Has anyone on here purchased one of these BS National poly hives?

[Haughton Honey]

http://tinyurl.com/6ckksoq

If so, I'd be interested to know what they thought of them.

Thanks

 

[Poly Hive]

No. Provided they are actually made from 100g/lit they should be ok.

However I am hearing some odd stories about that density of material which it seems is not quite as dense as claimed in some instances.

As ever buyer beware.

PH

 

[britishbeehives]

Are there any differences between wooden and poly hives in terms of longevity and warmth.

Toby

 

[Poly Hive]

Of course. Poly is warmer.

Longlevity is pretty much the same.

PH

 

[beeboybee]

ohhh good find hope there are some good reports i can feel the wallet twitching,
look at that 14x12............

 

[britishbeehives]

so will be the course for all beekeepers to take or is this a personal preference thing.

Toby

 

[MuswellMetro]

so will be the course for all beekeepers to take or is this a personal preference thing.

Toby

we lag behind the rest of the EU, they all seem poly but if our beginners course is anything to go by then most amateurs i think will stay with wood

My modern beekeeping langstroth NUC converted 14X12 was not even looked at by most beginners but they were all over the WBC

i assume it was Green, sustanable and recyclable rather than hard and modern plastic and that fits in with their concept of why they are beekeeping

 

[britishbeehives]

I see

im actually looking at taking up beekeeping and was wondering what would be the best route to take for the future.

Toby

 

[Poly Hive]

Now that opens up the discussion. LOL

Your money your choice. The odd think about the UK is that there is so much choice. Many places there is but one Hive type. NZ, Aus, USA and Canada is pretty much all Langstroth.

But not in the UK for our sins.

PH

 

[oliver90owner]

Has anyone on here purchased

WPC,

Not purchased one but did consider it.

Came close to SWMBO getting me one for Christmas. I Resisted.

Bottom bee space. Larger footprint than National. They appear good but looks like simple interlocking joints, so perhaps not quite so rigid in the event of a heavy landing on a corner (unless they are securely glued).

I am expecting they will be uncompetitive with the new M*dern Beeking offering (expected this month?).

Their pricing includes shipping which must be a bear for the customer who wants, say, 3 or 4 - having to pay for 4 lots of shipping, which in actuality would not be the case for the supplier...

So, easily persuaded my other half to get me 5 jumbo Langstroth 6-frame nucs from MB. Was cheaper for her as she was going to get the hive including frames. Perhaps I should have ordered seven!

I will report on the 14 x 12 from MB. It looks good to me, although some seem to have a hang-up re the lips on the boxes (mainly sweinty users?). I shall see. If it is similar on their other hives, there must be a lot of them, with that lip, in use somewhere....

Regards, RAB

 

[MuswellMetro]

I see

im actually looking at taking up beekeeping and was wondering what would be the best route to take for the future.

Toby

i would try poly if i could be assured that they will all continue manufacturing and made to the same standard thickness and compatable

Swienty seems to have been abdopted a standard for poly langstroth in thickness of poly but what worries me is with this is i can find no standard fro england so is a brood box from this source compatible to a poly roof from from Weald Place farm, a poly OMF from highland Bee supplies or fits super from the modern beekeeping's proposed poly national due out this year

well i will wait, until then, i will experimnet with poly Nuc ( as none of my cedar or ply nucs anyway are standard) and wait for others to make a few expensive mistakes you could buy two hive only to find any of them go out of business

 

[mbc]

we lag behind the rest of the EU, they all seem poly but if our beginners course is anything to go by then most amateurs i think will stay with wood

??!! maybe in scandinavia but I'd hazard a guess that the vast majority of hives in the EU are wood - mostly pine. Go take a look at hives in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Germany ( yes most you'll see are wood- at least last time I looked) Portugal etc.
Talk botox then expect your lips to swell MM

 

[Poly Hive]

The standard wall seems to be 40mm, and has been for as long as I have been buying.

Not sure about the comment on jointing. All the ones I have had dealings with are effectively dovetailed together. I no longer bother with glue.

I have in the past dropped one off at 40mph and it was fine.

PH

 

[Blodwen Price]

I have in the past dropped one off at 40mph and it was fine.

PH

Wow, "Extreme Beekeeping"! Or lots of hives to move and short nights to do it in?

 

[johnandyrob]

http://tinyurl.com/6ckksoq

If so, I'd be interested to know what they thought of them.

Thanks

I dont think they are compatible with wooden national equipment but you would have to research that in more depth Regards Andrew

 

[Poly Hive]

The ID is the same as a National. Hence they are compatible.

PH

 

[MuswellMetro]

we lag behind the rest of the EU, they all seem poly but if our beginners course is anything to go by then most amateurs i think will stay with wood

??!! maybe in scandinavia but I'd hazard a guess that the vast majority of hives in the EU are wood - mostly pine. Go take a look at hives in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Germany ( yes most you'll see are wood- at least last time I looked) Portugal etc.
Talk botox then expect your lips to swell MM

we will have to differ on that, i have no idea what backwoodsman beekeeper in small rural farms do in france but when i drove through Germany and Czech republic to Mariánské Lázně last year, i only saw poly langs, quite a few commercial operations, all poly, even visited a honey cooperative near Prague, all poly paid for with EU grant ( probably our money )

 

[PaleoPerson]

Are there any differences between wooden and poly hives in terms of longevity and warmth.

Toby

I have been looking into the facts about warmth.

From what I can work out (and will stand corrected) Cedar at 18mm thick has an R value of 0.75. Whereas Poly hive have a value in excess of 7.5.

I am being vague on the value for Poly as I cannot find the R values for 100g/L density so I have used a lower density for comparison, the actual R value will be [much] higher.

Regarding 40mm thickness, this is possibly a figure based on hive joint strength rather than insulation properties as by comparison, the insulation values for Poly are so far ahead of timber that they are not worth comparing. A better description would be "You have uninsulated hives or you have insulated hives"

Regards compatibility, the main things to look for are the internal dimensions. If a Poly hive is the same standard as a National internally, then you should be able to use some existing equipment with them i.e. wooden supers on Poly brood boxes, they will look odd, but should work so long as there are no internal lips on the brood.

 

[Poly Hive]

Oddly enough Langstroth poly is also compatible. Has been since the first Lang poly came out some 30 years ago from Germany, I hastily add the first that I know of.

Goodness there are some real sceptical suspicious people around regarding the compatibility issue. I will take some pics tomorrow.

As for warmth I can hardly bear to hold one as I paint it as my hand gets too warm for comfort.

PH

 

[MuswellMetro]

The ID is the same as a National. Hence they are compatible.

PH

so will this roof be compatible with thepoly hive in the first link, and would i trust a new organisation to ensure continued production or be 40mm walls NO, not until other have used them

so my wooden 6"deep roof would perch on top like a top hat asl the external differ by +80mm No, , yes the intermnalsl are the same ,yes they may stack ok but can i put a wooden roof on poly super and vicez a versa

so i would go poly langstroth as poly langstroth, sweinty, yep all look reasonablely comparable and i have no wooden langstroths but even then at the national honey show there was a poly langstroth with some peculiar design features so i still think it is too early for poly nationals for me

or am i just getting an old groan