Weighing your beehive is the best way for you to get an idea of the number of bees inside and how the colony’s production is coming along. The only concern here is that taking out the frames of your hive to check them will not just take effort and time. It can also cause stress for you and your bees alike.
If you need or want to weigh your beehives, below are a few methods that beekeepers do:
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Lift Your Beehive for Better Accuracy
The lifting method is your best option if you want to get better accuracy when you weigh your hives. This method can work for you if you can carry the boxes up on the scale.
On the other hand, the hive’s weight depends on the number of bees inside, the number of boxes, and the volume of propolis, comb, honey, and brood. If you can lift the entire thing, you just need to attach a sturdy strap to the beehive and lift it on a durable bathroom scale.
Weighing your beehive is the best way for you to know how many bees are inside. The lifting method can work for you if you can carry the boxes up on the scale.
One more way to use lifting is to open the beehive and then lift the boxes individually onto the scale. This is easier compared to lifting the entire thing on the scale. Just take note that it might disturb the bees because you will need to open their hive.
Tilt Your Beehive Easier Weighing
Weighing your beehives should be done by titling because of their typically heavyweight. Since a full hive can weigh up to 300 lbs., you can just imagine how hard it will be to weigh it in one go.
Tilting means you just measure one side at a time to save you from trouble. Many beekeepers use this particular method to monitor honey production in their hives.
To do this method, prepare a sturdy spring-type bathroom scale that can endure a heavy capacity. Tilt the hive carefully to one side and slide the scale under it to measure its weight. Take note of the weight and repeat the process on the other side of the hive.
Add the two measurements together to get the total weight of your hive. This sum will be more or less the exact weight of your hive. While tilting doesn’t ensure complete accuracy, many beekeepers agree that the measurement is close enough to reality.
Weigh Your Beehive Using High-Tech Solutions for Better Efficiency
Even the bee industry is now starting to benefit from advancements in technology. Today, weighing your beehive has already become smarter and easier thanks to the different devices available.
A beekeeping solution provider, for example, offers a hive scale that uses Near Field Technology or NFC to show all the data collected from the beehive to your smartphone. Aside from the weight, it also offers helpful information for keeping your bees.
There are also high-tech beehive scales that can track a hive’s weight to allow beekeepers to identify whether the flow of nectar is good or not. It also sends an alarm that notifies you if bears attacked the hive. It can also show the humidity level and if the colony has an abnormal temperature.
With these different methods of weighing your beehive, you can stay right on track with your bees with ease.
