Probably, any person who has been engaged in beekeeping for several years has heard of such a device as a separation grid for bees. It allows you to get many important advantages when used properly. Therefore, every beginner who is just beginning to master such a difficult but fascinating occupation as beekeeping should learn about it.
Grill dimensions
The dimensions of the separation grid for bees exactly coincide with the size of a standard hive - 44.8 x 43.2 centimeters. However, sometimes the size is halved - in this case, the lattice has not a square shape, but a rectangular one. This makes it easier to stack and remove the grill.
Thickness can vary from fractions of a millimeter to several millimeters - depending on the material used for the manufacture.
The cell size of the separation grid for bees also changes, but this already depends on the country of origin. For example, those made in Russia have openings 4.5 mm wide. But created in England, which did not completely switch from the usual system to the metric, this figure is 4.572 millimeters.
Why is it needed?
Now it’s worth telling why a separation grid for bees is needed. Of course, its main purpose is to limit the freedom of the uterus. This can be very useful in several cases.
The most important is the separation of the uterus from the store. The frames located here are usually used exclusively for collecting honey - they are easy to extract, making a minimum of confusion in the life of bees. However, how to explain this to the uterus? After all, she crawls along all the frames, laying eggs in those cells that are "at hand".
This is where the grill comes in handy. The size of 4.5 millimeters was not chosen at all by chance. It has long been noticed that an ordinary working bee will easily creep into the 4.1 mm gap. If it is filled with nectar and bloated, you need a gap of 4.3 millimeters already. With a margin, a distance of 4.5 millimeters is taken. Even the largest working bee easily crawls through it. But for a larger uterus, the passage through such a gap is closed - it will not squeeze with all the desire.
Thus, the lattice laid on the frames in the main hive, located under the store, allows the bees to freely climb into the store frames without letting the uterus pass here. This ensures that all eggs are laid only in frames in the hive. The store ones will be filled exclusively with honey - the eggs will definitely not get here. Thanks to this, you can confidently use them to extract the sweet product, without causing unnecessary damage to the swarm.
This can be useful in preparing the wintering of bees with a dividing grid. A beekeeper, seeing the frames completely filled with honey, can easily calculate how much a particular hive needs to leave (depending on the approximate number of bees) so that the family normally wintered, managed without losses and easily started collecting fresh honey in the spring.
Swarm protection
Another important plus of keeping bees with a separation grid is protection against swarming. In this case, it is enough to use a fragment of the old grid and close the notch. The uterus simply will not be able to squeeze through the net, which means that the bees that accompany it will also not leave - the swarm will not come out and will not be lost. This is especially important in cases where the beekeeper needs to leave the apiary for several days or at least hours at a time when the bees are close to swarming.
By the way, another interesting trick, which is possible thanks to the dividing lattices, is the two-wedge content. As you know, two uterus, having met in one hive, will fight to death, while working bees are ready to coexist peacefully. Thus, you can leave the old uterus in the lower part of the hive, and place the young one in the upper. Then the first will work as usual, laying eggs. The young one makes the first mating raids, masters its possessions, prepares for laying eggs. After a few weeks, when it comes into force, the old uterus is removed, and the young one replaces it - it moves down and effectively copes with its duties.
It is also possible to have a double-shell keeping of bees with a separation lattice - it is very similar to that described above, with the only difference being that the old uterus is not removed, but continues to work efficiently. Thus, the beekeeper has the ability to keep two bee colonies in the same hive with the store.
What material to choose
Today dividing lattices are made of different materials. First of all, it is wire, plastic and a metal plate.
The former are reliable, durable and easy to use, but require some caution when handling.
Plastic is cheap and lightweight, but it can be easily damaged during work - you need to be especially careful.
Finally, metal ones - tinned or zinc - are not too safe for the bees themselves. Therefore, they are discontinued - only old stocks or second-hand products can be seen on sale.
Cons of application
The disadvantages of separation gratings are usually not associated with them, but with their improper use or poor-quality manufacturing.
To begin with, we will mention metal - discontinued - lattices. Often, manufacturers, in order to reduce costs, simply tried to use the thinnest plates possible, and the thoroughness of the edges left much to be desired. Therefore, the bees were wounded on sharp, jagged edges (they may seem even to a person, but the smallest scratch is enough for tiny toilers) and died.
Plastic grilles often break - they cannot boast of high strength, therefore, attached with wax to the frames or the body, they can be broken. When working with metal, this problem is solved with a hairdryer, which softens the wax. When working with plastic products, you cannot use a hair dryer - not only wax, but also the grate itself can soften.
Finally, wire, for all its strength, can be damaged during transportation or installation. As a result, the gap between the two rods will increase slightly - for example, up to 5-5.5 millimeters. Inexperienced beekeeper, such a change will not say anything. And professionals obviously will not like it.
How to install
To keep the bees in the beds with a dividing grid does not cause unnecessary problems, you need to know exactly how to lay it.
To begin with, it is recommended to stack it in such a way that the slots go across the frames. Otherwise, the bees will build bridges over them, gradually making the lattice completely impassable. They will not be able to enter the store and will begin to fill the frames in the hive with honey, but the frame is used just to not mix honey and eggs.
It is not worth laying the grate directly on the frames - you need to leave a gap of at least 6-8 millimeters so that the bees move freely from one structure to another. The easiest way to achieve this is by laying small wooden or plastic bars around the perimeter of the frames and laying the grate on them already. At the same time, the risk is reduced that the bees begin to cover the grate with wax.
The advantages of self-made lattice
Alas, today it is not always easy to find a high-quality dividing lattice. Some manufacturers, trying to reduce costs, use cheap materials of low quality. Others do not withstand the technology and market lattices with slots not of 4.5, but 4.8 millimeters, which is why their effectiveness is reduced to zero. Finally, those manufacturers who use high-quality and safe materials, clearly adhering to the technology, set a rather high price on their products.
That is why many experienced beekeepers prefer to make do-it-yourself separation gratings for bees. This allows you to get products that fully meet your requirements, have an affordable price and are completely safe.
What tools will be needed
The easiest way to make a wire grid at home. With enough careful use, it can last for many years. In addition, even if the rods are deformed, they can be easily restored by inserting a knife between them and slightly pressing to restore the original shape and width of the slots.
To work, you will primarily need a frame or wooden bars and aluminum or galvanized wire - it is very important that it is not subject to rust. Tools are also needed: a hammer, nails, wire cutters, pliers, a ruler and small nails.
When everything you need is at hand, you can get to work.
We are doing work
First of all, you need to make a frame - a frame from wooden bars. Make sure that it easily enters the hive, not getting stuck anywhere, but at the same time leaving no gaps even half a centimeter - otherwise its use becomes simply meaningless.
Using a ruler, mark the narrow side of the frame - mark with a pencil at a distance of about 4.5 millimeters. Of course, a small error will be due to the thickness of the wire. But a gap of 4.45 mm is enough for a working bee, even loaded with nectar, to crawl through without difficulty. The main thing is that the distance should not be more than 4.5 mm.
The next step is to drive in small wallpaper nails in the marked places. It is advisable to use thin, long nails so as not to split the frame.
Finally, all that remains is to wind the wire around the nails. It is not necessary to cut it - it is better to simply fix it on the first nail, then pass through the rest, alternating the nails on different sides, and wind it on the last one, after which you can use soldering for a more reliable fixation.
It is very important to ensure that the wire is carefully tensioned and does not loose over time.
That's all - the frame is ready and can be used in the hive, effectively coping with the goal.
Who invented the separation grid?
Quite a long time there has been debate about who first came up with the use of the separation grid in the hives. Some experts are inclined to believe that the author of this useful device was Francois Huber, a Swiss beekeeper. Others claim that he only noted the difference in the sizes of the queen bees and the working bees, and the lattices themselves were developed by the Russian beekeeper P. Prokopovich.
Nevertheless, the lattice became widespread thanks to the Brazilian beekeeper Ghaniman - it is no coincidence that for a long time they had the name Ganimanovsky. He proved their effectiveness and made popular all over the world.
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. Now you know how to use the separation bars, and also have an idea of the correct installation. If necessary, the reader can easily make a high-quality lattice with his own hands.