Nadiring poly hives

[Levitt53]

I have a poly hive and a wooden one. I've decided to concentrate on poly hives for the future for various reasons, but one disadvantage I see if that you can't nadir the super over winter. I did this with my wooden hive this year and it worked well. It was mainly cleared out and it makes sense to me. The BB of the poly hive has groves in it that fix it more securely to the floor (advantage) but you can't then put the super underneath as it doesn't have these groves. I'm loathed to try and adapt the thing. What do other people do in this situation? Wrong season I know but I'm trying to think all these things through.

 

[Brigsy]

Paynes I'm guessing. I think people adapt the floor. Or use a wooden super to place under.

 

[birdsandbees]

Paynes I'm guessing.

that was what I thought too, no such issue with my Maisemore Poly hives, just another reason I'm glad I went for their design instead of sticking with Paynes Poly's

 

[Levitt53]

Hmm yes perhaps I should have got one from somewhere else. I did think about putting a wooden super under there as it would probably fit but you obviously lose the insulation advantage if you leave it. I don't think removing it in autumn is viable.

 

[Brigsy]

I have one of each in different format, and can see where you are coming from.

 

[Levitt53]

I have one of each in different format, and can see where you are coming from.

I've sent Paynes a message so I'll let you know what they say.

I just wondered if anyone had come up with a genius solution.

 

[Brigsy]

I am changing to maisemore but only because they do a commercial poly. So all mine will be the same. I am going to try and trim the paynes floor lugs off to save buying a new floor.

Interested to hear what they say. I like the stability of the lugs but as you say, can't place under the brood without trimage!

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Have s look at swienty hives many prefer them

 

[Swarm]

Throw the floors away Levitt53, they are just too bulky anyway. I had some paynes (now for sale) and made underfloor entrances for them. At the time any hardware was 460mm so looked awful.
I switched to swienty and TBS which is so much better, still on underfloor entrance type floors.
If you'd rather keep the floors, just cut the lugs off them.

 

[Poly Hive]

You know I just do not understand what these makers are doing.

FFS its so simple. You take a national and make it in poly with a narrow entrance so the mice keep out and that's it. Simple.

Oh no they have to try and be clever and by being clever they stuff it right up.

Personally as one of the longer poly users on here I will just say I use Swienty because they nave NOT stuffed it up.

KISS

PH

 

[Swarm]

Personally as one of the longer poly users on here I will just say I use Swienty because they nave NOT stuffed it up.

Well, sort of.
One reason I went TBS was the lack of BBS rebate in the bottom of the boxes. As you know, without this rebate the box sits directly on top of the lugs of the frames below.
No biggy, I leave out the runners and I've converted all my wooden boxes.

 

[pargyle]

I have all Paynes 14 x 12 Polys. I like the floors and the lugs - they form a very stable base for the hive. With 14 x 12 I've never felt any need to have nadired supers - there's usually enough room in a 14 x 12 to provide them with stores to see them through the winter. If you have standard national boxes and you are worried about them having enough stores to see them through the winter and you don't want to cut the lugs off .. leave them with a super of honey but leave it on the TOP of the brood box (without a queen excluder of course). We never used to Nadir ... it's a relatively recent (in beekeeping terms !) addition ... it's an option but not essential.

If you need them to clear the honey out of a super that you have spun or is only part filled then you can put it above the brood box but above a crown board with a hole in it and they will (usually) move what is left down into the brood box - once they have cleaned it out - clear the bees out and either take the super off or close the hole in the crown board and leave it there..

Keep things simple ...

 

[Swarm]

Where people are going wrong with nadiring is putting anything other than partially capped and/or unripe nectar under the hive. The intention is that the bees move it and store it appropriately, before winter. As a means of cleaning out the frames, it works well precisely because the bees don't want it there.

 

[citrus]

did anyone get a good solution to the nadir'ing using paynes hives ?

on one hive this year I transferred the frames to a brood box and used that instead ...hope the bees dont make a rats nest when extending the frames - need to be on the ball in spring for that hive

dont really want to cut the floors, or move to wooden supers given they would live there all winter

did anyone come up with an adaption or bodge that I could use ?

 

[Swarm]

Unless you cut those retaining lugs there isn't one.

 

[Erichalfbee]

did anyone come up with an adaption or bodge that I could use ?

I’ve kept Paynes. The easiest is to use a wooden super.