ONTEST Adnor frame saver
Reusing frames saves money and materials and is one way of making beekeeping more sustainable.
Needless to say, frames from colonies that you are not certain are disease-free should never be reused.
For me, disassembling and cleaning frames normally involves a range of tools, including pliers, an old screwdriver and a Stanley knife – oſten more items come out of the toolbox as work progresses. A new tool called the Adnor frame saver aims to replace all of these and make the job of cleaning and recycling frames much easier and safer.
Designed by Irish father and son Norman and Adam Robins (‘Adnor’), the tool is essentially a pair of pliers with a specially shaped, multipurpose head. The horns on the pliers can be used to lever apart and remove the botom bars of a frame and the top-bar wedge. They can then be used to scrape wax out of the foundation slots in the side bars. The plier function can be used on the removed wedge to push the frame nails back into the wood – but not
Diversity certified organic bee suits
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Coton accounts for 2.4 % of the land planted for crops and yet uses 24% of the agricultural insecticides sold each year.
As beekeepers, these are figures for concern. Diversity’s organic beesuits use only certified organic coton grown by small family farms in India. Furthermore, they do not use polyester or EVA – oſten used for the webbing in other ventilated suits – so they are completely biodegradable at the end of their life.
Diversity beesuits and jackets are available in canvass or as various ventilated options with fencing or round hoods. The material feels substantial but they are light to wear and the coton gives them a pleasant, airy feel. The suit that I was sent to test was extremely comfortable and well made, with sting- resistant ventilation panels on both front and back. The suit had everything you could want: large, Velcro-fastening pockets, sturdy elasticated waistband and cuffs, and elasticated thumb loops.
Ventilated beesuits are relatively new to the market and the choice is growing, but if you are concerned about the materials you consume and their environmental impact, I would recommend that you consider one of these.
Find out more about the suits and how they are made:
www.beefriendlybeesuits.com 30 Bee Craſt April 2020
all the way through, meaning they are in position to be hammered back into the frame aſter cleaning.
I used the tool when cleaning and dismantling some 14x12 National frames and found it very effective. It admirably performed all the tasks normally requiring a handful of tools. I found the head got a bit gummed-up with wax and propolis, but I washed it in washing soda as I went along and it stayed clean and workable. The only function I didn’t use was the nail re-seter. I prefer to remove nails completely because, aſter soaking the frames in soda solution, I scrub all parts with wire wool – nails get in the way.
Cleaning frames may not be financially justified if you calculate the time involved, but using just one tool for the job made the process faster and much less tedious. The retail price of €25 is good value but probably only if you recycle a lot of frames.
The product won first prize in the Practical Invention class at the 2019 National Honey Show.
Photos: Richard Rickit
Photos: richard Rickit
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