Dummy Boards

[pargyle]

I've usually made my own in the past from a variety of materials but the best ones have always been the plywood ones. But.. with the cost of decent ply and the time it takes to make them I had a look at buying some for a change ... I picked these from Heather Bell .. really nice quality and a good price even with postage, the cost was barely more than the cost of materials if I bought decent ply. I'm on 14 x 12 and they usually tend to cost a lot more than the std national equivalent.

https://cornishhoney.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=175
I've always given the ones I've made a coat of varnish before putting them into use but ... the ones I've bought are not coated so I'm pondering whether I should varnish them ... is it really necessary ? .

 

[hemo]

I bought some 14 x 12's in STBK's closing down sale, they were cheaper then BS deep so I simply cut them down.

 

[JamezF]

I have made mine from any old sheet material that I happened to have lying around, particularly since it was suggested that OSB was fine. I've largely run out of scrap now though and I have to admit that these look quite tempting.

Some of the old boards I have are not varnished and show no signs of rot. They're mostly solid sheet though. Perhaps at least sealing them with a bit of PVA might be worthwhile? After they've survived a couple of seaons in the hive they'll probably be covered in sufficient wax and propolis to prevent them getting damp.

James

 

[sarahcorlett2566]

I made some wider ones this year and put some Kingspan inside for a nuc I’ve put into a big hive and will only take up half of it to keep them warmer over winter. I had some spare ply. If I had to buy some I might not have!

 

[Curly green finger's]

I have made mine from any old sheet material that I happened to have lying around, particularly since it was suggested that OSB was fine. I've largely run out of scrap now though and I have to admit that these look quite tempting.

Some of the old boards I have are not varnished and show no signs of rot. They're mostly solid sheet though. Perhaps at least sealing them with a bit of PVA might be worthwhile? After they've survived a couple of seaons in the hive they'll probably be covered in sufficient wax and propolis to prevent them getting damp.

James

I’ve not varnished mine either, I have a mix of ply , osb , soft and hard wood all have loads of propolis on a natural varnish.
And when they have been torched with a blow torch it moves the propolis/wax around .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have made mine from any old sheet material that I happened to have lying around, particularly since it was suggested that OSB was fine

I have loads of OSB dummy boards - off cuts from making OSB crownboards. never varnish them or make any fuss. some of the plywood dummy boards are showing, after 10+ years of use, signs of delamination

 

[E&MBees]

I’ve been using PIR mounted on wooden kebab sticks. It’s worked well until a few weeks ago when two different colonies found a way through the aluminium tape and mined into the insulation.

 

[Murox]

I’ve been using PIR mounted on wooden kebab sticks. It’s worked well until a few weeks ago when two different colonies found a way through the aluminium tape and mined into the insulation.

I have had that happen once, but it was on a colony that was small/weak and it had been dummied to six frames ( no nuc available) I had taken one dummy out but left the other, they did exactly as your picture shows. I don't use kebab sticks now, I glue the insulation permanently into a framework and give the foil facing a double layer or just use a lump cut to the exact size for the box and foil tape it.

 

[Amari]

I've usually made my own in the past from a variety of materials but the best ones have always been the plywood ones. But.. with the cost of decent ply and the time it takes to make them I had a look at buying some for a change ... I picked these from Heather Bell .. really nice quality and a good price even with postage, the cost was barely more than the cost of materials if I bought decent ply. I'm on 14 x 12 and they usually tend to cost a lot more than the std national equivalent.

https://cornishhoney.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=175
I've always given the ones I've made a coat of varnish before putting them into use but ... the ones I've bought are not coated so I'm pondering whether I should varnish them ... is it really necessary ? .

I rarely use dummy boards. I find them difficult to remove deftly. I make sure the 11 DN4 frames in the BB are central, this leaves a small space between the frame and BB wall at each end of the row. My first move is to lever the end frame into this space so that it is then easily lifted out. Any minor brace comb on the wall of the BB is easily scraped off.

 

[pargyle]

I rarely use dummy boards. I find them difficult to remove deftly. I make sure the 11 DN4 frames in the BB are central, this leaves a small space between the frame and BB wall at each end of the row. My first move is to lever the end frame into this space so that it is then easily lifted out. Any minor brace comb on the wall of the BB is easily scraped off.

Interesting ... But, I've always used a dummy board in my Paynes polys and I've never had a problem lifting them out - the bees rarely add any comb to them and once the dummy is out there is room to move the frames across. I'm surprised that your bees don't build thick combs at the end of the box but it obviously works for you ...and if it works - don't fix it !