Managing Poly Hives

[oliver90owner]

OK, I had given it a little more thought and have decided a wooden framed floor (with OMF, of course) would impart enough strength if strapped together securely.

Same on top and some form of handles onto the floor would suffice. I have a plan brewing......

Regards, RAB

 

[Tom Bick]

I can hear the cogs turning over as I sat and read your post RAB

 

[GingerNut]

Well done GingerNut looks like you have found something that works for you the concept is very interesting.

As I see it from your drawings the sides sit on the bottom and the front panel is 10mm short for an entrance for the bees if this is the case why then are the sides cut at 375mm or am I missing something

Hi Tom,

You are correct

The extra space underneath is to allow for drone brood to be produced at the bottom of 12 14x12 frames.............removes the requirement for having any short frames.

See one of Hedgerow Petes videos where he suggests the same thing.

This maximises brood size, and gives a greater harvest of wax from the drone brood.

Yours Roy

 

[Tom Bick]

Yes I thought of that Roy and not a bad thing to do the only problem I would have with the way you have done it is you make every frame that bit bigger and heavier and it is nice to rest the frame on the corner during inspections.

For me I think perhaps one or two standard frames creating space for the bees to build drone brood.

 

[johnandyrob]

Poly Hive
You said earlier that the whole brood box in a poly hive will be full of brood with no pollen I their for presume that there is no honey storage during summer there for giving a poly national brood box more brood area than a wooden 14 x 12 but is their enough stores for winter in a poly national brood or do you use a super as well
Regards Andrew

 

[oliver90owner]

PH,

I will leave it for you to estimate the errors, (if there are) in the maths and talk about honey arch and autumn feeding as the colony reduces in numbers and brooding is less.

Regards, RAB

 

[GingerNut]

Yes I thought of that Roy and not a bad thing to do the only problem I would have with the way you have done it is you make every frame that bit bigger and heavier and it is nice to rest the frame on the corner during inspections.

For me I think perhaps one or two standard frames creating space for the bees to build drone brood.

Hi Tom,

That's the big advantage of building your own, you can make the changes you want.

Bee ware though, my plans allow for 'top bee space', so you must take this into account if making the sides shorter or you could end up with 'no bee space'.

Yours Roy

 

[Onge]

I may try building a couple of nucs out of that stuff.

Thanks for idea.

 

[Poly Hive]

"There seems less need to store pollen as insulation on the two outside combs and a strong desire to use those outside faces of the combs for brood. In effect there is a net gain of some four comb sides for mainly brood reading which is a substantial increase in the over all brood area. In a national that would equate to 18% and in Langstroth : 20%"

That does not equate to No pollen. Naturally there is some pollen storage which is the natural situation.

Not having worked 14 x 12 I am not familiar with the numbers connected to them and would expect anyone interested in that hive to do some research.

I feed fondant to my hives, and give a lump of some 8kilos inside an empty super so cannot say whether a national poly would over winter with a prolific strain just on a National BB.

I can say that a poly Lang over winters very well with an AMM strain.

Not possibly all the answer you were looking for but I won't tell you lies.

PH

 

[GingerNut]

A warning about the glue to use

I may try building a couple of nucs out of that stuff.

Thanks for idea.

A warning about the glue to use................

Poly is extremely difficult to glue with strength, and the front has no support other than the glue on each side.

After testing I found this

http://tinyurl.com/36hwv3d

The first one on the page.................amazing it's called 'Wood Weld', but it works

Yours Roy

 

[johnandyrob]

"There seems less need to store pollen as insulation on the two outside combs and a strong desire to use those outside faces of the combs for brood. In effect there is a net gain of some four comb sides for mainly brood reading which is a substantial increase in the over all brood area. In a national that would equate to 18% and in Langstroth : 20%"

That does not equate to No pollen. Naturally there is some pollen storage which is the natural situation.

Not having worked 14 x 12 I am not familiar with the numbers connected to them and would expect anyone interested in that hive to do some research.

I feed fondant to my hives, and give a lump of some 8kilos inside an empty super so cannot say whether a national poly would over winter with a prolific strain just on a National
I can say that a poly Lang over winters very well with an AMM strain.

Not possibly all the answer you were looking for but I won't tell you lies.

PH

Thanks Poly Hive was thinking of changing over to poly nationals but im now thinking of poly langs before I have too much national equipment to make it unviable thanks again Regards Andrew