Leveling Hives – how keep them from slipping?

[Enci Box]

Hello Beekeepers,

We just bought a couple boxes to make a home for our many many bees that visit our #WildfloweringLA yard. And as we just experienced an earthquake, I have two questions about placing our boxes.

1. How do we tip the boxes slightly forward as it is recommended in The Complete Idiots Guide to Beekeeping (Part 1, Chapter 3, page 42: Leveling Your Hives) without the boxes that are on top of each other sliding off each other?

2. How do we keep the boxes on the bottom board from slipping, and the cover from slipping, and the boxes from slipping from each other?

I guess these two questions are related. Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance! Bee well!

Enci

[susan rudnicki]

Many beeks screw the bottom deep brood box (or medium, if that is your preference) to the bottom board. I use a level to check the slope or leveling of hives, but depending on how recently the ground has been prepared for the hive, it may need periodic checking to verify shifting beneath the hive stand. I have my hives on custom made iron hive stands (Paul Taylor makes them) with adjustable legs and retention clips for the hive bodies. Most of the time, the bees deposit a lot of propolis between the hive bodies, which holds them in place, though certainly not good enough for a earth quake. You could put a ratchet strap around and over the entire stack of boxes, or you could make a wood strip extending the length of the box stack on the sides and screw each hive body through that to link them together. Of course, each time you inspect your hives, you have to go through detaching these things.

[Enci Box]

Susan,

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I will try tying a strap around the boxes.

[elisha browns]

Hello,
We have about 50 hives and all of them have the bottoms screwed on.We also made some hive stands even though they are not stable they went through a 8.5 earthquake.None of them fell.Its better to ratchet strap them so that if you get a 10.9 earthquake they will fall all together instead of all the boxes falling everywhere.

God Bless,
Elisha

[elisha browns]

Hello Enci,
I also was wondering if you’ve ever been at the los angeles beekeepers asosiation?I saw somebody there that looked like you.If you dont then i would suggest for you to join a beekeepers asosiation around your area.

God Bless,
Elisha

[Ruth Askren]

I don’t strap or screw my boxes together. I had a terrible experience with screwed on bottom boards when I noticed some moth frass that I wanted to clean off- I couldn’t remove the bottom board from the bottom box without taking every frame out of the box, so I could turn the whole thing upside down, which was totally not in my schedule. So I don’t attach.

A healthy hive produces propolis. If you takethe lid off your hive to inspect, and it slips right off without you having to pry, that’s a bad sign. Bees that don’t propolize everything may be undergoing some kind of serious stress. Like mites, beetles, starvation, or other.

I level my hives by putting 1/4″ slate tile pieces under the feet til they’re evened out. Or I use pieces of 2X4 wood, brick, or construction shims. Whatever it takes! Then, on the top, I place a big rock or a couple of bricks to stabilize the cover while the bees are getting their propolis guns loaded 🙂

[elisha browns]

What will you do incase of a earthquake?I live in Los Angeles,California,USA, and earthquakes are often here.

God Bless,
Elisha

[Nick Forys]

Im pretty sure everyone here is in LA

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