Bubble wrap for insulation??

[Hivemaker.]

research into cold and damp shows it doesnt rise (rising damp in houses is a myth)

And all these years they have been adding damp course and membranes under concrete, a complete waste of time and money.

 

[Dishmop]

research into cold and damp shows it doesnt rise (rising damp in houses is a myth)

so damp doesnt creep up walls of old houses because they didnt have any damp course then?

Research shows that caravans stored on grass/etc rot somewhat quicker than those stored on tarmac or paving stones.

Never seen any damp or condensation in my hives. Roofs on my hives are just bare treated wood allowing it to breath. No tin or felt.

 

[REDWOOD]

Capillary action, if you stand a brick in water the brick will suck up the water, but damp air is heavier than warm air and stay low

 

[user 6228]

so damp doesnt creep up walls of old houses because they didnt have any damp course then?

no it doesnt...

research at bradford civil eng show it took a special mortar mix to get any kind of wicking. Condensation or water moving down is mistaken for it.

Amazing there is a industry making money out of a myth but its isnt the only one.

you dont need a damp course .. older houses should have a trench (usually covered) around the outside. when this trench is filled or bridged in you get trouble

 

[Hivemaker.]

So if you go lie in a field the dampness you get on the underside has run down from above?

 

[Dishmop]

So if you go lie in a field the dampness you get on the underside has run down from above?

Seems like it. Depends what you might have been doing there...

I have always had classic cars and a lot of them didnt start very well in cold weather when parked on grass or gravel but would be Ok when parked on the road.

Even if damp doesnt come from the ground a paving stone will stop some of the cold.
My obs hive has a radiator under it.

 

[adrian wilford]

reduce the wind build a fence and put scaffold net on it to break the wind, worked a treat for me, wont cost loads, beg some from a builder for a few jars of the good stuff

 

[BeeJayBee]

This was interesting when it was first published
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/...a-myth-says-former-rics-chief/5204095.article

There's this too http://www.askjeff.co.uk/rising_damp.html

Makes you think, a bit, perhaps?

 

[Finman]

so
Never seen any damp or condensation in my hives..

It is time to go to eye doctor. But first, reduce ventilation.Condensation happens when warm air meets cold surface. Or you blow air from you lungs to cold outside air.

 

[Finman]

This was interesting when it was first published
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/...a-myth-says-former-rics-chief/5204095.article

There's this too http://www.askjeff.co.uk/rising_damp.html

Makes you think, a bit, perhaps?

Old folks have spoken what ever. A human seeks explanation to all phenomenoms even if you may find a real explanation. We can see it every day in this forum.

One myth is that sun heats the hives. Sunshine like loads the hive with heat. What about at night, and cloudy days. Hive temp is the same.

"Tar paper collect sun heat". Yep. It stops the heat waves.

Biggest myth is "I have never problems in my hives".

......Problem is the gap between now and goals. If you do not try anything better, you have never problems. Learning is, how to get rid of gap.

The most stupid myth "cold does not kill hives but moisture does". Biggest nonsense I have never heard. You need not kill hives either or. You can arrange the boath issues.

And cold kills hives. Bees die more during cold winters.
In Alaska guys kill hives after summer because they do not know how to keep southern bee strains alive over winter.


Another myth is that hives consume less food in cold weather.



There are so many....every day

"We in USA" is a myth. It is from Hawai to Alaska's tundras

"We in UK" is quite small myth compared to USA.


US Texas state 700 000 km2 ( partly at the latitude of North Africa)
Britaind land area 243 000
England 130 00
Finland 340 000




.

 

[Finman]

research into cold and damp shows it doesnt rise (rising damp in houses is a myth)

Who says so?

A dog in Siberia

 

[oliver90owner]

Nice to see that most have got the idea.

When I read the OP I immediately noted the first line.

There are far too many houses being built in flood plains and then complaining when they get flooded. Same here. The 'very exposed site' says it all.

First thing is to find a less-exposed site as a simple alternative. Problem would have gone away for ever.

Perhaps some thought (if no better site could be found) of the hive material should have been given some further consideration for My 3 plywood hives. Cheapest is not always cheap. Running costs need to be taken into account at the very least; potential loss of colonies might be an expensive potential cost, too.

a lot of wind & rain Ho hum, question is how do we reduce these if the first two simple options are out of the window. Yes, some form of windbreak, for a start.

They all have mesh floors which allows good circulation but also damp & cold.

Not true. Allow good ventilation and should not be damp and cold unless the other simple things are not followed. The simple fix here is to stop the wind whistling under the hive or raise the hive from the water beneath. Note the word 'simple'. They do not need anywhere near the ventilation area provided by a full mesh floor. Some form of reducing the effect at bee level is all that is needed . A baffle, maybe. or perhaps a John Harding type floor?

I thought of wrapping the exteriors in bubble-wrap as extra insulation. Is that daft?Yes, for the reasons given earlier in the thread and that simple bubble wrap is flimsy and subject to degragation by UV.

Last year 2 hives perished because of seeping damp. And here we are in the middle of October the following season, and only just thinking about it!. This post should have gone on line last winter! There would have been plenty of time to make some changes in the intervening months.

Shelter, wind break, polyhives, insulation, stronger & healthier colonies, strains more accustomed to the conditions all come to mind, along with others, but the site (for wintering) could so easily have been changed.

Sorry for being so critical but there are a lot out there that may read this and see it as a reflection of themselves - not doing anything about a recurring/on-going problem until it is about to bite them again.

 

[Dishmop]

Hmmm?
Rab apologising being critical?......... Nope, I dont think it was.
All good points.
A supply of fresh air is important for everything and everyone.

Old pallets leaning against a hive will act as a baffle, and also probably act a brightness baffle for when there is snow on the ground.

 

[drstitson]

with rab - shelter from elements (ie windbreak) and change to poly would've been a sensible idea mid season.

 

[tobbias88]

Thanks folks, I'll go with windbreaks & Tyvek siding with a couple of corrigated iron sheets above. That should see them thru till Spring. Just snuck in some fondant to keep them happy. Very mild at moment & they are flying.
Think I'll keep the bubble-wrap for Xmas presents.

 

[user 6228]

...
"Sealed plastic bubbles is not that different from polystyrene" = Goooood heavens!!! I have not met that bubble sheet has been used in house insulation. It is wrapping material, not for insulation.
...

.

it is used with layers of foil as housing insulation

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Loft-Bubble-Foil-Insulation-SFBA/dp/B0056GAO18"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Loft-Bubble-Foil-Insulation-SFBA/dp/B0056GAO18[/ame]

 

[IBeeHere]

The majority of my loft is covered is with a layer of foil bubble insulation to reduce summer temp, got it from that well known DIY store B + Queue.

 

[Finman]

it is used with layers of foil as housing insulation

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Loft-Bubble-Foil-Insulation-SFBA/dp/B0056GAO18

Yes but that reflecting material is very different.

But they are your bees. Do what ever. Life teaches.

 

[Finman]

The majority of my loft is covered is with a layer of foil bubble insulation to reduce summer temp, got it from that well known DIY store B + Queue.

OK, you have too hot summers

That material layer is so thin that it is vain work. If you insulate, you should use a real insulation material. Not "common sense says" stuffs. With same work input you get real results.

I have seen that Britain is not at its best in insulation issues. Just awfull.
But it is difficult here too. Materials are so many. And the the worst thing happens when the whole house become a big block of mould.
It is reality here.

 

[Finman]

.
This is real loft material. It breathes and let moisture go through.

pic from Britain