated, the wax melts – it appears to be inside the structure. Sometimes it is difficult to discern from which side the wire frame is inserted into the foundation. On this basis, high-quality cells are built into which the uterus willingly worms.

Using a rectifier

We, the team., In our apiary, use a charger for a car battery (an old Soviet-style rectifier that does not work on a pulse principle).

old rectifier

Everything looks like this:

  1. The rectifier is connected to the mains. The negative terminal clings to the stretched frame (to the lower bar where the wire is fixed – there is a knot here).
  2. The foundation is laid on top. Its top edge should fit snugly against the bottom edge of the top bar.
  3. After that, a positive terminal is brought to any place where the wire is visible on the base plates for a few seconds. The rectifier emits a characteristic hum at this time.

The foundation itself is melted into the frame. It can be corrected by lightly pressing down with the palm, which noticeably speeds up the whole process.

Glass press

In order not to grab the foundation with your hands when electrically pushing, you can use a homemade press.

It is made of glass with a thickness of 3-5 millimeters. In terms of dimensions, the glass should be smaller than the internal dimensions of the frames – 5 millimeters each remain on the sides, top and bottom. The handle of the press is made of two wooden blocks, which are attached with BF-6 glue.

When the foundation is soldered using electricity (mains and water rheostat, rectifier, car battery and electrodes), it is lightly pressed with a glass press. At the same time, the transparent working surface allows you to carefully control the process.

Fastening with a cold method on a nylon thread

Tinned wire can be successfully replaced with a thick nylon thread with a diameter of 0,3 to 0,5 millimeters. Nylon fabric stretches well and has the necessary elasticity.

The degree of tension is easily determined empirically. The thread must be pulled until the pulling almost stops.

Fastening is carried out using small nails. The end of the thread is tightly wrapped around a not completely driven nail, after which it is hammered to the end – the cap reliably holds the nylon.

The thread frame is pressed into the foundation with a thin wooden stick made of solid wood, pointed at the end. From above, the nylon is covered with a narrow strip obtained from scraps of foundation. Then the wax pad is pressed with your fingers.

cold mount

This mounting method is quite original. With all the laboriousness, it allows you to abandon the use of thin tinned wire and save on consumables.

How and why the foundation is cut

And at the end of the article, I would like to share the method of filling in small pieces.

To do this, the sheet is cut across into twenty-seven identical strips 15 millimeters wide. One nesting or store frame will require only five strips fixed vertically (the wire is stretched in four rows). They can be substituted for swarms or layering with young queens.

Keep in mind: for the main nests, such nesting is only suitable during the period of growing families!

The economy of the method is obvious: for 70 frames with traditional fastening, more than five kilograms of foundation are usually used. And when cutting, the same number of frames can be waxed using only thirteen sheets (1 kg) – of which 351 strips measuring 2,7 by 1,3 centimeters will turn out.

About pulling the wire: pulling the wire correctly – DIY for working with frames

About homemade knife and chisel: Simple do-it-yourself beekeeping equipment

Whichever method you use, remember – any homemade product has been thoroughly and lovingly tested in beekeeping practice, and its use has necessarily given positive results. And only they serve as the reason for the dissemination of such recommendations and advice among practicing beekeepers.

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Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

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