Does this make sense?

[Juststarting]

Having spent alot of time reading this forum and a few books I feel I am almost able to decide how to start beekeeping.

I am hoping to start with one nuc and them be ready for second/swarm - hopefully moving to two hives over the year.

I am thinking of buying a top beespace national hive (cedar) and hoping my other half will be motivated to turn his woodworking skills to good use and make me a second one. However if he doesnt I was planning to get a poly national (cheaper? and warmer). Would this work running two hives of the same type but different materials?

With regards to buying the poly hive - I gather swienty langstroth are best?!? but where would I get equivalent quality national (couldnt see national on their website)?

Thanks

 

[Poly Hive]

National poly is supplied by Denrosa Apiaries 01828 627721. He is the Swienty UK agent and so they do not have them on their web site.

You want to have National and national for inter changeability. Do NOT go the route of Langstroth and National. That makes for complications you do not want.

PH

 

[Juststarting]

Thanks PH will follow that up.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Has anyone got a source of a Top Space cedar flat pack brood /super (national size

or do you just re jig a thornes Flat pack bottom space brood/super to Top Space,

just thinking of giving Top Space a try, but would not want to use langstroths as i would need some compatabilty to standard BS nationals so as i would to be able to use old BS bottom space supers with it in full honey flown

 

[Poly Hive]

If your national is flat pack then yes you can set the bee space to suit. I have mixed top and bottom bee space with out particularly disastrous results apart from some brace comb but then what is your hive tool for but sorting such minor issues out.

Keeping your beekeeping to one hive type is a VERY good idea.

PH

 

[RoofTops]

The Polyhives National is bottom bee space and is designed to be interchangeable with conventional National wooden components. If your wooden hive is top bee space this mixture will add a level a complication you would be best to avoid by having both the same. The Polyhives Smith hive is top bee space but of course it uses short lugged National frames.

 

[Poly Hive]

Like I mentioned above mixing top and bottom is not the end of the world.

For that matter a run of 8mm timber round the polly tops would make it bottom bee space over the floor and top on err.. top.

But over all it's no big deal really.

PH

 

[jetta]

Poly or not?

Hello. I am new to bees and also to forums. I am planning to start beekeeping next Spring, have read lots of books, and (?)lurked on these sorts of forums for a bit. I am going on a course too and also going to join the local BKA (once they answer my emails). I hadn't realised polys were SO much cheaper than wooden hives. Is there a big disadvantage to them that I'm not spotting? If there isn't, then why doesn't everyone use them? I haven't got any kit at all at the moment, so I could start with ANY system, but I'm not keen to spend a fortune (but not handy enough to build my own).
Thank you for your help,
Jetta

 

[justme]

Hello. I am new to bees and also to forums. I am planning to start beekeeping next Spring, have read lots of books, and (?)lurked on these sorts of forums for a bit. I am going on a course too and also going to join the local BKA (once they answer my emails). I hadn't realised polys were SO much cheaper than wooden hives. Is there a big disadvantage to them that I'm not spotting? If there isn't, then why doesn't everyone use them? I haven't got any kit at all at the moment, so I could start with ANY system, but I'm not keen to spend a fortune (but not handy enough to build my own).
Thank you for your help,
Jetta

Try here:


http://www.peak-hives.co.uk/peak-hives/top-and-bottom-bee-space-national-hive/480/

 

[victor meldrew]

Like I mentioned above mixing top and bottom is not the end of the world.

For that matter a run of 8mm timber round the polly tops would make it bottom bee space over the floor and top on err.. top.

But over all it's no big deal really.

PH

Not the end of the world but an added nuisance to a newbie probably feeling fraught anyway . Surely now is the time to get it right ?

John Wilkinson

 

[Poly Hive]

Poly is cheaper, just as durable and in my view better for the bees, they certainly winter better inside it, and it's cooler for them in the summer.

Why it is not more popular in the UK is probably as it has yet to make the jump form niche product to main stream. It has in the Scandinavian countries and in Germany.

The main problem in the UK at the moment is that the main vendor is very difficult to contact. However hopefully this will be addressed soon.

PH

 

[pnkemp]

Do you think a slow move to poly would also lead to a slow move to Langstroth, or is the UK too set in it's ways?

 

[jetta]

what about AFB??

What happens if a polyhive gets AFB? Does it need burning?