This is the kind of weather where I go through two, maybe even three T-shirts per day. I have even pulled the “emergency T-shirt” out of my EDC bag and put it on. That’s how humid it is and how sweaty I get. So far, its been a wet summer.
Normal T-shirt-soaking sweat from working outdoors in the heat is manageable, but it worse is when I am inside my bee suit wearing the veil and can’t mop the sweat off my face. The sweat runs into my eyes and stings. It also makes my reading glasses slide down my nose. The other day, the bees were so cranky I didn’t dare remove my veil, even to mop my face with a towel. (Nature has taught bees to sting near the eyes because that is where animals have the least fur. Of course, it’s also one of the most painful places to get stung.)
On the plus side, warm sunny weather means plenty of time to get outdoor work done. For me, that means not only homestead work, but woodworking, because while I store my tools in the garage, it isn’t big enough to set up the table saw. I also don’t have a very good sawdust handling system, so I just wheel the table saw and carry the miter saw outside and cut things there. When the first drops of a summer afternoon storm platter down, I quickly wheel everything back indoors.
Building Nuc Boxes
Lately, I’ve been working on making six-frame nuc boxes. I have two queens in the queen castle where they have three frames, and they need to graduate to more space. A six-frame nuc is just the thing, and they may overwinter in it if necessary. Maybe these bees will grow into a full-size ten-frame hive body before winter. Maybe not. Time and the honey flow will tell.
I am making my nuc boxes on the cheap. A traditional nuc hive with a bottom board and separate inner and outer cover costs more than $60. I can buy enough plywood to make four for $42. Of course, I have to spend my time instead of my money.
To make the nuc box, I cut two ten-inch pieces off a 2×10 piece of lumber. These form the ends. (A 2×8 will make a five-frame nuc.) Then, I use the table saw with the dado stack installed to cut a 3/4-inch lip on the top of each piece. This will be where the top bar of the frames rests. I could use a smaller cut, but I leave a bit of space to give me some play if my other dimensions are off by a kerf or a quarter inch. While I have the dado installed, I also make a dado cut about a third of the way down the outside of the end piece to act as a finger groove so I can lift the nuc.
The walls are 10×21-inch pieces cut from 1/2-inch plywood. I use narrow-gauge staples and plenty of TiteBond III wood glue to affix them to the end pieces. Then I cut the floor and the lid from plywood. The length depends on whether I want the bees to have a landing board or not. I generally leave them up to three inches. I drill a one-inch hole for the hive entrance.
More Bee Activity
The home apiary continues to produce honey, and I added more supers last week. The out yard is quieter, although it seems to be more productive this week than the prior. There are plenty of things blooming, from basswood and sourwood to clover, Japanese knotweed, sunflowers, and wildflowers.
I worked in the bee yard three days last week, although one was just a short visit after dinner when things had cooled off.
Ranger Windshield
Last week, I started installing the windshield, which I purchased from Rough Country, on my Polaris Ranger 1000. The polycarbonate windshield was impressively thick and looked like it could take a serious impact at high speed without endangering the passenger. However, it didn’t quite fit.
The bottom of the windshield fit into the Polaris Ranger just fine. One side would fit, but the other would not. The windshield was too wide, especially at the top. To get the sides to fit, I had to get inside the vehicle and push the center of the polycarbonate out, bending it. But when the side fit, there was a bulge in the top middle that pushed it out of the frame.
I called Rough Country, and they asked me a few questions, like, was I trying to install it upside down. (It was not.) I emailed them photos, and they sent me a new windshield. Now I have a nice, thick piece of polycarbonate lying around. I’ll have to find a cool use for it.
They had no explanation of what went wrong. I am wondering if I as sent the incorrect model or model year. I should be able to install the replacement early this week.
Ranger Roof
I also got a roof from Rough Country, which was a nice one-piece unit. While I am pleased with the roof, it was also not a perfect fit. Once I installed the front, there was too much room between the back lip of the roof and the metal frame of the Ranger for the 20mm-long bolts they provided to reach. I tried using a set of clamps to squeeze the roof closer to the frame, but that didn’t work.
I ended up buying 35mm bolts, spray painting them black to match, and threading them through the holes.
Only after going to this trouble did I realize the pre-drilled holes in the roof were not lining up with the holes in the Ranger’s frame. Since the bolt had to go at an angle to reach the hole, it needed to be longer.
Perhaps it is a temperature-related problem. Maybe they molded the roof on a cold day, and the roof has since expanded in the heat. I suspect it is better to send a roof that is a bit loose rather than too tight, so it can be force-fit as I did. Still, after experiencing a problem with the windshield and the roof, I have to wonder about Rough Country’s fit and finish. They have excellent customer service and responded to the windshield problem, but I’d have preferred that everything fit right out of the box.
I have yet to install the winch plate I purchased from them. I am hoping their tolerances are tighter with metal parts than they were with the plastic ones.
