My first poly hive - advice on using

[Blacky50]

So I have purchased for first poly hive and judging by comments on this forum I will soon see the benefits and convert completely. This one is from ******.

I'm aware of the need to paint it and have a feeder which can also be used upside down to assist in apiguard treatment & feeding fondant where needed. Also have purchased a J tool to aid lifting frames rather than levering off at the lug end. I've also seen info on cleaning them.

Are there any other tips on using them that I should be aware of? Thinking of ease of prising apart on inspections and anything else generally on tips & tricks in their use.

Thanks

 

[For want of a better word]

Carry a brick with you on apiary visits... the roofs on the P***** ones fly like a kite on a windy day.

Also strap and weigh them down, concrete blocks on the roof and strap securely to hive stands.
Otherwise enjoy !

 

[itma]

Don't even think of setting down your smoker on the roof.
It wasn't me, but I've seen it done...

 

[simoncav]

Use petroleum jelly on the joints between sections of the hives to prevent the bees propolising the gaps and eliminating the need to use much leverage when using your hive tool.

 

[Mike a]

Directly under the roof I use a sheet of polythene.

Two main reasons
1. I can quick look inside to gauge the colony strength very roughly without needing to crack any propolis seals. Even when I've used plenty of petroleum jelly they still tried to glued up the joint between the brood chamber and roof.

2. Drastically reduces the number of bees crushed when replacing the roof after an inspection.

 

[beeno]

Hi Blacky50,
All of the above and I think we concluded that you will have to make your own mouse guard. Good luck with the overwintering.

 

[Finman]

Use petroleum jelly on the joints between sections of the hives to prevent the bees propolising the gaps and eliminating the need to use much leverage when using your hive tool.

That is not needed. It is better that boxes stay together.

After my 25 years boxes have not been glued by propolis. It is burr/wild comb between frames, which keep boxes tightly together.

.

 

[Moggs]

Use petroleum jelly on the joints between sections of the hives to prevent the bees propolising the gaps and eliminating the need to use much leverage when using your hive tool.

I'm intrigued as to how the bees can get into the gaps. Indeed, what gaps? Perhaps my Painy polys are of a different close-fitting design... Certainly wouldn't want to dob Vaseline all over them just to create potential for harbouring nasties.

 

[theeggman]

If you have an entrance block in, a standard mouse guard fits and seals the indentations in the brood box wall behind the mouse guard.

Tim

PS - Forgot to mention that I'm talking of P's poly hives.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Not sure which one you went for in end as it ***** it out. Which ever it is id recommend following modern bk advice on painting as it worked well for me on my swienty langstroths. Dulux Weathershield Smooth Masonry paint applied with a fleece roller (I went for mb's prefered choice too of Woodland Pearl No 1).

On the swienty boxes as i used there roofs and floors in poly, it ended up I didnt need to use mouse guards as the space was 1 beespace high. However, check this with your supplier as it may not be the case. I also used a bit of plastic that swienty supplier ontop like Mike a says and agree fully with his comments be it my bees dont seem to produce the stickyness that some do.

Personally i've always ran the hive's strapped up with a brick on top, personal choice though.

 

[itma]

Directly under the roof I use a sheet of polythene.

Two main reasons...

A clear crownboard is a wonderful thing to have, especially while everything is new to you.
BUT a plain flat sheet sits directly on the National's frame topbars, and I don't like it. It gets attached to the bars with prop and wax.
Note that Mike uses Langstroth - unlike National he has top beespace.
EVEN THOUGH Pains themselves do supply a (clear) flat and flexy coversheet with their poly nats, I think you'd do much better to invest in (or make) a *framed* clear coverboard - to provide the same beespace as a wooden National coverboard.

If you have an entrance block in, a standard mouse guard fits and seals the indentations in the brood box wall behind the mouse guard.

Tim

PS - Forgot to mention that I'm talking of P's poly hives.

Tim, that's true if you don't push the entrance reducer fully in.
BUT, like that, the block may swell in the wet, and likely be hard to remove. Best to attach the mouseguard to the block. (With the block fully inserted, the mouse could still get in, over the guard and then through the reduced entrance.

AND some folks (including me) don't like the idea of running a reduced and mouseguarded entrance, because of the increased risk of the entrance becoming blocked with dead bee corpses that haven't been fully expelled from the hive. On my wooden hives, I remove the entrance block before fitting the mouseguard -- and this is someone who uses a reduced entrance through most of the rest of the year!

 

[Madge]

... concrete blocks on the roof and strap securely to hive stands. ...

... Personally i've always ran the hive's strapped up with a brick on top, personal choice though.

Two people now recommending strapping up the hive and putting a brick on top of it. I don't understand why. When strapped up the roof won't fly off.

I do use bricks, but I put them on the cross bars of my hive stands to weigh the whole lot down (hive stand and hive - all nicely strapped up) in case it topples over. It happened once. I think it must have been a deer or badgers.

Kitta

 

[theeggman]

Itma,
The entrance block supplied by P's is a sloppy fit so 2 screw eyes prevent it being pushed too far in.
I run on reduced entrance all year with no problems, the undertakers remove any dead through the mouseguard with no problems.
Tim

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Two people now recommending strapping up the hive and putting a brick on top of it. I don't understand why. When strapped up the roof won't fly off.

I do use bricks, but I put them on the cross bars of my hive stands to weigh the whole lot down (hive stand and hive - all nicely strapped up) in case it topples over. It happened once. I think it must have been a deer or badgers.

Kitta

I fully understand that a brick would be sufficient. For me my hives are in an out apiary and if we have some bad weather it gives me peace of mind not having to rush (i'm not retired so dont have spare time during the day). Again personal choice, as you say no reason to though if the roof is a good fit but even in that situation for me a brick would be minimum.

 

[itma]

Itma,
The entrance block supplied by P's is a sloppy fit so 2 screw eyes prevent it being pushed too far in.

I used a couple of staples, pushed partway into the plastic.
However the point was that, to meet the mouseguard, the block needs to be positioned 'forward' - level with the sides and centre - which means the indents expose some of the top of the blocks - which collects wetness.
If its not forward, it doesn't block the indent/mouseguard gap.

My staples positioned the block so it is flush with the indents, rather than the sides and centre. Offering up a standard mouseguard during Autumn preparations for Winter, revealed indent gaps that I considered an unacceptable risk.


Not using a reduced entrance with a mouseguard is one of those things that is merely a safer way of working, but you may get away with doing the opposite for many years!

 

[Madge]

...for me a brick would be minimum.

Agreed. But I don't really trust a brick, so I use a strap. My question was why, if you strap the hive, do you also use a brick?

 

[johnandyrob]

When I had wooden nationals I used to put one brick on the roof now I have moved over to poly langstroths still only put one brick on the roof. I think Poly Hive used one brick in summer and two in winter.

 

[itma]

... My question was why, if you strap the hive, do you also use a brick?

I believe the expression is "belt and braces".

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Agreed. But I don't really trust a brick, so I use a strap. My question was why, if you strap the hive, do you also use a brick?

So i've got a brick there incase I ever take the strap off

 

[peteinwilts]

Two people now recommending strapping up the hive and putting a brick on top of it. I don't understand why. When strapped up the roof won't fly off.

I do use bricks, but I put them on the cross bars of my hive stands to weigh the whole lot down (hive stand and hive - all nicely strapped up) in case it topples over. It happened once. I think it must have been a deer or badgers.

Kitta

I only use straps, but strap them to a drilled paving slab. Last winter the neighbours cows escaped and ran amok in one of my apiarys.
They used the hives as scratching posts. Not a single hive, including the overwintering NUC's toppled.

I sleep at night.