Beekeeping has always been an artistic and scientific endeavor, but a recent discovery I made on a beekeeping channel elevated this to a whole new level. This approach involves collecting honey directly into Mason jars; it’s clever in its simplicity and efficacy.
The Idea:
In beehives, where bees store their honey, beekeepers have traditionally used frames. But this method presented an alternative strategy. An item of painted plywood with holes that suit Mason jars is used in place of the typical telescoping outer cover found on hives. Bees may construct comb and store honey straight into the jars thanks to this arrangement.
Adjustment and Enhancement:
This gave me the idea to change and play around with the theme. I spoke with Pineapple Springs Woodware, my woodworking supplier, to find a more workable and long-lasting alternative. We decided that a half-inch piece of thicker plywood, rather than a thin laminate, would be more appropriate to hold the weight of several Mason jars full of honey.
Steps in Construction:
- Plywood Preparation: I began by painting a large piece of plywood, but in retrospect, it might have been preferable to paint after assembly.
- Jar placement involved marking and drilling holes to make sure there was sufficient room between the jars to allow for simple unscrewing.
- Securing Lids: For a stronger hold, I chose to screw the jar lids onto the base rather than just putting them into the holes. By doing this, the jars would stay put while the bees are working.
- Assembly: I drilled the holes and then secured the lids with glue and nails. In order to keep bees out of this redesigned hive part, I additionally caulked the outside.
- Jar Installation: To ensure a tight fit, I lastly inserted small wood screws into the top and sides of each lid. In order to prevent openings that could attract pests like hive beetles, this step was essential.
Complete Setup and Anticipation:
Next, the jars were gently screwed onto the lids that were fastened. I intended to cover and enclose this system with a super in order to safeguard the arrangement and enable regular hive operations.
This do-it-yourself Mason Jar Honey Harvesting System is proof of the inventiveness of beekeeping. It’s an attractive and useful method of gathering honey. It makes the process of gathering easier and offers a distinctive perspective of the bees at work. I will follow up in a few weeks to see how this experiment is doing.
This method of harvesting could be a game changer for small-scale honey production, providing a more engaging and direct approach. It draws attention to the possibilities for original thinking in conventional procedures, demonstrating that even tried-and-true crafts like beekeeping may benefit from new developments.