Hive orientation

[polomadh]

I've had a hive in the same location for a number of years, but not the same bees, artificial swarms, and failing queens has allowed me to move it around a bit.

It used to be facing towards a field, but in my infinite wisdom, I decided they would be better turning the hive 180 deg, facing a tall wall a couple of feet away from the hive. Last year they managed to make a gap in the floor of one of my home made wooden hives. So I swapped them deep poly hive in the spring.

A really strong hive, and once again they have chewed through! I am now the owner of a poly hive with a small entrance at the bottom. Time to break out fill and no more nails.

Tedious, but I guess I really need to start rotating the hive to the way they obviously prefer!

 

[user 6228]

honeybees are burrowing insects... they just dont do most of the work

 

[For want of a better word]

Locate hive on the intersection of. or on a Leyline with the entrance facing South and shaded from the midday sun.

Simple in reality!

Yeghes da

 

[user 6228]

Locate hive on the intersection of. or on a Leyline with the entrance facing South and shaded from the midday sun.

Simple in reality!

Yeghes da

Stirrer!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Locate hive on the intersection of. or on a Leyline with the entrance facing South and shaded from the midday sun.

Simple in reality!

Yeghes da

That would be one way

 

[For want of a better word]

Locate hive on the intersection of. or on a Leyline with the entrance facing South and shaded from the midday sun.

Simple in reality!

Yeghes da

It works for me and my bees!!!

Yeghes da

 

[oliver90owner]

Poly may have been 'strong' but clearly not of sufficiently dense material? I've never had bees chewing my polyhives. I avoided the possibility by purchasing hives with a suitable minimum density, after rejecting some from another supplier (it was not so easy to extract the density information from the supplier).

 

[Finman]

Poly may have been 'strong' but clearly not of sufficiently dense material? I've never had bees chewing my polyhives. I avoided the possibility by purchasing hives with a suitable minimum density, after rejecting some from another supplier (it was not so easy to extract the density information from the supplier).

I have had polyhives 29 years. Bees chew polyhves. That is sure. They mostly widden entrance duting heavy flow or during hot weathers.

They love to enlarge upper entrance. That is why I put a piece of garden spray tube into the entrance, inner measure 15 mm.

But chewed holes are easy to repair with PU jelly glue, by Bison company.

 

[Alabamaeee]

I have poly hives from two manufacturers. Of the type that have softer poly with a plastic entrance block they simply eat their way though the poly above the entrance block on every hive, and that was with the standard size entrance to deter wasps. I had to make up strips of litho plate material as an emergency and cover the holes.

The other manufacturer's hives are much denser poly with a 6 mm entrance right across the hive and there has been a little chewing of the entrance slot, but only on one hive.

Density of foam makes a real difference, but I think there will always be a bit of chewing damage. Even on wooden hives you will find that after a time that new sharp edged entrance block you fitted at the start of the season will be rounded a bit.
.

 

[Finman]

,
Same manufacturer may have different quality material. Once I bought boxes which bees game almost trough in one month. Then I saw, that the manufacturer sold those unproper boxes with half price.

But biggest damages are made by woodpeckers.

.

 

[polomadh]

I don't think it was inferior materials to be honest. All mine are p ynes, and they are all pretty good, except this one hive, where they have munched through!

 

[oliver90owner]

Don't bank on that statement! There may always be first and last of a batch that are not quite as dense, if not the whole batch!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have two Paynes brood boxes. One is fine the other is chewed