Hive Design

[Andy Fotheringham]

Hi everyone. First post so here goes. I have just finished the building of some hives in anticipation of my nuc arriving in June and have a couple of questions. I have not yet fixed the galvanized sheet to the roofs and some people seem to recommend a thin layer of insulation between the sheet and the ply as a precaution against condensation. Any views on this? I have built commercials with top bee space. I am going to use OM floors which I am about to make. As the bottom of the frames will be flush with the bottom of the brood box what gap will I need between this and the mesh? I have several designs in mind but the examples I have seen are designed with bottom bee space.

 

[Tom Bick]

Insulation in the roof space is a good thing I dont see why not under the tin but it will have to be an insulation that will not hold water it may be better to incorporate the insulation inside the roof
The floor you are to construct will have an entrance block/entrance reducer in it and the thickness of this block will determine the gap from mesh to bottom of BB and frames

 

[MuswellMetro]

Insulation in the roof space is a good thing I dont see why not under the tin but it will have to be an insulation that will not hold water it may be better to incorporate the insulation inside the roof
The floor you are to construct will have an entrance block/entrance reducer in it and the thickness of this block will determine the gap from mesh to bottom of BB and frames

entrance blocks are normaly between 18 to 21mm in height, see

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/entranceblox.html

i would suggest 21mm because you will have more room under your frames and with squash less bees

 

[Mike a]

Approx 21mm or the height of your entrance block.
Slightly off topic when you make your entrance block make it square so it can be turned over or rotated to block the entrance if required.

 

[oliver90owner]

Entrance: As I remember, the National was either 7/8 or 3/8 in Imperial, but they were generally bottom bee space, so really it matters not a jot within the range of 15 - 28mm or even slightly less. If around 12mm (minimum I would use due to space for bees on the floor with top bee space), I would certainly not be bothering to make it square and I cannot see any point of it being wider than the wall thickness.

With the advent of OMFs, the historical cut-out in the middle, for large or small entrance is largely unecessary. I simply make the slot longer or shorter as I deem necessary, dependant on colony strength and the wasp threat, etc.

I would suggest you ask these people who 'seem' to recommend it. It may turn out that they don't, actually.

Condensation: For this you need water underneath the galvanised sheet, so where does that come from? A properly ventilated roof is far more important to reduce the possibility of condensation. I have no top ventilation on my hives during the winter, so no moisture is likely to accumulate in the ventilated roof space or under the waterproofing layer. Insulation is simply placed under the roof.

Regards, RAB