Bee Cosy

[m100]

I'd sooner spend money on a properly designed* national poly hive than a glorified tea cosy. If I need that level of insulation on a hive I'll encase a wooden one in kingspan, wrap tyvek round the insulation and spray it black.

Can't speak on poly hives as I'm nearly all timber, but my 6 frame 14x12 p a y n e s poly nucs made it though last winter without a problem.

Double brood, or 14x12 have no problem overwintering jwith a slab of poly or kingspan in the recess of the roof, more than adequate stores and most importantly healthy strong colonies - but I've never managed to get a 6 frame plywood nuc (even with added insulation) through winter in any fit state to do anything with.

My bees are in shade nearly all winter, maybe getting their first bit of sun in May and are sited around 400 - 500ft above sea level.

But until a national poly hive comes along that recognises the knowledge of LL Langstroth I'll not waste my money

* I want properly designed in beespace everywhere it is needed, I need bottom bee space, runners that give bee space under frame lugs, 14x12 brood boxes, maybe some prospect of interchangeability with wooden parts, proper 'national type' hand holds, rigid reversable crownboards that can be used as an eke, floors that can accept mouseguards, very high levels of insulation in the roof + maybe something else that I can't recall right now.

 

[REDWOOD]

Brother Adam once tried this type of insulation imported from Germany I think but he found them unsuccessful, I can't remember what he found the problem was it might of been condensation, If this product offers a dry warm environment for your bees in wooden hives in a exceptionally cold snap then I can't see a problem throwing one of these over, but £65 puts me off straight away, £10 or £20 max should do it

 

[alldigging]

I think it says on he site to put on only when the hive is dry...


when did it rain last?

 

[Anduril]

I have seen too many business start ups over price their product never to be seen again. Then others get in on the act with their variations. See if there is a market, know the market, affordability, marketing and take the orders. Also introductory offers to get good feedback. If it is too expensive to produce here then go abroad. I knew of one company with a good idea, they had to buy the material and cut it themselves send it to another company for sewing, then that sewing company said instead of 20 items at a time our minimum is now 100. Newbie company had to find a different company fast, but down to poor marketing to get the orders, failed.

 

[Dishmop]

Toys R ust have Bee Cosys for sale.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We must try to accommodate every aspect of beekeepering / beemindering and take what you can from it!
Beekeeping does it seems tend to attract the wierd and wacky... that makes it so much more enjoyable methinks ?

Maybe we could combine this concept with other innovations we have seen on here lately - anyone thought of draping a sack of cowsh!t around their hive?

 

[blackcavebees]

Maybe we could combine this concept with other innovations we have seen on here lately - anyone thought of draping a sack of cowsh!t around their hive?

I think it will be a few months before we let that country file episode go ....

 

[Outlander]

Maybe we could combine this concept with other innovations we have seen on here lately - anyone thought of draping a sack of cowsh!t around their hive?

That's not nice.The time and effort put in shows they lover thier bees. Anyway try horse **** I let you have it for 25p a bag

 

[user 6228]

I'd sooner spend money on a properly designed* national poly hive than a glorified tea cosy. If I need that level of insulation on a hive I'll encase a wooden one in kingspan, wrap tyvek round the insulation and spray it black.

...

spraying it black

 

[Hivemaker.]

spraying it black

Mike Palmer mentions the benefit of black in this thread on beeesource.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?258811-Winter-Wraps

 

[user 6228]

Mike Palmer mentions the benefit of black in this thread on beeesource.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?258811-Winter-Wraps

Thats not funny its tragic...

Yes you get solar gain... cook one side for a few very few hours on infrequent sunny days in winter... while radiating on the othersides AND
then radiate the heat away all through the long nights ...

Think why do they put foil on kingspan?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Thats not funny its tragic...

Yes you get solar gain... cook one side for a few very few hours on infrequent sunny days in winter... while radiating on the othersides AND
then radiate the heat away all through the long nights ...

I just put up the thread for interest Derek, i did not say they were world leading experts like yourself, or really know what they are doing when over wintering bees in N America and Canada.

 

[m100]

spraying it black

During the day, with sun exposure, black will significantly increase the temperature on the exterior or one or two faces, reducing the temperature difference across the insulation. While it will radiate a bit more than any other colour, there are still multiple breaks in the heat path, airspaces, the foil on the kingspan, so painting the wrap black won't actively chill the cluster and magically make the insulation redundant. The tyvek is also to provide some windproofing. Black stained wood clad buildings are not noticeably worse in winter performance than those of another colour.

I did some measurement on different hive colours a few years back (raw cedar/silver paint/dark brown stained cedar) I couldn't see any significant difference in inside hive wall temperature nor in colony buildup in spring. None of these hives were insulated, not even above the crownboard.

I was going to say a pretty turquoise with sequins and embedded crystals rather than black might be the best colour, but on balance a new shade from Farrow and Ball, Cowpat Brown, may prove to be the optimum. Time to break out the thermocouples, datalogger and paintbrush...

 

[user 6228]

During the day, with sun exposure, black will significantly increase the temperature on the exterior or one or two faces, reducing the temperature difference across the insulation. While it will radiate a bit more than any other colour, there are still multiple breaks in the heat path, airspaces, the foil on the kingspan, so painting the wrap black won't actively chill the cluster and magically make the insulation redundant. The tyvek is also to provide some windproofing. Black stained wood clad buildings are not noticeably worse in winter performance than those of another colour.

I did some measurement on different hive colours a few years back (raw cedar/silver paint/dark brown stained cedar) I couldn't see any significant difference in inside hive wall temperature nor in colony buildup in spring. None of these hives were insulated, not even above the crownboard.

I was going to say a pretty turquoise with sequins and embedded crystals rather than black might be the best colour, but on balance a new shade from Farrow and Ball, Cowpat Brown, may prove to be the optimum. Time to break out the thermocouples, datalogger and paintbrush...

I thought the painting black was your joke... I got the wrong end of the stick.

lets just consider radiation
You get the heat gain on only one side, while the other sides are still radiating in to a cold sky. The heat gain is at best for 1/3 of the day. Even on the hot side the reradiation losses almost halve your gain while the sun is shining. Notice we have just introduced a factor 20 difference.
Sticking some number into the relavent equations...means the night time surface temperature of the hive has to be less than roughly 15 degrees above the temperature of the sky to get any gain.

The issue here its the apparent temperature of the sky! on a clear cold night this could - 60C. It isnt the ground level ambient temperature.

Therefore, if you can cover all sides but that facing the sun in low emmissivity foil and then cover up the blackpainted side every time the sun went in ... it would work.

 

[user 6228]

I just put up the thread for interest Derek, i did not say they were world leading experts like yourself, or really know what they are doing when over wintering bees in N America and Canada.

You flatter me. This can be deduced by anyone who has studied Physics or Engineering to beyond A' Level (perhaps even at A level).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Think why do they put foil on kingspan?

To keep it fresh?

 

[Dishmop]

Quote:
Originally Posted by derekm View Post
Think why do they put foil on kingspan?

to blunt the breadknife you're cutting it with?

 

[richardbees]

To stop the bees getting messages from outer space?

 

[user 6228]

To stop the bees getting messages from outer space?

no its the other way round

 

[richardbees]

derek

that is a frightening thought!

Those 'things' hanging in the shadows of the first "Aliens" film did look like imagos