Acrylic crown board

[BeeJayBee]

Does an acrylic crown board need to have a wooden frame?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

No more or less than a wooden one.

 

[drstitson]

only if you have bottom beespace hive

 

[tonybloke]

only if you have bottom beespace hive

other way round, shirley?

with a bottom bee space arrangement, the crownboard can lay flat on the frames.

 

[BERNIE]

if it is top bee space it does not need a lip. if it is bottom bee space it needs 8mm lip.shirley.

 

[BERNIE]

I see are using sing top bee space tonybloke if your crown board has 8mm lip bees will shirley build brace comb.

 

[oliver90owner]

That might depend, shirley, whether there was a lip on both sides and which way up shirley.

No, shirley, it does not need a frame unless less than about a mm thick, when it would perhaps be better shirley. A lip does not necessarily constitute a frame shirley.


Who is shirley, any way?

 

[luckydunny]

And stop calling me Shirley, (Surely Airplane!!)

 

[BERNIE]

oliver90owner you are right it could have a lip on one side of board.this would be able to be used for top and bottom bee space depending on which way you flip it.

 

[Ely]

Well, Dorothy, I'd like to know what difference a crown board makes to either bottom or top bee space. I thought it was just a ceiling. Yes top bee space has the advantage of not crushing bees when replacing crown board put a generous puff of smoke stops that anyway on my bbs. I admit to not knowing a great deal about bottom and top beespace though, especially when you involve supers as well. Could you not have supers bottom bee space and brood top bee space for best of everything? This stuff warps my mind

 

[drex]

Bottom bee space = space under frames.
Top b s = space on top of frames.

Do not mix the two in the same hive.

a bee space is just that, the space in between things that a bee needs to move about. Less than a bee space they tend to fill with propolis, and more than that they fill with brace comb.

Your scenario is asking for brace comb. If the other way round, lots of squashed bees.

a crown board flat on top of frames ( i.e. in b.b.s. hive ) will soon get welded to the top bars with wax and propolis.

 

[BERNIE]

well ely if you have top bee space for broad box better to stick to top bee space for supers.not a good idea to mix and match. or your super frames will be stuck to your broad frames.

 

[Andy Duff]

Lucy, the clear poly ones I built had a 1/4 inch lip on 1 side to help prevent the bees super glueing it in place and the other lip was 5/8 inch (from memory) for use other way up when treating with apiguard.

or is it 3/4 inch Debby?

 

[dickbowyer]

I like these but quickly obscured by wax and Propolis. How do you clean them?

 

[BeeJayBee]

I like these but quickly obscured by wax and Propolis. How do you clean them?

I've read somewhere, don't recall where, that propolis will come off easily if the acrylic is put in the freezer, and wax will wash off with warm solution of washing soda.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Thanks

Next questions are ... is 2mm thick enough, without a frame, or would 3mm be better?

And ... where to buy? Auctions seem to sell only small bits, a quick look suggests that large sheets (that can be cut down) might be more reasonably priced from any of the various DIY stores.

 

[oliver90owner]

I would not want to use thin stuff. It will get propolised down and will crack on removal. A frame will help.

I would think most that use a clear plastic are approx 5mm +- 1mm depending on material. Polycarbonate is probably the toughest in thinner sections.

Two pieces in a split frame are likely sourced cheaper than a full sized piece. A matter of make do with what you get cheap, I would siuggest. With a split frame you can incorporate a feeder hole and, if you must, bee escapes if you feel you want to use it as a clearer board.

Options, options. I just use a sheet of ply. Easy and cheap;I can make a hole easily if I ever want to.

RAB

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Thornes use 3mm polycarbonate sheet. I have been considering putting 3mm polycarbonate sheet in a simple 19mm batton frame with a slot retaining the polycarbonate sheet. Haven't thought through size of sheet yet but to get a 460mm square was thinking of 450mm or a bit less.

 

[keith pierce]

I use 6mm, thought it has gone up in price over the last few years . it costs now neary €11 per hive

 

[drumgerry]

One thing that has puzzled me about the new Pay*nes poly hives I've just bought is what to do about the plastic sheet crownboard supplied with them. I've installed the frame runners also supplied in order to work the hives bottom bee space. The problem this creates is that there's now less than a bee space between the tops of the frames and the underside of the plastic crownboard. If I make a frame for the crownboard the roof won't sit fully down in its rebate.

Any suggestions?

Gerry