"A-Z" INDEX &   SEARCH

Special and Unusual Bee Hive Frames

These frames facilitate various operations and manipulations in the management of honey bees.

Many of them carry the inventor's name... Mostly these devices were intended to make things easier, but sometimes they may complicate matters.

I have used most of these gadgets myself, and I have been responsible for the design of several of them. Credit to others is given where it is due (unless the source is unknown).

They are designated as "special or unusual", but they are mostly simple to make, at home, with just a few woodworking hand tools. If large quantities are required... Then it may be appropriate to contact your local beekeeping equipment manufacturer and have a batch manufactured with precision machinery.

Items such as these can sometimes be used as a manufacturing project at a technical college, linked with a beekeeping association and tied in with the relevant theoretical discussion or teaching. This may follow on (in a subsequent year) from the sort of hive making woodwork classes that are commonly conducted by beekeeping organisations that are coaching beginners.

The page that is titled 'Aluminium Frames' covers two unusual examples one of which is for a B.S. shallow and the other suits the Catenary Hive.

The cassette drone rearing frame allows batches of drones to be raised with calibrated age. This is most useful if Instrumental Insemination is your aim, but they may also be of help in rearing out of season batches for time isolation mating strategies.

There is a type of frame known by it's inventor's name, that is more of a queen introduction cage than a special Kirchhain nuc frame, the inventor in question was Dr. Wohlgemuth, whose frame is listed here.