Finman
Queen Bee
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2008
- Messages
- 27,887
- Reaction score
- 2,023
- Location
- Finland, Helsinki
- Hive Type
- Langstroth
If you think to help the small colony with electricity, do this first:
Question is about 4-3 frame nucs. I have now 6 frame what I am going to heat.
- buy or make a poly nuc.
- no mesh floor
- entrance 3 cm x 1 cm. Pen size upper entrance, that air moves and moisture flows out. About 6 mm.
Maximum 3 W heating. Put the heater inside a thin aluminium sheet that heat spreads on wide area.
Put the heater to upper part of hive.
You may look under cover and then you see, how bees stay in cluster. If they walk around, heater is too strong.
The heater keeps the interior dry. No need to be afraid of condensation.
In autumn, when out temp is over zero, a big colony uses abiut 3 W heat.
When colony is twist size, heater is like a big colony and the small cluster is like a part of big colony.
Cluster is devided to seams what combs devide and keep apart.
When heat source is up, and bees try go down, they notice that it is winter out there.
Hive warming is widely used in Hungary. I have used 10 years..
Question is about 4-3 frame nucs. I have now 6 frame what I am going to heat.
- buy or make a poly nuc.
- no mesh floor
- entrance 3 cm x 1 cm. Pen size upper entrance, that air moves and moisture flows out. About 6 mm.
Maximum 3 W heating. Put the heater inside a thin aluminium sheet that heat spreads on wide area.
Put the heater to upper part of hive.
You may look under cover and then you see, how bees stay in cluster. If they walk around, heater is too strong.
The heater keeps the interior dry. No need to be afraid of condensation.
In autumn, when out temp is over zero, a big colony uses abiut 3 W heat.
When colony is twist size, heater is like a big colony and the small cluster is like a part of big colony.
Cluster is devided to seams what combs devide and keep apart.
When heat source is up, and bees try go down, they notice that it is winter out there.
Hive warming is widely used in Hungary. I have used 10 years..