Any skep makers?

[Swarm]

Thorn,
I use abelo poly roofs on all my hives and I think they are great, I've said so often enough in other threads. When I found the chunk missing I was fuming but I'm not blind and I posted what I found, the beads are more like dry crumbs. Again, no big deal to me as they are better than faffing with wooden roofs and kingspan, just be careful. I went back today and had a better scout around and couldn't believe what I found.
A piece of synthetic slate approximately five inches square. The giveaway was green paint and poly bits on one edge.
If you look at the photos you can see it is the thickest part of the roof that is damaged.
My main concern is that someone obviously chucked this at the hive. I'm fed up because of the damage. I had my doubts, having seen little chips but after a good look what they are like inside, I won't be stacking supers on them in a rush.
Here are pics of the damage and the culprit.

 

[Ian123]

a honey bees life is gathering energy for the colony at a rate of about 1.5mW (lifetime honey energy divided by 6weeks). So even small heat losses have consequences

Bees have and do thrive in wooden hives a couple of screws in a poly hive/box will make sod all dfference

 

[mpenn]

The Apiarist website suggests using gorilla glue and wooden dowels, bamboo barbecue skewers, can also be used for repairing poly hives.
I have Swienty and Maisies and have also manipulated an Abelo hive, the owners had to cut the top bar lugs down to size to make them fit (DN4), this was something I observed with that particular hive. Swienty and Maisies are 100g/L Abelo 160g/L draw your own conclusions as to density, thermal efficiency and brittleness. But the bees were thriving.

Try turning the box the right way up and the frames will fit !!

 

[mpenn]

a honey bees life is gathering energy for the colony at a rate of about 1.5mW (lifetime honey energy divided by 6weeks). So even small heat losses have consequences[/QUOTE

What a load of nonsense .

 

[user 6228]

Bees have and do thrive in wooden hives a couple of screws in a poly hive/box will make sod all dfference

and your reasoning is what? the strength of your assertion? Well having measured the temperature increase on the screws under controlled conditions, the heat loss is real.

 

[user 6228]

a honey bees life is gathering energy for the colony at a rate of about 1.5mW (lifetime honey energy divided by 6weeks). So even small heat losses have consequences[/QUOTE
What a load of nonsense .

and your reason apart from being an opinionated Yorkshireman.?


Derek an informed Lancastrian

 

[Madge]

... the beads are more like dry crumbs. ...

It's polystyrene - so, it will have beads looking like dry crumbs, whether it's a Swienty or an Abelo.

 

[mpenn]

and your reason apart from being an opinionated Yorkshireman.?


Derek an informed Lancastrian

Please tell me how 4 metal screws will have an effect on this colony I took this picture yesterday.
/http://s345.photobucket.com/user/mmppnn/media/IMG_2311_zpsznbuzh9q.jpg.html][IMG]http://i345.photobucket.com/albums/p365/mmppnn/IMG_2311_zpsznbuzh9q.jpg[/URL][/IMG]

 

[Ian123]

and your reasoning is what? the strength of your assertion? Well having measured the temperature increase on the screws under controlled conditions, the heat loss is real.

Dear god man youve measured the heat loss on a screw

 

[Hivemaker.]

Dear god man youve measured the heat loss on a screw

...and there is very likely a different heat loss if there is a screw loose.

 

[Ian123]

Am trying to hold myself back from saying anything................REALLY HARD!!!!

 

[Millet]

Abelo/Lyson all day long for me.. if folk are careless and break thing's the manufacturer is not to blame..get up to speed people..

 

[Anduril]

Am trying to hold myself back from saying anything................REALLY HARD!!!!

There is probably a different heat loss rate, dependant on the type of metal the screw is made from. Carbon steel wire, stainless steel, brass, nickel alloys, or aluminum alloy. Enjoy.

 

[Repwoc]

There is probably a different heat loss rate, dependant on the type of metal the screw is made from. Carbon steel wire, stainless steel, brass, nickel alloys, or aluminum alloy. Enjoy.

In addition to the heat conductivity of the metal, the surface area of the exposed screw head must be significant.

 

[Anduril]

In addition to the heat conductivity of the metal, the surface area of the exposed screw head must be significant.

Oh yes M4, M5, M6, M8 and M10

 

[Swarm]

It's polystyrene - so, it will have beads looking like dry crumbs, whether it's a Swienty or an Abelo.

I have used/use swienty, paynes, maisee and abelo (roofs) and in all but the abelo, the beads are fused and they have expanded. In this abelo roof, the beads were smaller and not fused well, they crumble.

I don't think a piece of synthetic slate should cause that amount of damage, I was looking for something much heavier.
I won't deny something I saw for myself.

 

[Swarm]

Abelo/Lyson all day long for me.. if folk are careless and break thing's the manufacturer is not to blame..get up to speed people..

I didn't say they were, I said they are brittle.

 

[Beefriendly]

I didn't say they were, I said they are brittle.

Swarm, I' m sorry to hear your damage was caused by mindless vandalism. But to continue saying they are brittle is ...shall we say as stupid as you suggested my pictures where that showed it ain't brittle, Abelo hives (as others are attesting to) are made of tough old stuff, as are most ofthe other poly hives on the market..
As Melifera Crofter has already explained you get the same beads of expanded poly when you break open any type of poly hive. It's what they are all made of.

 

[Beefriendly]

...and there is very likely a different heat loss if there is a screw loose.

Beginning to think there might be more than one loose screw there.

 

[user 6228]

Dear god man youve measured the heat loss on a screw

I was very surprised when I found it. I was chasing down an anomalous difference in cavity temperature between two Warren hives (. You have to be careful in sealing the boxes together to get good experimental, results bees don't use propolis for the fun of it). I stuck a probe on the screw head out of desperation and there it was. That and other expereinces in measuring the heat losses of hives, taught me that reducing heat loss at the scale of bees is down to close attention to detail just like the bees