Wandering beekeepers are well aware that hive braces are needed both for a structure with folds and without them. Additional fastening allows you to securely fix the hulls, preventing them from accidentally moving during loading, transportation and unloading at a new location.
The content of the article
- 1 Types of clips
- 2 All-metal mounts
- 3 Tape mounts
- 4 Requirements for materials
- 5 Unusual staples
Types of clips
In beekeeping shops, belt braces are sold. According to the reviews of beekeepers, the factory model has two significant drawbacks – these are short length and rather high cost (about $ 3,5 per piece).
To save the family budget and create fasteners that fully satisfy the needs of a particular beekeeper, craftsmen make such fasteners on their own.
There are two main types of braces:
- in the form of ribbons or belts made of synthetic, linen, rubberized fabric, complete with a carabiner or clip;
- and made entirely of metal – in the form of a clip with a loop (a good example of such an attachment is the clips from the army boxes).
All-metal mounts
Do-it-yourself metal staples for hives can be made from a corner of 50 by 50 or 75 by 75 mm.
It is not worth taking a smaller corner, since when using screws, too much load will be created on the metal.
The brace is made as follows:
- pieces of a suitable size are cut from the corner;
- on one side, four holes are drilled for self-tapping screws;
- and on the other side a bolt hole;
- the corners are attached to the bodies with self-tapping screws in such a way that the upper and lower parts are aligned, and the bolt holes coincide.
Before transportation, the apiaries are fastened with bolts. Such braces successfully replace handles.
Their disadvantages include some inconvenience in operation – the metal can cling to clothing, other hives and break off at the attachment point.
Tape mounts
Tape braces are easy to use and do not require any complicated parts to be installed on the hives.
The best material is polypropylene tape, which has several important advantages at once:
- tensile strength;
- rigidity – does not stretch or deform;
- cheapness.
A segment of 4-6 meters is enough to securely pull two or three hulls.
The DIY manufacturing process is as simple as possible:
- the tape is cut into lengths suitable for the length, taking into account the allowances for fastening;
- pieces of tape of the required length are fixed on folding hinges (as an option, you can modify old army braces by welding brackets of 5 mm wire or 70 mm nails to them);
- 1 cm wide strips are cut from sheet metal – clamps are made of them with a hammer;
- the tape is threaded through the fastening bracket and fixed with a clamp – it is flattened with a vice.
For transportation, the assembled hive is girded with a tape threaded into the hinge bracket and the fasteners are clamped. It takes about a minute!
Advantages of tape fastening:
- a multi-hive hive can be placed even horizontally, all the hulls are so tightly tied together;
- the tape does not catch on other hives;
- polypropylene has a long service life, does not lose elasticity when wet.
Requirements for materials
The reliability of any fastening directly depends on the materials used.
Hinges must be made of thick metal. Tin easily bends and breaks during careless transportation!
For belts, the degree of elongation during loading is important. Synthetic fabrics are the most rigid. They also retain their elasticity when wet in the rain. Thin natural fabrics cannot be used for staples!
Unusual staples
There are quite original ways of attaching the cases. For example, rolls of stretch film are used. After winding through the bottom and the lid, it strives to re-size and reliably tightens all corners of the hive.
The cost of one roll of film is about $ 8. A roll of 300 meters is enough to fasten 20-25 Dadans, consisting of one building and two magazines. Wholesale stretch is purchased by weight!
The mount will turn out to be disposable – this is its main drawback. But in terms of reliability, a good fastener is obtained. After all, such a film is used even for group packing of bricks.
Whole pages of discussion are devoted to homemade clips on thematic forums. Each beekeeper advises his own developments, referring to many years of experience. As in any question concerning the apiary, it is the practical use of this or that device that is of decisive importance. We have considered in the article only the main directions in which you can move when solving the issue of nomadism. In fact, this topic is almost inexhaustible, and the right choice is only yours.
To read:
Movement – features and prospects for the beekeeper
