Canadian Nuc conversion to National

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Poly Hive

Queen Bee
Joined
Dec 4, 2008
Messages
14,093
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Location
Scottish Borders
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
12 and 18 Nucs
The basic unit painted and ready to work on.

Three bits of ply are needed, two to take up space for the national lug, and one to make the feeder. That piece is located 66mm from the inner face of the poly nuc.

Three 28mm holes, 2 for ventilation and 1 for the entrance.

Some wood glue and some silicone for the feeder.

Two short pieces for the stand and that's it.
 
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Does it take 6 hoffman frames?
 
Is that 3 pieces of 9mm ply ?

Do you have a price and supplier details PH ?

I think you may of said already in another thread but would be good for anyone finding this thread.
 
Thanks Poly Hive. I really want to make a wooden one Not very keen on polystyrene. I am sure there will be advantages but guess it is nice to make something out of local materials and wood is wood - lovely stuff.
 
Three pieces of 12mm ply.

Swienty (Denmark) is the source of the nucs.

PH
 
Thanks Poly Hive. I'll have to look into getting a few of these at the Spring Convention. 6 frames would be a bit better for me though!!
 
For where you are POPZ there are massive advantages to poly. For nucs especially. You also want to give very serious consideration to insulating the crown boards of your hives.

PH
 
I can see how Popz would really benefit.
I run one WBC in Hampshire and that hive had a 2 week head start over my cedar hives this spring.
 
PH, you suggest putting exp-poly on top of the cover board. Should it have the usual porter size hole in it for ventilation ? or be solid with no hole ?

JC.
 
I never had porter bee escape/feed holes in my crown boards after my first two years. They were solid and so would be the insulation. why would you want ventilation in the roof? do we lift our house roofs for the winter? We certainly do not and so why would we for the bees?

Because historically it was to reduce dampness was it not?

Warm the environment and dampness goes.....

Bees I found are far better fed via frame feeders and if rapid feeding is ongoing then two suit well one each side.



PH
 
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As I see it there is nothing wrong with coating any wooden hive in jabloc for the winter months. I do top and sides but not the bottom (I'm in Lincolnshire). I think plenty of bottom ventilation (with the option of reducing it for any really cold periods) is the way to go.

Jabloc does need corner protection and battens to keep it secured with cheapo ratchet straps but anything which allows the bees to get through the winter in better condition is good. They will need to consume less stores or will make more early brood. Either way is a plus.

I have had weaker colonies survive the winter OK in WBCs with extra jabloc tucked in around the brood, than I would consider to leave without uniting in Nationals.

Regards, RAB
 
Your post would be more useful if jabloc was explained to the rest of us please?

PH
 
So just to be clear your are suggesting a slab of poly on a good fitting crown board with no ventilation ?

I have four hives on mesh floors and two on solid wood floors atm. The mesh floors have thin slides which are not fitted atm.

JC.

I had a bad experience with a frame feeder. I put a nuc into a hive, on foundation. They went straight in to the frame feeder and built a nest on the float. Then when they consumed the sugar they filled the feeder with comb. They wouldn't touch the foundation, and then they all died when they got no more feed. :(
 
So just to be clear your are suggesting a slab of poly on a good fitting crown board with no ventilation ?

I have four hives on mesh floors and two on solid wood floors atm. The mesh floors have thin slides which are not fitted atm.

JC.

I had a bad experience with a frame feeder. I put a nuc into a hive, on foundation. They went straight in to the frame feeder and built a nest on the float. Then when they consumed the sugar they filled the feeder with comb. They wouldn't touch the foundation, and then they all died when they got no more feed. :(
Lesson learned :), keep the frame feeder topped up or remove same :svengo:.

John Wilkinson
 
jabloc I think is a Latvian word.
I have no idea what it means though :(
 
"I had a bad experience with a frame feeder. I put a nuc into a hive, on foundation. They went straight in to the frame feeder and built a nest on the float. Then when they consumed the sugar they filled the feeder with comb. They wouldn't touch the foundation, and then they all died when they got no more feed. "

all I can say is bees do nothing invariably. It pays not to generalise from the particular though.

I have run frame feeders on and in some 60 to 80 colonies for near 15 years with nothing like that ever happening. So whilst it is a bad experience it really should not put you off.

PH
 
Jabloc - insulation - builders sheets in various thicknesses. Standard stuff used for under-screed insulation expanded polystyrene. Probably a Jewson product description.

Regards, RAB
 
Lesson learned :), keep the frame feeder topped up or remove same :svengo:.

John Wilkinson

Well it was within an inch or so of the top to start with, then later I couldn't top it up without drowning the nest.

I thought they would eventually spread the nest out of the feeder onto the frames, but it never happened. They all died after about six weeks or so in the feeder.

I had to melt the wax out of the feeder when I re-commissioned the hive.

I wondered if the omf made them feel cold.

JC.
 

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