love these

[norfolknchance]

Friend of mine making these

 

[norfolknchance]

and these

very well made

 

[norfolknchance]

great value

Friend of mine making these

made to order and u wont get a betterhive or price for what he wants for one

 

[Beefriendly]

Nice...but would clash with my "plain Jane" garden hives?
Great to see the continental type ventilation holes, they are slowly coming into more use over here.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Great to see the continental type ventilation holes, they are slowly coming into more use over here.

Now now

 

[pargyle]

Now now

Continental vents coming into use but hopefully being kept CLOSED !!

 

[Beefriendly]

Continental vents coming into use but hopefully being kept CLOSED !!

Better to have an open mind than a closed one Pargyle. Beekeeping on the continent, in general, is way ahead of most of the UK.

 

[pargyle]

Better to have an open mind than a closed one Pargyle. Beekeeping on the continent, in general, is way ahead of most of the UK.

Oh ... I have a very open mind in beekeeping terms - but I've proved to myself that bees prefer NOT to have top ventilation of any sort in their hives ... they always seal my crownboards firmly to the top of the hive and even propolise any gaps around the filler pieces I put in the feeder holes. If this is what the bees do for themselves who am I to argue with them and give them top ventilators ?

 

[Beefriendly]

If this is what the bees do for themselves who am I to argue with them and give them top ventilators ?

Having extra top ventilation/entrances does not mean you keep them open all the time...
How much metabolic heat do bees in a hive generate?A considerable amount.....and how much energy is used (wasted) in regulating the internal temperature by fanning in hot weather trying to move all the rising heat downwards and outwards?
Langstroth observed the need for extra ventilation (when required) over a 100 years ago, who are we to argue.

 

[madasafish]

Having extra top ventilation/entrances does not mean you keep them open all the time...
How much metabolic heat do bees in a hive generate?A considerable amount.....and how much energy is used (wasted) in regulating the internal temperature by fanning in hot weather trying to move all the rising heat downwards and outwards?
Langstroth observed the need for extra ventilation (when required) over a 100 years ago, who are we to argue.

I reckon here we have 5 days a year like that in an average summer. Twenty or more in a good one.
Last year was a bad summer-- so no need at all...

 

[Beefriendly]

I reckon here we have 5 days a year like that in an average summer. Twenty or more in a good one.
Last year was a bad summer-- so no need at all...

You are confusing hot weather with the normal metabolic heat generated by bees inside a hive.
If you want a graphic example of how much metabolic heat bees generate inside a poly hive and the effort they make to get rid of it.....do not do what happened to me a few years ago on a cool July evening. I forgot to remove the varroa board from under an open mesh floor and sealed the entrance late at night prior to a 5AM move the next day. I thought things felt a bit sticky when I picked up the hive.....there was honey and melted wax running out everywhere...needless to say not a bee was left alive. The other 5 hives that had the varroa floors removed were all fine.
I've never underestimated the importance of correct ventilation since.....and never accidentally left another varroa board in when I'm about to move hives.

 

[MartinL]

Great to see the continental type ventilation holes, they are slowly coming into more use over here.

How does their price compare to matchsticks?

 

[pargyle]

I reckon here we have 5 days a year like that in an average summer. Twenty or more in a good one.
Last year was a bad summer-- so no need at all...

Exactly, even down here in the Costa del Fareham it never gets anywhere near sub-tropical.

 

[pargyle]

You are confusing hot weather with the normal metabolic heat generated by bees inside a hive.
If you want a graphic example of how much metabolic heat bees generate inside a poly hive and the effort they make to get rid of it.....do not do what happened to me a few years ago on a cool July evening. I forgot to remove the varroa board from under an open mesh floor and sealed the entrance late at night prior to a 5AM move the next day. I thought things felt a bit sticky when I picked up the hive.....there was honey and melted wax running out everywhere...needless to say not a bee was left alive. The other 5 hives that had the varroa floors removed were all fine.
I've never underestimated the importance of correct ventilation since.....and never accidentally left another varroa board in when I'm about to move hives.

Hardly a good example - if you sealed a box of bees up in any sort of slightly warm temperature they are going to overheat ... particularly if they are a big colony in a poly box. But ... if there is an open entrance and/or a mesh floor there is NO NEED FOR TOP VENTILATION.

 

[Beefriendly]

NO NEED FOR TOP VENTILATION.

It really depends on how much energy you want your bees to expend on keeping cool......Side ventilation if used correctly, as well as providing extra entrances, is extremely effective in increasing honey yields. Possibly an idea beyond somes comprehension. Sorry I mentioned it.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Wadey's "The Bee Craftsman" might be of interest to anyone uncertain of the benefits of increased summer ventilation.

 

[Hachi]

 

[madasafish]

It really depends on how much energy you want your bees to expend on keeping cool......Side ventilation if used correctly, as well as providing extra entrances, is extremely effective in increasing honey yields. Possibly an idea beyond somes comprehension. Sorry I mentioned it.

Well last summer, temperatures were below 20C for a month from early June - and it rained daily.

I do not dispute that extra ventilation will provide benefits in consistently warm weather, but when bees cannot get out to forage, increased honey yield is not the issue. The issue is ANY honey yield.

 

[For want of a better word]

It really depends on how much energy you want your bees to expend on keeping cool......Side ventilation if used correctly, as well as providing extra entrances, is extremely effective in increasing honey yields. Possibly an idea beyond somes comprehension. Sorry I mentioned it.

Seems to be a fad in some beekeepers on this forum having just a bit too much top ventilation

I like pretty hives, so much nicer than a row of booring brown boxes... and the girls just love the pretty pastel shades and pretty stencils!

Yeghes da

 

[norfolknchance]

spec

Nice...but would clash with my "plain Jane" garden hives?
Great to see the continental type ventilation holes, they are slowly coming into more use over here.

can be made to any spec