Bees eat aeroboard!!

[Bitbybit]

At the end of last autumn one hive was really busy bringing in the ivy so I decided to add another box with three frames of foundation and I filled the rest with dummy frames filled with aeroboard and closed up for winter. Recent quick inspections suggested that all was going well. Today was the first day that I could have a proper look and it seems that bees can eat aeroboard!! I guess I should have asked the forum beforehand. A section of the aeroboard on one dummy frame had been removed and freecomb build instead - attached to the frames below- which created a bit of a mess. Obviously aeroboard is not a suitable insulation in dummy frames but I am slow to throw the rest away as (those that weren't eaten) are easy to slot into an empty frame when required and may be useful next autumn. Is there something I can coat them with or cover them with to stop the bees eating them.

 

[Swarm]

Best to make simple, flat dummies out of ply. You don't need a frame or top bar.

 

[peteinwilts]

I use aluminium foil tape for any surfaces that bees have access to (i.e. on boards of insulation)

DIY shops sell it but I get it from screwfix

 

[Luminos]

My insulation's covered with aluminium foil, they don't seem to have nibbled it

 

[oliver90owner]

Unless aero was a chocolate bar, the bees did not eat it. All they did was to remove it to make a warm space for brooding.

 

[mbc]

Duct tape does the job.

 

[Bitbybit]

Thanks all, so its duct tape next autumn. You are of course right Oliver, I'm glad they just moved it out of the way rather than ate it. Its funny that they go to all this effort to create space yet there is an unused frame in the box below.

 

[oliver90owner]

Read my post. Warmth is the important thing for bees and brooding.

 

[itma]

Best to make simple, flat dummies ... You don't need a frame or top bar.

You don't want a top bar ... you want a single dummy board to be thinner than a frame.

On the other hand, a divider board (fitting tight to the walls and crown board - and used for longish-term reducing the effective size of the hive) can be as thick as you like.