Giving a talk on Poly Hives - Need evidence

[Monsieur Abeille]

Hi all,


Would also appreciate any hints or tips from other Poly hive users

Dont leave your smoker on a poly roof

 

[For want of a better word]

Quote:
Originally Posted by icanhopit View Post
Have little aesthetic value (compared to the WBC)


Ones I am now using by beehivesupplies made in Cornwall... have roofs that match the WBCs and look just as pretty from a distance !
...
Photos ("evidence"?) now significantly overdue!

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Last pic is my way of merging using a HARRIES/LEDGER BOARD

 

[Finman]

Fragile?

I can jump up and down on them and do at demos.

It is such material as it is,

Poly does not rotten like wood.

It is not fragile, soft yes, but they stay in condition in normal migrative use.

Softness is just the key to insulation values. They are airbubles which make insulation.

 

[Finman]

.
You have Omlet polyhive too. It has estetic values.

 

[For want of a better word]

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You have Omlet polyhive too. It has estetic values.

Looks like a COMMODE !​

 

[Luminos]

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You have Omlet polyhive too. It has estetic values.

It looks like a French postbox

 

[Poly Hive]

Less use than a commode.

Re the pics of the green poly I would not have them all the same colour. Or at least put a bee see symbol over the entrance to assist the bees, not to mention returning queens, in locating the right unit.


PH

 

[alanf]

Last pic is my way of merging using a HARRIES/LEDGER BOARD

Always intrigued by something unfamiliar but search not turning much up. Please explain how it works.

 

[For want of a better word]

Less use than a commode.

Re the pics of the green poly I would not have them all the same colour. Or at least put a bee see symbol over the entrance to assist the bees, not to mention returning queens, in locating the right unit.


PH

Thanks PH
Have not noticed any drifting or other problems with similarly painted wooden Nationals... but then not as uniform as these Beehivesupplies hives.
Nucs are painted up for identification by the bees.
I have come coloured/ reflective sticky backed discs... any suggestions for colour / patterns welcome... just do not want them looking like WW11 battleships!

 

[itma]

Quote:
Originally Posted by icanhopit View Post
Have little aesthetic value (compared to the WBC)


Ones I am now using by beehivesupplies made in Cornwall... have roofs that match the WBCs and look just as pretty from a distance !
...
Photos ("evidence"?) now significantly overdue!

...

View attachment 7445


...

That last pic - showing the super's detailing is interesting. (Though part-hidden by the roof!)

While the Nat brood has been updated to Mark 2, has the super not been changed to match?
And what of the 14x12? Does it too now have the 'shape' of a wooden 14x12, or does it look like a Nat + eke, or maybe it also is still at Mark 1 with the small handles?

Must say, it does look much more pleasing than the Pains. Though it is rather more expensive.

While discovering that the nice gabled roof should actually fit over Pains boxes (both 500mm square externally), I discovered that the price difference on the roof accounts for most of the price difference on the hive!

 

[Skyhook]

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You have Omlet polyhive too. It has estetic values.

It looks like a French postbox

That's coming to get you!

 

[IBeeHere]

Not artistic in any way, the thermal levels of an average hollow tree have been worked out and reproduced in a "super insulated hive" this showed dramatically lower winter food store usage and less clustering of bees.
Derekm has gone to a lot of trouble designing monitoring equipment which measures at various levels in the hives (tested cedar, m b polyhive, tree hollow(simulated) and his own super insulated), his aim is to mimic the natural habitat of the bees.
Trying to insulate the P....s polyhive might be a bit difficult though since on the outside it has the smoothness of Dr Who's Tardis

 

[For want of a better word]

Always intrigued by something unfamiliar but search not turning much up. Please explain how it works.

easy to make... originally an eke to hold the newspaper down when merging 2 colonies.
An additional dovetailed entrance allows the q- upper brood box of bees to be merged with a lower q+ brood box of bees, and allows any escaped bees from the upper brood to return to the brood.

The q- hive is either inched closer to the main hive or taken 3 miles away for a couple of weeks and returned... both treated for varroa, fed etc.

Q- hive set on top of the q+ hive for a few days to allow reorientation
Complete q- hive lifted off q+ hive and set to one side
Roof and crown taken off the q+ hive
Newspaper put on top and held down by Harries eke with the entrance to the front and open
q- brood box placed on top ( queen removed !)
crown board and roof replaced

Any bees that fly off can return via open entrance, and as the hive has been in same location for a few days bees will be orientated.
after a days flying the dovetail entrance block can be fitted, in the evening / night when all are roosting.
Bee colonies combine effectively in a few days.... chewing through the newspaper.

I have seen queen cells on the comb after the bees have united,( eggs from despatched queen} but suspect that the stronger queen from the q+ colony has been up there and assassinated any attempts at superceedure!

 

[Poly Hive]

Why on earth would one want to insulate a proper poly hive?

There is no need at all.

Is the poly under discussion a "proper" poly unit? That is as they say the question.

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

Itma.... I was in a bit of a hurry.. the Beehivesupplies Pollys are all standard boxes and supers.. some are MK 1s and others MK 2s !!!
Just pleased to have this lot in pollies for the winter !

Need another dozen for the colonies still in ****** polly Nucs, the Newzealand lings have always done well in them..... but the black Cornish Amms are bursting out already!

As a comparison the bees reared in cedar nucs did not seem to flourish so well.... but this year has been odd !

 

[IBeeHere]

The M B polyhive that was tested probably is no worse than any other polyhive, the results showed that having higher insulation levels, even on polyhives would be benificial to the replication of their natural habitat, and therefore the bees would suffer less temperature stress.
The "Would you consider increasing the heating bill for your house by a factor of 4.5 cruel" written at the bottom of DerekM's posts, I believe relates to how much extra energy the bees have to generate in a normal Cedar hive compared to a hollow tree.
I am not saying everyone with polyhives needs to wrap them up in a quilt for winter, just that an even thermally higher efficient hive may be worth looking into.

 

[For want of a better word]

The M B polyhive that was tested probably is no worse than any other polyhive, the results showed that having higher insulation levels, even on polyhives would be benificial to the replication of their natural habitat, and therefore the bees would suffer less temperature stress.
The "Would you consider increasing the heating bill for your house by a factor of 4.5 cruel" written at the bottom of DerekM's posts, I believe relates to how much extra energy the bees have to generate in a normal Cedar hive compared to a hollow tree.
I am not saying everyone with polyhives needs to wrap them up in a quilt for winter, just that an even thermally higher efficient hive may be worth looking into.

That MUST depend upon the species/ location/age/size of hollow tree surely?

 

[IBeeHere]

Yes he used a reference for the type of trees and thermal efficiences and cavity size and shape, although I can not remember exact figures, cedar is quite good, and for this reason along with it's lightness and rot resistance is why it's been used for so long.
as for location, size, and age of tree this does not affect the timbers thermal qualities, and I presume that if a cavity is too small the bees will not use it, as with too large (probably the tree will fall down if cavity too big).

 

[Finman]

The M B polyhive that was tested probably is no worse than any other polyhive, the results showed that having higher insulation levels, even on polyhives would be benificial to the replication of their natural habitat, and therefore the bees would suffer less temperature stress.
The "Would you consider increasing the heating bill for your house by a factor of 4.5 cruel" written at the bottom of DerekM's posts, I believe relates to how much extra energy the bees have to generate in a normal Cedar hive compared to a hollow tree.
I am not saying everyone with polyhives needs to wrap them up in a quilt for winter, just that an even thermally higher efficient hive may be worth looking into.

RUBBISH

after 25 years usage in Finland.....

 

[Finman]

Quote:



Ones I am now using by beehivesupplies made in Cornwall... have roofs that match the WBCs and look just as pretty from a distance !
...
Photos ("evidence"?) now significantly overdue!

Those hats resemble me about