Randy, when you were here, I remember Phil and I showing you the metal 6 frame pollination units but cannot remember if you saw the transportable frame mounted larger units. These are often referred to as "coffin boxes". At around 12 feet long, and divided by multiple dividers into separate colony units, usually 10 frame, but sometimes smaller sometimes larger. He uses these for pollen trapping and they work very well. He also traps a lot of pollen from the individual 6 frame pollination units.
I was persuaded against what I thought was better judgment, to use these metal 6 frame colonies for pollination of water melons after losing my prepared timber colonies in a wildfire 10 days before delivery. 160 of these metal 6 frame units were supplied by the metal worker 3 days after ordering. They were spray painted and CCA cleated the same day,and stocked with bees and new queens over the next 2 days. Then they were shipped off to the grower some 3700 km distant, on time. He was delighted with the crop results, so we had fulfilled our contractual obligation despite the emergency, which would not have been possible in that time frame if we had to construct timber units. But I still had little faith in the ability of colonies in these units  to withstand the climatic extremes over the longer term without the thermal insulation qualities of the normal timber box.
Experience proved me wrong. Very wrong. I had assumed overheating would be a problem especially in direct sun on a 45 centigrade day. Quite the opposite, heat loss through the uninsulated lid in the mid winter proved to be the only adverse observation which was easily rectified.
I make up these units in the spring and use them for pollination of intensively planted orchards under nets where truck access is nil and large hives get in the way of the normal orchard management tractor operations. For the rest of the year when pollination season is over they are queen rearing units.

The metal hives we are now moving to are "standard" hives suitable for honey production. 8 frame external dimensions but comfortably 9 frame brood box internal. In my case supered with existing timber supers, but in Phil's case supered also with metal boxes using standard frames. In both our cases they will be used for spring orchard pollination contracts followed by honey and pollen production for the remainder of the season.

I must confess to being slightly barmy at the best of times, but at a time when I should be downsizing prior to retirement, expansion on this scale could be considered lunatic! Hopefully my friends will still come and visit when they eventually lock me up! (Don't forget the chocolate cake.)

PeterD 
 

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