Maintaining a beehive requires a substantial amount of physical labor, and with the average age of beekeepers being around 55, this amount of work can become difficult. This project was undertaken to build a device that can assist beekeepers in lifting beehives. Through researching the needs of beekeepers and analyzing existing devices, we developed and tested a simple lifting device that will be easy for average beekeepers to build themselves. The prototype was designed to be cost effective, stable, and have a mechanical advantage of at least 8, such that beekeepers can move up to 200 lbs of supers (hive boxes that hold frames for honey) at a time safely without extraordinary effort.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Venditti, Alexander Stephen
• Smith, Sarah Rae
• Gouzias, Hannah Leigh

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042816-120538

Advisor

• Ault, Holly Keyes
• Cobb, Eben C.

Year

• 2016

Date created

• 2016-04-28

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Mechanical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright