I live in Vermont. So does this black bear who’s known for destroying hives. My neighbor’s hives were destroyed last year. I keep my electric fence bated and so far so good. I strap them down well to the hive stand I built.
The flow hive is so pretty, I’d love to use clips instead of s big ugly strap. Do you think it will do the trick?
Hi Sara, I live in Half Moon Bay, a few miles south from you. I just installed my bees in the Flow Hive yesterday - now you all got me thinking about earthquake straps! Did you strap yours down? Just curious!
Hi Ulli,
I am waiting on collecting a swarm for the hive, so I haven’t done anything.
Honestly I think that either way is fine. I don’t know what I will do but suspect I’ll go with letting it alone. Where this hive will be mounted I could latch it down to the shelf it will be set on, but I prolly care more about how the hive looks sitting in my tiny back yard. Were I mounting it up on the roof I would be strapping it, because of winds.
Decisions, decisions!
Spring clips look good and efficient but what about holding the roof down? We have super strong gusts where we live.
A hive strap might be the way to go if you’re worried about the wind getting under the roof, you can get Emlock soft straps that will be kinder to your hive than the traditional metal straps.
Yes I currently use a strap and although it works well I fancy something less fiddly and more aesthetic.
Only being fussy I suppose. However I am sure the UV will soon degrade the strap.
Can’t you jimmy something up on the bottom of the roof to accept the spring clip. Like a little hook coming off the overhang of the roof/lid?
I don’t think an earth quake will necessarily knock the hive over… but it will shake it apart. And the bees won’t be happy. So, probably not so important to latch it down to the ground, but just to hold it together. Tho if you live near bears, or have your hive in a paddock full of cattle… different story.
Now that’s a great idea @Dawn_SD I’m using a strap like many others but it spoils the look of the hive. I’m guessing it is certainly better when there are heavy winds and storms like we get during wet season. I’m going to combine your idea with Z clips between the boxes and see how that all goes.
I know many of the old hands are happy with the bees doing the job themselves with propolis, but I’d be curious to find out how they survive during violent storms and cyclones.
Well we have gales of wind here today. I am still waiting for my Nuc so the hive is empty except a few frames and QEx. Although everything has held together its so windy that the Super moved enough on top of the QEx to leave a one inch gap at one side and the Brood box shifted about the same off the bottom board.
I suppose none of this will be an issue if there are bees, honey and propolis around the joints but until then just the strap could be risky. Don’t want to pull it too tight as you will damage the roof.
So if you are in a windy location and put an empty super on just watch it can’t slide to the side on the slippery QEx. So this could be an advantage of the Spring clips or some kind of catches.
Can you put the strap under the roof? At least the bees would be safe even if the roof blew off. I’m thinking more and more that though the roof is pretty it is totally impractical in windy areas. I will definitely replace it at winter time with a flat one.
A standard hive strap would quite easily go under the roof and over the top of the crown board/inner cover. My latches would still connect and could hold the roof onto to the strapped hive. 
does anyone know where I can find these spring clips here in Australia? I have seen them referred to as ‘reade clips’ in a Victorian report about wax dipping.
I have made some observation hives and I need these to lock the base and inner cover down.
they look like gate latches to me
I mentioned this in my original post, you can get them from Hornsby Beekeeping Supplies.
If you are talking about the ones I used, @Rodderick is correct, they are gate safety latches. Often used on swimming pool gates to keep unsupervised toddlers out of the water. They are actually called safety hook and eye latches in the US. I am sure that Mr Google or Mr Amazon would know where you can get them in Oz.
I prefer the ones @MrBear linked, but I couldn’t find any in this country.
Bobs bees has them as well as Redpaths in Australia
I really like the metal stand that you have in the picture. Did you make it or where to buy one?
