glass crown boards

[mark s]

hi all
newbie question coming up.....
im reading ted hooper at the mo and init he is stating that being a newbeek glass crown boards would be good for a bigginer to use,is this the case, and if so would it be tough enough to withstand a full contact feeder on top or would you not use this type of feeder

 

[Poly Hive]

Not something I would use full stop. It's usefulness is what?

"I can see the bees" ......... uh huh. and that is useful in what way?

They lose the colony heat, the colony will wax and propolise them up, and they are of no benefit to be beekeeper.

So why are they on sale? So the Bee supply companies can make another penny off the innocent.

PH

 

[mark s]

thats a defianate no then ph.....lol

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Glass quilts are useful in that you can see how many combs the bees have occupied just by taking off the roof. However, it does not take much more than a second or two to whip of a crownboard and have a look without disturbing the bees too much.

Glass quilts do suffer from significant condensation problems over the winter and I do not use them.

 

[Haughton Honey]

I've got a glass crown board in place over a large hive at the moment, although the plan is only to use it during the warm summer months to see how quickly the foundation is being extracted and how quickly they're capping the honey.

I find it a useful bit of kit personally (I can take off the roof and view bees with someone who's interested without 'gearing up', so to speak, with ease) but would never consider leaving it on over the winter months.

 

[BKF Admin]

I think they are a great idea in the first season as you can spend hours viewing the bees hard at work without disturbing them.

I have a hunch that there are garages/sheds up and down the country that have spare glass quilts that have never been used after year one.

 

[mark s]

wot about the contact feeders is it still safe to use if u have a glass crown board??

 

[ge2001]

I would fully agree with Admin - as a newbee this season, the glass quilt has been really good from my POV, and I fully expected only to use it during the summer months

 

[Haughton Honey]

wot about the contact feeders is it still safe to use if u have a glass crown board??

Personally, I wouldn't as I'm not sure that it would take the weight of a 1 gallon contact feeder if that's what you're using. Also, because of the central wooden ridge (if you bought the Thornes one that is) you might have an issue with keeping the feeder flat.

Cris

 

[Hawklord]

I can see the point of a glass crown board but I don't think, hiding behind it, it gives the necessary feeling of working with the bees.

 

[MrTrueman]

I've got a glass crown board in place over a large hive at the moment, although the plan is only to use it during the warm summer months to see how quickly the foundation is being extracted and how quickly they're capping the honey.

I find it a useful bit of kit personally (I can take off the roof and view bees with someone who's interested without 'gearing up', so to speak, with ease) but would never consider leaving it on over the winter months.

You took the words out of my mouth!

 

[kermit]

Not sure about a gallon of feed, but mine is sat with a litre in a rapid feeder right now. I think it will depend on the type of feeder. If the weight goes through the walls of the hive then no problem. If it actually sits on the glass then your call. Glass is surprisingly strong if not abused...


Hope that helps
Dave

 

[Geoff]

I have a glass quilt with the wooden frame down the middle. I put a 1 litre rapid feeder on and it balances on that central wooden frame, but the bees can't get out. I get a bit of wax built on it but not much.
I think it is a great piece of kit. Whenever I look in to top up the feeder I can see the bees. Heat is not an issue at present and the polycarbonate ones are more heat efficient, and more expensive.
I have it over a swarm and I can closely monitor comb building and number of frames of bees. When it is the right time then it will be whipped off and replaced by supers and a normal crown board. Even if you are quiet you will disturb the bees when taking off a crownboard and it will effect the temperature round the brood that the bees have been so careful to adjust. It enables you to monitor the bees as often as you like and they don't get bothered by it.
I would recommend them especially to a beginner. Today I have been watching two of my colonies. In one they are furiously bringing in pollen. The other queenless colony has just had a new queen inserted and within minutes the bees erupted out of the hive in a flurry of activity. It is as though they had suddenly become supercharged. Now I would love to see what is happening inside both hives but I have to wait until the week end.

 

[BKF Admin]

Any idea what the Pollen could be Geoff.

 

[Geoff]

Variety of colours. Lot of pale yellow and dark yellow with occasional bright orange - I am in a small town. A slatey grey pollen has suddenly become popular. Is that willowherb?

 

[DrNick]

On the Thorne site it eludes to the fact that the glass ones are no good in winter and should not be used then, as for the polycarbonate quilts it does say that they have much better heat retention qualities, it doesn't go as far as saying that they would be OK to use in winter but it doesn't say that they shouldn't be used either, if this is the case I would be very tempted by the polycarb ones, a quick look in once every few weeks to see how the bees are doing food wise etc, it could save you from losing the colony.

 

[Geoff]

I dont know whether you would be able to assess food stores . I use it to assess how much foundation there is and how many frames of bees. You can only see down to the bottom if the bees are starting to work the foundation. Otherwise you just see the crowd of bees at the top of the frames. Basically they are good when they are developing the brood box.

 

[jean]

Basically they are good when they are developing the brood box.

In this case, wouldn't the light let in whilst sitting observing discourage the queen from coming onto the middle of the frame?

 

[BKF Admin]

I would of thought that Polycarbonate would have the same winter problems as glass,that condensation builds up.

I left one on one winter and the glass was dripping with dew when I did an OA treatment at xmas,so I have not used them since.

 

[DrNick]

I would of thought that Polycarbonate would have the same winter problems as glass,that condensation builds up.

According to the Thornes blurb the polycarbonate ones don't have a condensation problem in winter.