Bee Cosy

[user 6228]

The idea of keeping the wind off the hive surface and giving some insulation is appealing but the cost of BeeCosy is not insignificant.
On the other hand, something homemade could save the Beekeeper a lot of cash.
Here's my version. This is made of 50mm (2”) urethane foil-covered insulation. The joints are formed with some construction adhesive that I already had and wooden dowels. It is wrapped in 50mm duct tape and has an aluminium roof to shed rain.

The total cost was £5.50 – the insulation was rescued from a skip, Aldi sold the tape for £2.50 and the roof material came from a caravan in a scrap yard for £3.

I made it last week and intend to remove the existing roof from my 14x12 hive and slide this over the whole hive, once all the Autumn manipulations are finished. The outside dimension of my hive is 640mm and the i.d. of the Cosy is 650mm, so there's a theoretical 5mm air gap around the hive. The only place not insulated is, of course, the under floor entrance.

Nearly up to DerekM's high standards! I'm quite pleased with it.

CVB

Nice! Remember to tape the joins on the inside...and put it on ASAP so the bees get used to it.
Bamboo BBQ skewers are good for holding it together until glue dries

 

[user 6228]

Sssssh, don't tell anyone, but, rather than selling matchsticks for increased ventilation, a certain national beekeeping association is now offering (in their online shop) "Insulation" for hives ... whatever that might be!





Looks like poly cladding for your wooden hive. Costs about the same as a Payns brood box ...

I'll see if I can get a free sample to do a quantitive test.