Finally finished and installed my new beehive platform, made from treated pine and sealed with 2 coats of “Sikkens Cetol 7plus colour 077” This is a gloss finish and very durable in all weather conditions. I also changed and relocated the water supply and planted some natives in front of the platform and around the water supply.
This is going to make it a lot easier to do my hive inspections.
I have some before and after pictures here
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That looks like a job very well done George. No issues with the bees?
Cheers
Thanks Peter. No issues with the bees. I pre-made the platform in the shed. Did the installation at night. After I used some smoke to get the last few bees into the hive, and closed the entrance. Then moved the 2 hives out of the way, installed the stumps. Then had someone help me lift the platform onto the stumps and lift the beehives back onto the platform, pretty well in the same position as before. After that I opened the entrance again. The whole process took 2 hrs. No problem with the bees the next day although they did do some orientation flying. The water supply and plants I did a few days later after the bees settled down. Done during the day wearing a bee suit. Cheers, G
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I’m thinking the orientation flights was because the platform has puzzled them as it is something new to them. Great to see you have enough room to work on the hives and not go for a six over the edge. Plenty of room for the roof and super for brood inspections, really well thought out for a great result.
Cheers
Looks great George. I’m glad it worked out great for you.
Just watch out for that hose connected to your watering station. The hose is not rated to be connected to mains water pressure permanently and in the sun it can fail without warning, creating a deluge.
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Hi Olly, we are on tank and bore water.
The hose is a reinforced hose and will stand high pressures
The hose is connected to bore water and pressure is via a auto pressure pump
The pressure is below the mains pressure.
I appreciate what you are saying, the sun can also deteriorate the hose.I will keep an eye on it
I will probably bury it underground to keep the sun off
Have you harvested any honey since I saw you ?
Cheers, G
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Hi George, yes I harvested a couple frames each hive, and they are again full. I might harvest another frame or two each hive, and leave the rest for winter.
I also have rain water tanks connected to a pressure pump set to 5 bar similar to mains. I have a short reinforced hose at one point that I forgot to switch off one day in summer, and I’m lucky I was home when it burst in the midday heat.
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Fantastic mate looks the buzzness 
Thanks Dean, I think that for recreational bee keepers, the beehives should blend in with the landscape where ever possible and make it a feature of your garden.
This is quite different to commercial bee keepers that rely on bee keeping as their principal form of income. They usually have upwards of 50-100 and upwards bee hives that are continually moved.
Cheers, G