There has been a lot of discussion re the Paine of a poly and also their nucs. I don't particularly fancy their set ups, but have only seen them, not tried them (and don't intend to either, at this point).
Some will be aware that I have MB jumbo Langstroth six-frame nucs, modded for 14 x 12 frames I very much like them for over-wintering and for three-frame splits and last year tried one of their National hives.
Of course, without the 14 x 12 option for a brood box I went the '2 shallows' route, buying all parts needed for the hive. I fixed the floor to the brood as the frames protrude from the beneath if the brood and floor were separated (I avoided making a small eke to make the brood fully compatible with my timber floors. I can do that at any time I wish.
There was considerable flack from the likes of PH and comments from one or two others, particularly wrt the lip at the bottom of the boxes.
So one year on, my impressions. As a concept, the hive only has one minor drawback - that lip. The overriding findings are as follows (bear in mind this is one isolated colony test, so the bees may be a factor here).
Overwintering - my strongest colony in the spring. OK a funny autumn last year - hanging on until near Christmas, but this colony simply went through the winter with no problems at all. No winter oxalic acid trickle on any of my colonies. I lost one colony to mice (I think) and one other. Not bad considering my inability to get round some of them during the winter.
Spring buid-up - Again, it was soon streets ahead of my other hives and was 'supered' with an MB poly shallow early on (no Q/E fitted). There was soon brood in the super so another (a timber one this time) was added.
I found the timber shallow had brood in it but the colony was well away from the walls and the outer frames were not even drawn. Of course by then the weather had changed to this appalling spell of cold and wet.
It swarmed in the middle of May (just hours before an inspection) with three shallows fitted. The swarm was a huge one which was eventually housed into a 14 x 12 and a shallow, just half an hour before an appointment at hospital (why the inspection was arranged immediately after it). That swarm has since filled the 14 x 12 and shallow and could have had a further super - but for the inclement weather.
The queen cells were all removed bar one and a Q/E fitted above the brood box. It has collected three supers and could have had a fourth super fitted except that the weather was deemed too iffy (and I have not been able to give them the best of attention due to my health).
The thee supers have now been removed and the hive is 'chocka' with bees. A super will be added and/or some stores frames extracted from the brood box - not decided as yet.
Weight - The slightly smaller poly super was noticably easier for me to lug back to the house for extraction (packed full with honey, mind) and was another bonus for me (the lesser weight).
Now to those lips. They are a pain and will be removed. Not sure yet what to do with the plastic runners as they have lips, too. They may be replaced with a suitable section, may be cut off and filled/sealed with a resin, or perhaps I will see how they go with just the two side lips removed. I will look at the problem when the super is no longer required for the hive.
So my overall impression has been very favourable. I will not be buying any more timber hives (for more than one reason), but any further poly's will be 'broods and first shallow only', I would think. My home-made deep roofs with permanently fitted EPS insulation are compatible as are my timber floors (with an eke). My excluders (when needed) will be framed on just the one side, to take account of the top bee space.
I particularly wanted the same footprint for the poly as my timber format hives for compatibility; that precluded some poly hives on the market. Also the MBs are top bee space, so that is the same as the rest of my kit. My crown board was a simple piece of ply (only fitted when the timber supers were added).
This would not suit all beeks, that is for sure. But I don't mind making the small changes to suit my liking and am well pleased so far.
RAB
Some will be aware that I have MB jumbo Langstroth six-frame nucs, modded for 14 x 12 frames I very much like them for over-wintering and for three-frame splits and last year tried one of their National hives.
Of course, without the 14 x 12 option for a brood box I went the '2 shallows' route, buying all parts needed for the hive. I fixed the floor to the brood as the frames protrude from the beneath if the brood and floor were separated (I avoided making a small eke to make the brood fully compatible with my timber floors. I can do that at any time I wish.
There was considerable flack from the likes of PH and comments from one or two others, particularly wrt the lip at the bottom of the boxes.
So one year on, my impressions. As a concept, the hive only has one minor drawback - that lip. The overriding findings are as follows (bear in mind this is one isolated colony test, so the bees may be a factor here).
Overwintering - my strongest colony in the spring. OK a funny autumn last year - hanging on until near Christmas, but this colony simply went through the winter with no problems at all. No winter oxalic acid trickle on any of my colonies. I lost one colony to mice (I think) and one other. Not bad considering my inability to get round some of them during the winter.
Spring buid-up - Again, it was soon streets ahead of my other hives and was 'supered' with an MB poly shallow early on (no Q/E fitted). There was soon brood in the super so another (a timber one this time) was added.
I found the timber shallow had brood in it but the colony was well away from the walls and the outer frames were not even drawn. Of course by then the weather had changed to this appalling spell of cold and wet.
It swarmed in the middle of May (just hours before an inspection) with three shallows fitted. The swarm was a huge one which was eventually housed into a 14 x 12 and a shallow, just half an hour before an appointment at hospital (why the inspection was arranged immediately after it). That swarm has since filled the 14 x 12 and shallow and could have had a further super - but for the inclement weather.
The queen cells were all removed bar one and a Q/E fitted above the brood box. It has collected three supers and could have had a fourth super fitted except that the weather was deemed too iffy (and I have not been able to give them the best of attention due to my health).
The thee supers have now been removed and the hive is 'chocka' with bees. A super will be added and/or some stores frames extracted from the brood box - not decided as yet.
Weight - The slightly smaller poly super was noticably easier for me to lug back to the house for extraction (packed full with honey, mind) and was another bonus for me (the lesser weight).
Now to those lips. They are a pain and will be removed. Not sure yet what to do with the plastic runners as they have lips, too. They may be replaced with a suitable section, may be cut off and filled/sealed with a resin, or perhaps I will see how they go with just the two side lips removed. I will look at the problem when the super is no longer required for the hive.
So my overall impression has been very favourable. I will not be buying any more timber hives (for more than one reason), but any further poly's will be 'broods and first shallow only', I would think. My home-made deep roofs with permanently fitted EPS insulation are compatible as are my timber floors (with an eke). My excluders (when needed) will be framed on just the one side, to take account of the top bee space.
I particularly wanted the same footprint for the poly as my timber format hives for compatibility; that precluded some poly hives on the market. Also the MBs are top bee space, so that is the same as the rest of my kit. My crown board was a simple piece of ply (only fitted when the timber supers were added).
This would not suit all beeks, that is for sure. But I don't mind making the small changes to suit my liking and am well pleased so far.
RAB
A bugger to clean
