Nasty crunch

[Firegazer]

I now have two of the Modern Beekeeping poly Lang brood boxes, one on top of the other. No supers. Now lots of bees!

The top one is nearly full. The bottom one just has empty frames with starter strips.

I just checked out how they were doing - started to build nice white comb in the bottom box frames The main one, in the middle, they have decided the starter strip isn't for them and have started at one end (the starter strip is only the middle third) and offset from the centre :-(

I lifted the top brood box off and put it on a spare floor while I looked at the bottom section. When I wanted to put it back, I had a problem - how to do it without crunching any bees?

The poly brood boxes have a raised section all round which means they fit together well and don't slide around. It also means the only way back on is vertically - no sliding it on.

I used a water spray to try and discourage the bees from sitting on the edge, but there was still an audible crunch when the box went down flush. Is there any way of stopping this every time I inspect, or should I just be hard-nosed and ignore it?

FG

 

[Poly Hive]

Starter strips? I hope you are going to not inspect on hot days... I forsee disasters.

Ignore it. Only course open to you really.

These hives are recessed? A Langstroth? Pic please. Looked on the site and so they are. Silly move.



PH

 

[Firegazer]

PH,
do you use the Swienty ones instead?

Are they recessed in this way too or flat top and bottom?

One of the strips already fell out, but the others still seemed OK. The hive isn't in direct sun, so rarely gets very hot.

FG

 

[Stiffy]

Starter strips? I hope you are going to not inspect on hot days... I forsee disasters.

Ignore it. Only course open to you really.

These hives are recessed? A Langstroth? Pic please. Looked on the site and so they are. Silly move.



PH

Could you expand a bit on reply as I have been looking at these hives for next year and cant afford to make a mistake when buying 10x......dont tell SWMBO though

Cheers

 

[Poly Hive]

The only reason I can see for the rebate is moving the hives and having moved poly units in rather larger numbers than x 10 for over 20 years I see no need at all for the rebate as spansets work very well indeed to hold the boxes together.

My units have flat surfaces and as I put them together I move them in diagonally at about 2mm to move the bees away from the incoming box.

Put it like this with no disrespect to the vendor or maker, would I buy one? No. I had a rebated timber unit in my very early days from Steele and Brodie which was designed for the same reason, ease of move, and it was a total pain.

PH

 

[Stiffy]

Thanks, makes sense! Will look around a little bit more before parting with my money.

 

[Midland Beek]

Is there any way of stopping this every time I inspect, or should I just be hard-nosed and ignore it?

What do ya think smoke is for?

 

[the naked beekeeper]

My intuitive guess is that you want to be kind and gentle with the bees.

That is a good trait to have, but in my experience , whenever I've tried to be what I deemed as 'gentle' by not using smoke and by using a water spray, I have had payback. All it takes is for one wrong day when you inspect and a water spray will not placate a strong hive of bees and in trying to be what you perceive as gentle you can do more harm than good.

A simple bit of smoke will drive them away from the sides and you won't kill any bees by crushing them then, which I'm sure you'll agree is kinder than using a water spray but killing tens of bees each inspection.

 

[Mike a]

The poly brood boxes have a raised section all round which means they fit together well and don't slide around. It also means the only way back on is vertically - no sliding it on.
FG

I bought a double medium polly lang last week. I'll will take a look at it in the morning. Thanks for pointing it out FG

 

[steve1958]

I had the same problem with my poly
Thought it was just me being clumsy

 

[Firegazer]

Clothes-free One,
I think you may be right.

I tried a water spray this time, which DID work well at driving the bees down from the top bars to put the plastic cover sheet back on - another tricky point, as the sheeting fits flush (or very nearly flush) with the top bars so bees can easily get stuck between it and the bars; lift it a bit to free one and another 10 pop up to get stuck

I did have the smoker going too, just in case it was needed, but I was trying out 'going smokeless' to see what would happen.

Result was: the bees were a bit more 'in my face' than usual, but this could have been the size the colony is now getting too (full Lang deep plus some in the bottom box too); chasing bees down worked well with the water, but maybe it won't work well for the box interfaces . . .

FG

 

[Mike a]

I see what you mean FG
They have a raised lip all the way round to stop the chambers sliding around.

As I have TBH I always have a mist spray handy anyway so its not a big deal to me.

 

[Onge]

PH,
do you use the Swienty ones instead?

Are they recessed in this way too or flat top and bottom?

One of the strips already fell out, but the others still seemed OK. The hive isn't in direct sun, so rarely gets very hot.

FG

I use the Swienty poly, they are flat and I have no problem with crushed bees.

They can also be mixed with wooden hives if need be, of which I have a few.

 

[Poly Hive]

Precisely you need compatibility. If you canna mix and match it is a total pain and I seriously do not recommend it.

At one point I had every hive type going bar Uncle Tom cobleys... And it was a nightmare remembering which supers to take where.

KISS>>>> from damn hard experience of forgetting the one Smith ....


PH

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Precisely you need compatibility. If you canna mix and match it is a total pain and I seriously do not recommend it.

At one point I had every hive type going bar Uncle Tom cobleys... And it was a nightmare remembering which supers to take where.

KISS>>>> from damn hard experience of forgetting the one Smith ....


PH

I would echo that.

The beekeeper I work with has National, Commercial, Smith, Smith 14x12, Langstroth Jumbo, albeit they might be on different sites, but if you want to take nucs anywhere it can be a right pain as well as having the right frames and supers!

Stick with one hive and preferably from one supplier IMO.
I have some new and some homemade second hand, and whilst serviceable, some of the parts I buy for them have to be adapted!!

 

[Firegazer]

I don't understand how they can be completely compatible with cedar brood boxes, floors and roof/feeders.

The Poly hive I have has considerably thicker walls to it than the Cedar one I have. They can't be the same dimensions inside and out, can they?

Are the Swienty ones 3/4 inch thick? If so, are they strong enough?

FG

 

[Poly Hive]

The ID should be compatible.

I have just measured a super from Swienty and it is as I expected 40mm or fractionally over 1 and a half inches.

My Crown boards will not fit a cedar Langstroth, nor will a cedar hive roof fit mine.

However I see no value at all in using a timber roof on a poly hive, self defeating in fact.

However a cedar brood will sit on top of a poly and for that matter it will the other way about.
PH

 

[Firegazer]

Thanks for the linear metrology, PH.

I think I understand correctly. The inner dimension are the same. The cedar Langstroth is 510 mm x 415 mm outside and the Swienty brood box claims to be 540 mm x 450 mm. Both are 463 mm x 374 mm inside.

So the Cedar box is 23.5 mm or 0.925 inches thick front and back and 20.5 mm or 0.807 inches thick on the sides.

The Swienty specs say 38.5 mm or 1.52 inches thick front and back, 38 mm or 1.50 inches thick on the sides.

So if we line up a poly brood box on a cedar one, it overhangs by about 18 mm all round.

The Modern Beekeeping one I have could still work flush with a poly on the bottom and a cedar on top, but can't slide with two polys or a cedar on the bottom and a poly on the top.

Hmmm.

FG

 

[Poly Hive]

NP.

I am myself disappointed that the Finnish ones are made that way as I was considering taking some on as I do like the poly Langstroth above all others.

However I am not going the rebate route and am as I say disappointed in that.

Then again I can get from Nat to Lang in my nuc boxes easily enough so its not an issue for me.

I wonder if anyone has a Polish one?

PH

 

[Mike a]

Post removed off topic.