Nuc boxes poly or cedar.

[Curly green fingers]

Just a question how long have beeks been using poly hives ? What did we use before wood, I can see the benefits of both imo if the collony is healthy plenty of stores what does it matter what you keep them in .
Surely it's all down to the husbandry mainly . Not the box you keep them in.

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[Murox]

I've decided to stick with wood boxes. I don't want to bring more plastic into the world.

I can mend it again and again and when the end comes it will keep me warm for 20 minutes.
Wood is good enough. Not the best insulator and National boxes in cedar are designed more for the beekeepers benefit than the bees comfort. And I'm not doing this for profit. Ifthey build up more slowly and ultimately produce less honey I don't mind greatly.

OK . . .. . I'm putting on my tin hat now.

. . .. Ben

Repairing poly boxes shouldn't really be an issue these days.
EvERBUILD adhesive is a solvent free adhesive for fixing polystyrene.
UHU Plastic Glue is a Crystal Clear Special Adhesive for Gluing Expanded Foam/Polystyrene.
PINKGRIP SF Solvent Free. adhesive for expanding Foams.
and of course two part epoxy adhesives are suitable for bonding a wide variety of materials and they are available with a range of different cure speeds. Just to name but a few after a very quick look around.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Bees love poly nucs !!

 

[madasafish]

Just a question how long have beeks been using poly hives ? What did we use before wood, I can see the benefits of both imo if the collony is healthy plenty of stores what does it matter what you keep them in .
Surely it's all down to the husbandry mainly . Not the box you keep them in.

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1. At least 30 years.
2. Skeps made of willow/other wood. The Egyptians used clay I believe.
3. Horses can be overwintered in fields but most do in stables as they emerge stronger in Spring. Ditto dogs in kennels.. All depends if you want to keep whatever in the best conditions you can afford.

 

[Beefriendly]

Just a question how long have beeks been using poly hives ? What did we use before wood, I can see the benefits of both imo if the collony is healthy plenty of stores what does it matter what you keep them in .
Surely it's all down to the husbandry mainly . Not the box you keep them in.

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Insulation goes way way back to the early 1900's The WBC (and other) double walled hive were originally designed for the gaps between the inner and outer walls to be filled with cork chipping to keep the bees warm over winter.
Somehow, over the period of 2 world wars, we seemed to lose our grasp on the benefits of insulation for the winter.
In the colder regions of the USA special bee cellars were built to house the bees over winter. Still do this in parts of Canada.

 

[Murox]

Insulation goes way way back to the early 1900's The WBC (and other) double walled hive were originally designed for the gaps between the inner and outer walls to be filled with cork chipping to keep the bees warm over winter.
Somehow, over the period of 2 world wars, we seemed to lose our grasp on the benefits of insulation for the winter.
In the colder regions of the USA special bee cellars were built to house the bees over winter. Still do this in parts of Canada.

Even Langstroth advocated double skinned hives and correctly predicted that Americans would make them single skin because it was cheaper and easier; not better for the bees I note......

 

[Curly green fingers]

Thanks both for the replys to my questions. Why not design all hives to have insulation in the walls of the hive body's I'm thinking of nationals now more so , if the poly hives keep the bee's warmer why not use both materials .
I'm looking forward to using polys so I can see with my own eyes the benefits etc...

 

[Murox]

Being unconventional I did - well almost, I built my own hive with 50ml rock wool insulation sandwiched between 6ml ply inside and 22ml larch outside.

 

[Curly green fingers]

How did the bee's compare build up,amount of stores used? I'm thinking of doing the same sort of thing

 

[Murox]

Too early to comment really, moved bees in from a this years 5 frame nucleus in July and gave them foundationless frames to play with. They drew out 3 well by august. Since I live in marginal beekeeping area (windy, wet atlantic coastal) I started feeding light syrup in august to encourage them to continue building . heavy syrup from mid october, latter on was thymolised. When I last inspected 9 frames were actively being used. Made no attempt to take any honey at all from them this year.

 

[madasafish]

Thanks both for the replys to my questions. Why not design all hives to have insulation in the walls of the hive body's I'm thinking of nationals now more so , if the poly hives keep the bee's warmer why not use both materials .
I'm looking forward to using polys so I can see with my own eyes the benefits etc...

I gave thought of adding insulation to a wooden hive and making it a permanent fixture (I use poly cosies). I did that to a TBH which works well but TBHs tend to be fixed....

But it is time consuming to make, there are LOTS of protrubrances on a National which interfere with insulation (a Langstroth has only flat sides so easier.).

But the biggest thing to put me off was the increased width of the walls coupled with the need for handholds and then the problems of seating wider walls on top of wider walls - the insulation at the edges being soft is vulnerable to damage.

All in all, I decided it was easier to make nucs of insulation only and discard the wood.. and strengthen the mating areas.. As for handholds I use sheets of ply glued to the end walls of the nuc with a wooden handle attached. Yes they are vulnerable to damage when separating double nuc boxes but very cheap and easy to make (Langs so flat sides as mentioned above)

 

[Curly green fingers]

Too early to comment really, moved bees in from a this years 5 frame nucleus in July and gave them foundationless frames to play with. They drew out 3 well by august. Since I live in marginal beekeeping area (windy, wet atlantic coastal) I started feeding light syrup in august to encourage them to continue building . heavy syrup from mid october, latter on was thymolised. When I last inspected 9 frames were actively being used. Made no attempt to take any honey at all from them this year.

Hopefully they'll be a strong colony by the spring . The honey would of been mixed syrup and whatever they were foraging on keep me posted as I'm interested how you get on .

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[Murox]

Hopefully they'll be a strong colony by the spring . The honey would of been mixed syrup and whatever they were foraging on keep me posted as I'm interested how you get on .

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Im curious myself of course - first they have to survive winter, so far so good.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I gave thought of adding insulation to a wooden hive and making it a permanent fixture (I use poly cosies). I did that to a TBH which works well but TBHs tend to be fixed....

But it is time consuming to make, there are LOTS of protrubrances on a National which interfere with insulation (a Langstroth has only flat sides so easier.).

But the biggest thing to put me off was the increased width of the walls coupled with the need for handholds and then the problems of seating wider walls on top of wider walls - the insulation at the edges being soft is vulnerable to damage.

All in all, I decided it was easier to make nucs of insulation only and discard the wood.. and strengthen the mating areas.. As for handholds I use sheets of ply glued to the end walls of the nuc with a wooden handle attached. Yes they are vulnerable to damage when separating double nuc boxes but very cheap and easy to make (Langs so flat sides as mentioned above)

I get what you mean about where to put the insulation and still be able to pick the hives up I'll give it a bit more thought thanks.

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[Curly green fingers]

Im curious myself of course - first they have to survive winter, so far so good.

I've no nucs if my hives all over winter.
I'll be making 10 nucs when they build up next year it's going to be busy if all goes well.

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[Murox]

I get what you mean about where to put the insulation and still be able to pick the hives up I'll give it a bit more thought thanks.

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That was an issue when I built mine - sooo - as it was to be a static hive I made a horizontal or long hive capable of being two (three smaller) hives under one hinged roof. So my aim for next year will be to populate the second half. It is a big structure and deliberately heavy. Up here garden sheds are routinely anchored to the ground owing to the wind strength. If i had to move hives around I would go poly.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Maisie's Poly Sales

Maisemore's are having their annual Poly sale in January (2nd to the 31st).
Reduced prices on hives and nucs although they probably won't publish these until the current sale is over.

 

[BMH]

Maisemore's are having their annual Poly sale in January (2nd to the 31st).
Reduced prices on hives and nucs although they probably won't publish these until the current sale is over.

Will keep an eye on this.

In the market for a few detachable floors, feeders and roofs for some surplus brood boxes I have.

 

[birdsandbees]

All of my hives are now Poly, 99% Maisemore ones, with a couple of Paynes, while they are basically plastic as has been said they can last a lifetime AND can be recycled when the time comes, I'm sure that in 20 years time polystyrene recycling will be common place.

I very much doubt that poly hives are the reason for the state our planet is in presently.

my own reasons and observations echo much of what has been said.


Poly will last a lifetime and doesn't rely on de-forrestation, its all very well saying Cedar is a renewable resource but when it takes 20 - 30 years for a tree to re grow that's a lot of carbon not being used up.

Cost, they are considerably cheaper especially if bought in a sale.

Since moving to Poly I have had zero winter losses

The bees generally use a lot less stores over winter.

Weight is an issue for me as I have an iffy back and while a full hive or Super is still darn heavy, every little helps.

They do seem to get going quicker in the spring though that is debatable as to whether this is the hive type or other reasons

Repairs are easy to carry out by replacing small sections or using filler.

The surfaces meet very well meaning no gaps to be propolised.

They do not warp.

No Knots to shrink and fall out

A couple of coats of Weathershield and they are good to go.

As ever with Beekeeping, each to their own preferences but they work for me and more importantly they work for my bees.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Maisemore's are having their annual Poly sale in January (2nd to the 31st).
Reduced prices on hives and nucs although they probably won't publish these until the current sale is over.

Thanks I'll keep looking.did anybody have any bargains on the so called black Friday?