Thesmokeris indispensable for most apiarist . The head covering and hat , or some kind of facial protection , is non - negotiable for others . And without the hive tool , nary a propolis - seal off summer beehive could be crack open , for the bees know how to seal their treasure well . While all of those instruments are so well - loved and so often used that they never seem to trickle far down to the depth of my own bee basketful , there is one other creature that has my tenderness : the skeleton rest .
When my beekeeping wise man , who also pass off to own our local bee store , was sell me on this prick , I was skeptical . As a Modern beekeeper , you ’re wary of gadgets and thingmajig that you may not need , particularly because you ’re spending so much money up front on woodenware and the bee themselves . But I desire him and remove a chance . I plunk down the $ 20 and am glad to say I never looked back .
How The Frame Rest Works
During review of any give super , we often need to remove at least one human body , if not a few more , to make distance to extract out the very buddy-buddy ( wide with combing ) or very stuck with propolis frame . Where we put those frames while we ’re not looking at them is at our best judgment : on the ground , slant against a hive , wherever we deem the dependable and cleanest . Even with our good endeavor , bees get crushed , comb gets destroy , honeyseeps everywhere , and frames get cover in grass or leaves or dirt — and we know how tidy and clear bees prefer to be !
The frame rest string up on the outside of the superintendent and holds the physique the same way it is suspend in the hive , so nothing on theframe(bees , comb , brood , etc . ) is being concern or crushed . The frame residual sell me because it is non - invasive . The bees are aware they ’ve been displace ( from the inside to the exterior of the hive ) , but because there ’s no trauma and minimal jostle and less of a danger of the frame descend over on the spur of the moment , they ’re more teachable and often expect patiently for their frame of reference to be returned to the superintendent . It keep the comb entire and the honey and the Interior Department of the hive clean and jerk of debris , thus give the bee less work to strip up after your hive review .
Why It’s Great
The beekeeper benefits from its simplicity , as well . With an obvious space to place material body , the apiarist can easily keep lead of the frames that have already been inspected and keep the ordering of the frame of reference in confirmation . This is important when either try on to keep the frames on the nose as they were , such as when inspecting a healthy brood nest or when manipulate and rearranging frames . It ’s also helpful to keep honey frame clean wheninspectingthem before a harvest . ( Who likes bits of leaves in their honey ? )
Can I exist without a frame rest ? Yes . Can I be a large beekeeper without one ? perfectly . But does it make my biography leisurely , bequeath me unagitated ( and thus , my bees calmer ) , and make review smoother and honeyed ? I think so . If you ’ve got the hard cash and the space in the bee basketful to spare , give one a try . I ’m suppose you wo n’t repent it either .
Kristina Mercedes Urquhart
