Celotex insulation techniques

[Beefriendly]

If a novice beekeeper wants to know how his/her hive compares to the abode they evolve for

Bees did not evolve to an abode! Their evolution is, like any other animal, survival and reproduction. The "abodes" they are able to survive in are many and diverse. The wrong assumption is that are only suited for one type of nest site. Simple observation shows you the flaws in that. A highly insulated nest cavity may represent the ideal, but is probably not typical.

 

[user 6228]

Bees did not evolve to an abode! Their evolution is, like any other animal, survival and reproduction. The "abodes" they are able to survive in are many and diverse. The wrong assumption is that are only suited for one type of nest site. Simple observation shows you the flaws in that. A highly insulated nest cavity may represent the ideal, but is probably not typical.

How many walls, chiminies and cave crevices were available 2000 years ago or 9000 years ago, compared to the number of tree hollows. Honeybees show highly developed nest selection behaviours, some of which are only of evolutionary advantage in low heat loss nests.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Is not every creature still evolving to their surroundings...evolution taking place all the time, as time goes by, or do they just stay the same, do not evolve, are no different now than they were a million years ago or nine thousand years ago.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How many walls, chiminies and cave crevices were available 2000 years ago or 9000 years ago.

a lot more cave crevices then than in the last few thousand years - probably why they eventually had to make do with rotten trees

 

[Beefriendly]

How many walls, chiminies and cave crevices were available 2000 years ago or 9000 years ago, compared to the number of tree hollows. Honeybees show highly developed nest selection behaviours, some of which are only of evolutionary advantage in low heat loss nests.

Seeley never tested there preference (if any) for different thermal nest box materials did he.....
Just volume, entrance size and direction.
Nearly all the prehistoric cave paintings that have survived show bee nests in cavities in cliffs.

 

[Jafer2]

any expanded poly would do the job and should be weather proof!

I use the following and is cheap/big enough for the job:

http://www.diy.com/departments/jablite-premium-insulation-board-1200mm-450mm-50mm/26831_BQ.prd

i find others great but too expensive.

 

[madasafish]

Is not every creature still evolving to their surroundings...evolution taking place all the time, as time goes by, or do they just stay the same, do not evolve, are no different now than they were a million years ago or nine thousand years ago.

Horseshoe crabs have been unchanged for about 250 Million years.
Darwin's finches have been observed to evolve within a few generations.
Modern man has evolved over a few hundred thousand years
#

Depends on the species and their circumstances and pressures and their ability and need to evolve.

# of course, lots of Americans and others don't believe in evolution.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Depends on the species and their circumstances and pressures and their ability and need to evolve.

Bees need to evolve more.

 

[Beefriendly]

Bees need to evolve more.

Need to evolve more what?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Need to evolve more what?

Resistance to varroa.

 

[Swarm]

The usual I suppose, hardly surprising but never mind.
Maybe do some field work rather than rely on the data of others which, as you can see, is easily skewed. A few more years actually studying bees, perhaps? Six years is no time at all.
When I talk to people who are complaining about buying a hive that is not adequate and that they need to cocoon it and they need to work out how much to buy, I tend to think someone has misled them. I then pointed out members who have kept bees for decades and without all this stuff.



,

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Horseshoe crabs have been unchanged for about 250 Million years.

Probably why they still don't produce much honey

 

[Beefriendly]

Resistance to varroa.

If EVERYONE stopped treating it would happen. Might not be the type of bee that is any good for beekeeping but they would evolve to survive with varroa or die.

 

[Lancs Lad]

I don't have any wooden hives left , I'm all poly. Before I got rid of my wood hives I compared for a few winters the condition of the stocks in spring and there was no doubt the poly overwintered better, bees will get through winter regardless of how we hive them but it's worth doing a comparison.
I am trialing solid floors this winter made from 50mm poly, also I wouldn't consider going back to wooden nucs the difference is amazing.

 

[Curley]

If EVERYONE stopped treating it would happen.

If everyone stopped treating it MIGHT happen. I would go as far as it PROBABLY would happen but there must be a chance they would all die. Evolution doesn't cope with all changed circumstances - not many T.rex around now are there?

 

[user 6228]

If EVERYONE stopped treating it would happen. Might not be the type of bee that is any good for beekeeping but they would evolve to survive with varroa or die.

ever thought about breeding varroa less deadly to bees? (which really has the same answer you have supplied)

 

[user 6228]

Is not every creature still evolving to their surroundings...evolution taking place all the time, as time goes by, or do they just stay the same, do not evolve, are no different now than they were a million years ago or nine thousand years ago.

Evolution is not an even process... we still have partially web hands and feet, subcutaneous fat, and physiological responses that suit a semi aquatic life. so perhaps humans would be happier if they spent more time at the seaside

 

[Beefriendly]

ever thought about breeding varroa less deadly to bees?

Yes, Ive thought about it. One could even think about engineering DWV to act against it's vector.....many possible approaches...not all are very practical thought.

 

[Hivemaker.]

we still have partially web hands and feet

You may have webbed feet Derek, I certainly don't.

 

[Beefriendly]

If everyone stopped treating it MIGHT happen.

We already know it WILL happen. There are already several examples of bees in isolation that survive with varroa with no treatment. Different mechanism's in each case.