The weight of beehives is an indication of the health of the bee colony, the productivity of the bees, the amount of honey they produce, and the number of bees that populate it. Monitoring of the hive’s weight using a beehive scale gives beekeepers the chance to understand and know the colony’s situation and identify the perfect solution for their specific needs.
Why Weigh Your Beehive
The answer is simple. Weighing your hive is an ideal unobtrusive method to monitor the condition of your bees and how they are doing.
While it is important to monitor your bees, there are times when they will also need their own space. Bees don’t really like it if their hives are being opened up, particularly when you do it every single day.
Most of the time, you will want to know how the honey production of your colony is coming along. However, taking out the frames and examining them can be quite stressful not only for you but also for your bees.
Weighing a hive gives you a good idea of the amount of honey or number of bees inside it. With all workers contributing 1/12 tablespoon of honey at most throughout her life, this gives you a great sense of fulfillment for the colony’s amazing work.
How to Weigh Your Beehives
Weighing beehives is a great way for a beekeeper to get a hint of the number of bees that populate it and how the colony’s production is coming along. Trying to take out all the frames inside the artificial hive to get a look at it takes effort and time and can make you feel stressed out. There are several ways you can try to weigh your beehives.
Weigh easily by tilting
Hives are being weighed by tilting because they are usually. Trying to weigh a full hive with a weight of 300 pounds, for example, can be quite difficult. Tilting the hive while measuring one side at a time will save you from the hassle. Many beekeepers use the tilting method when they monitor the honey production inside the hives.
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Enjoy better accuracy by lifting
If your goal is to have better accuracy when weighing the hives, lifting is another method you can try. This method can work for you if you can carry up all the boxes on a beehive scale. On the other hand, the hive’s weight will depend on the number of boxes, the volume of comb, propolis, honey, and brood, and the number of involved bees. If you are confident that you can lift the entire thing, you can have a durable strap attached to the hive and lift this on a sturdy beehive scale.
One more way of using lifting is to open up the hive then lift each box on the beehive scale. This is an easier method compared to lifting everything on the scale. However, since you will be opening the hive, doing so might end up disturbing the honeybees.