Is Insulation the name of the Game?

[pargyle]

Not much heat loss from the OMF as long as it's protected with a 'skirt' around the bottom of the hive .. and the top of the hive is sealed and insulated. I'm one of those people who does poke around the apiary in the middle of the night .. and have thermometers inside the hives.

 

[Thymallus]

Not much heat loss from the OMF as long as it's protected with a 'skirt' around the bottom of the hive .. and the top of the hive is sealed and insulated. I'm one of those people who does poke around the apiary in the middle of the night .. and have thermometers inside the hives.

From the pictures you posted a while back you essentially have a "solid" floor under your Pains poly hive with a wooden skirt on 3 sides, Although there is quite a large gap between the OMF and the floor, essentially an interesting idea if a little time consuming to implement. The time being proportional to the number of hives. Not practical in many cases when all you have to do slide the corex board in and seal them in on 4 sides. No skirt necessary.
Note to self to find insulation that will replace their thick corex drop board

 

[oliver90owner]

''Varroa thing''

What varroa thing? The occasional mite drop count?

OMFs have little to do with varroa control. There should not be a high varroa count over the winter.

Read the John Hardings book on saving the honeybee, particularly the section on floors and ventilation.

Yes, OMFs have far more open area than actually required. But that bottom ventilation is still far better than gaping holes in the crownboard. Bees do not cluster anywhere near the OMF later in the winter and will move upwards, away from the OMF as the cluster tightens. One reason why I use 12'' deep frames rathaer than deeps. Only the bees at the vey edges of the cluster need to keep above about 8 degrees.

 

[Thymallus]

Read the John Hardings book on saving the honeybee, particularly the section on floors and ventilation.

Is that the book were he recommends putting your hives over geopathic stress lines, which can be found by dowsing?
If so, I'd be a little wary.

 

[user 6228]

Lets stick to the hard facts of fluid mechanics.
I'm still not sure what role OMF are really supposed to fulfill.
The ventilation issue only really came up historically when you had larger colonies to overwinter eating yet larger amounts of stores generating lots of water, to survive winters in thinner boxes. The OMF convienently made the condensate dissapear. On the other hand
Insulation allows smaller colonies eating yet smaller amounts of food generating much less water which then may condense only outside the entrance.

is OMF to do mite counts?
if so then you could have the mesh mounted on a slide in tray which in winter, is then replaced by another tray which is a slab of insulation.

While you can make an OMF warm, its difficult and prone to failure.

 

[oliver90owner]

I'd be a little wary.

Your choice. Some of us have open minds.

 

[Finman]

.
I suppose that biggest problem with beginners is that they put "strong" 6 frame colony into 10 frame box.

The the finale, empty box under that beauty. And strawberry on cake: No advanced beekeeper warns to do that.

When the colony has been whole summer in one box, what idea is to put second box under the colony. And no one warns.

Many of my hives have 5-6 boxes in August and then I push them into one box before feeding.

If the hive has excluder over first box, it never needs second box during winter.

.

 

[Finman]

. Some of us have open minds.

Yeah. Those are not able to select. These things are so old as grand father. 20 years time decide what to do and still open mind.
.

 

[Finman]

I'm one of those people who does poke around the apiary in the middle of the night .. and have thermometers inside the hives.

I am one who lives 150 km far away from hives, and I do not touch hives inside 5 months.

Nothing to do there.

 

[madasafish]

I understand that when trying to do the best thing you may come up against well tried practises. Sometimes, although the well tried practises works...you have to question its efficiency. In this case.....OMF during winter. I really find it hard to believe that having a wide open area at the bottom of the hive is going to be beneficial to the bees. Some people say it acts as a baffle with the wind....hmmmm. Sometimes I wonder if these same people spend much time outdoors at night during the winter. The loss of heat due to wind chill would be substantial. It doesn't mean that the bees won't survive....but they will lose heat and use up stores to maintain cluster warmth. It means the spring build up will be slower. I understand about the varroa thing.....but in the winter I hope my bees will only have a very low varroa load...so perhaps the OMF is mainly needed in the summer. Or perhaps it's only needed for monitoring varroa drop after treatment. Any moisture will still be able to escape through the bottom if it needs to...
So I am going to enclose my hives...only the entrance...a protected entrance will be open.

+1
That is what I do.

 

[Thymallus]

I'd be a little wary.

Your choice. Some of us have open minds.

If it involves ley lines and the like you would have to ask why a million dollar prize for anyone demonstrating psychic abilities has remained unclaimed since the 50's. Not everyone with "true" psychic abilities could be that altruistic.
I'm open minded, not stupid.

 

[pargyle]

I'd be a little wary.

Your choice. Some of us have open minds.

Yep ... works for me as well .... there's more to the bees than we humans can comprehend ...

 

[Thymallus]

Yep ... works for me as well .... there's more to the bees than we humans can comprehend ...

No there isn't. We just don't understand it all, yet!

 

[Finman]

.
And I thought that my life is boring.

.

 

[Thymallus]

.
And I thought that my life is boring.

.

Extracting all that honey is boring. I must return to normal UK beekeeping habits.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

.
In Finland I can buy poly langstroth box with £13.
Then I make from recycled material bottom board and inner cover and rain cover. DIY furnitures cost something but not much. Rain cover sheet is £4.

.

Finman

What do you mean by Rain Cover Sheet? Made of what material - fabric, steel, aluminum, fibreglass, etc.? Close fitted to the roof or loose? What is its purpose - to keep the insulation dry, reduce heat from evaporation, etc.?

Photo would be helpful

CVB

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

there's more to the bees than we humans can comprehend ...

No there isn't. We just don't understand it all

errm.............................?

 

[Thymallus]

errm.............................?

Problem being what?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

first you contradict, then your next statement contradicts that.

But now I realise it's just to wind up PArgyle

 

[Thymallus]

I'm puzzled, there was only one statement I made and no contradiction I can see. Perhaps you could explain. Your post shows that the first statement was not mine.