A hive scale can also be made by adapting a hive stand so that the
back or front of the hive sits on the part of a bathroom scale where
human feet would go.
This measures half the weight of the hive and leaves the dial out
where it can be read by the beekeeper.
A set-up like this was described, with photos, in _Gleanings_ maybe
twenty years ago.
If a beekeeper wants to find out where the bees are getting nectar,
keeping an eye on what is blooming while recording the weight of the
hive is an easy way to find out. In southeastern Pennsylvania, the graph
of hive weight shoots up when tulip poplar trees (_Liriodendron
tulipfera_) bloom.
Tim
--
Tim Sterrett
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(southeastern) Pennsylvania, USA
40.0 N 75.5 W