Overwintering possibilities.

[Insy]

Hello Fellow Beeks,

Nice simple question for you all a matter of preference really.

If you had the equipment available what would you prefer to do for overwintering transfer the colonies in a double brood poly Nuc box or keep in a standard commercial wooden brood box with roof and sealed open mesh floor.

When I'm the year would you transfer the colonies over and start feeding for winter without causing a space issue and trigger swarming or absconding.

Thanks
Ben

 

[colinc]

Mine are in standard cedar double brood set up. I won't feed if I think they have stores and I will be leaving the omf open this year. I closed it last year and the moisture build up was notable. Poly will always perform better thermally so if you want the work of transferring go ahead. Feed when the brood nest contracts and they are left with empty comb doing nothing. Others will have other "rules" but likely September to early October depending on feeder type


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[Insy]

Only reason I thought about it was not only for the insulation and overwintering but might also help with spring build up and transfer back to full hive once laid up.

Plenty of time to decide

 

[derekm]

A poly nuc will have a lumped thermal conductance of 0.75 compared to 2.6 for a wooden hive.

Mitchell, D. (2016). Ratios of colony mass to thermal conductance of tree and man-made nest enclosures of Apis mellifera: implications for survival, clustering, humidity regulation and Varroa destructor. International Journal of Biometeorology, 60(5), 629–638. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-015-1057-z

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Hello Fellow Beeks,

Nice simple question for you all a matter of preference really.

If you had the equipment available what would you prefer to do for overwintering transfer the colonies in a double brood poly Nuc box or keep in a standard commercial wooden brood box with roof and sealed open mesh floor.

When I'm the year would you transfer the colonies over and start feeding for winter without causing a space issue and trigger swarming or absconding.

Thanks
Ben

Save buggering about and make a hive cosy out of kingspan or equivalent.

 

[bjosephd]

Save buggering about and make a hive cosy out of kingspan or equivalent.

That's what I do.

And have had hives on wooden floors all sealed up apart from the entrance and they have been dry as a bone.

I had an overwintered open mesh floor last winter, with only 100mm celotex roof (ie not edges, so not a 'cosy') and they got more humid.

Insulation, I feel, is key to humidity. Not ventilation.

If a builder told me I needed a mesh floor in my own house this winter in order to reduce humidity I would probably raise an eyebrow.

Cold walls and cold roof is what you want to avoid.

Make like a tree I say - well insulated with only a single entrance hole to the elements.

 

[madasafish]

I overwinter both Lang jumbos full size hives and 5 frame jumbo nucs. The wooden hives have full poly cosies - covering one full box and a nadired super. Mix of OMF and solid floors. I close the OMFs for winter: spring build up is delayed otherwise.

Neither my one poly hive (with a cosy top hat, nor my wooden hives with cosies nor my nucs show any signs of condensation - and here is colder and wetter than most in winter - we are on the edge of the Peak District..

Five frame nucs are home built out of 50mm insulation - 100 mm + on roofs - roofs envelope the hive.. They build up quickly in spring and need rehiving by end April or before.

The only issue I have with poly hives is birds like the picture trying to gain access to the bees through the roof (mainly crows.. though)

 

[Poly Hive]

If your colony is set up right for winter there is no way they will fit a nuc so as said already get a grip and buy poly hives. Sorted.

PH

 

[Insy]

I'm using wooden for full hives and poly got nucs for splits, yes it will be to small in a Nuc but as you would of seen in my original post I said a double brood poly Nuc which consists of 12 commercial brood frames which is more than enough space.

I might do some in double poly brood nucs and some in wooden full hives and do my own little experiment and take it from there, thanks guys I'm planning on sealing the open mesh floors anyway and cosy for top and bottom gives me something to look forward to in spring.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm overwintering one colony on a 14 frame double poly nuc 14x12 .................. maybe

 

[yeogi75]

What poly nucs have you, I have Payne's nucs with side feeder cut out give you eight frames then box on top that gives you sixteen enough to over winter on. I only run brood boxes no supers.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Exactly what I've done except I've replaced two frames with dummies as I think 8 frames is a bit of a squeeze

 

[Millet]

The only issue I have with poly hives is birds like the picture trying to gain access to the bees through the roof (mainly crows.. though)

That's a immature Sparrowhawk knackering a song bird..lol ..they will not bother your hives..