How to make a scale for weighing bee hives. The weight of the hive will tell you something about its health, such as when the bees need to be fed, or when the hive is full.

1. Fast Cheap Hive Scale
Frank Linton

2. Fast Cheap Hive Scale
“Fast, Cheap, Good, Pick Any Two.”
Project Management Triangle
Frank Linton

5. Why Have a Hive Scale?
• You can see the current weight and the rate of
change, and make inferences about the state of
the colony
• What’s going on in there?
– Is the hive full and the colony about to swarm?
– Is the hive empty and the colony about to starve?
– Is there a nectar flow or should I be feeding?
• Does the colony need: Another super? To be split?
Some feed? Today? Next week?
• To provide data to: http://honeybeenet.gsfc.nasa.gov

6. Hive Weight: Weekly Average
Hive Weight: Weekly Average
38.0
36.0
34.0
32.0
Weight, lbs
30.0
2006-07
28.0 2007-08
26.0 2007 2008
April-May Fewest bees April 7-21 Cool-down & Frames reversed
June July Replaced brood with foundation. May 12-19 Split
24.0
July 28 Max capacity reached June 30-7/14 Replaced brood with foundation.
August: Swarm July – Aug Replaced brood with foundation.
22.0
Key Observations; date of: initial increase, swarming, max capacity,
20.0
rate of die-off, rate of increase
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

7. Make the Hive Scale
• Buy: scale, mirror, base, blocks, tape. <$20
• Paint: base
• Glue: mirror to scale
• Tape: gaps in scale
– What happens if you don’t
• Assemble:
– Put blocks on base
– Put scale on blocks
– Put hive on scale
• Monitor: hive weight. Gain: insight.

8. Scale
Purchase a mechanical scale from a big box store.

9. Set Up the Scale

10. Mirror
Purchase a cut-to-fit
mirror replacement kit
from a car parts store.

11. Cut & Bend the Mirror
Cut a strip of mirror material the width of the dial.
Bend the strip
over a sharp
edge. It may take
some force.
It may help to
have clamps or a
vise.
Test the angle of the bend by looking at the
dial using the mirror. The numbers on the dial
will appear upside down. You’ll get used to it.
Attach the mirror to the scale using the strips
of double sided sticky tape included with the
mirror.

12. Tape the Gaps
If spiders and insects live
inside the scale, you’ll get
buggy readings….

13. Why You Tape the Gaps …

14. In-Door Test Set-Up

16. Final Installation