Overwintering

[psafloyd]

Some advice, please.

One colony is all over it's brood box, but the two others, I am less sure of.

One is over about six frames and I've dummied it off, but the other is only covering four.

Both are very active bringing in pollen and stores but I am thinking of transferring this last one into a nuc for the winter.

Queen seems to have gone off laying since I put the Apiguard on these hives.

Is the option of a nuc better than a dummied off BB with a bit of insulation on?

 

[oliver90owner]

Is the option of a nuc better than a dummied off BB with a bit of insulation on?

What is the difference (if done properly)?

Polynuc?

Can heavily insulate both sides in a full size box?

Ease of expansion next spring?

Need to be moved around?

How many frames are there now (feeding in the winter)?

Remember the top of the space needs to be completely sealed from the rest of the hive, or the bees will be heating a large area of roof (or the large roof area will potentially be losing heat to the exterior).

Kit for feeding, now, during the winter and in spring? If inappropriate you do have time to fix, but may not want extra, otherwise unecessary, kit around.

May be other things to consider. Just make a list of pros and cons.

Your call.

RAB

 

[itma]

1/ Something that has occurred to me as I ponder the same question (where is the colony size crossover point where a top insulated wooden hive becomes a better bet than a six frame polynuc), is that with the polynuc, instead of hefting, it becomes quite feasible to use the bathroom scales.
And the tare weight (nuc, frames, comb), being much less, it should be possible to track the stores situation really quite accurately with minimal upset to the bees.

2/ For an understrength colony (late swarm or whatever) that is beyond a polynuc, it seems to me that the insulation advantage of a polyhive over a wooden one might be particularly beneficial. Or is that not worth worrying about? (or not worth worrying about because you'd swathe the sides of the wooden hive in insulation, as well as packing the roof?)

 

[user 6228]

1/ Something that has occurred to me as I ponder the same question (where is the colony size crossover point where a top insulated wooden hive becomes a better bet than a six frame polynuc), is that with the polynuc, instead of hefting, it becomes quite feasible to use the bathroom scales.
And the tare weight (nuc, frames, comb), being much less, it should be possible to track the stores situation really quite accurately with minimal upset to the bees.
....

With a little ingenuity you can weigh very large weights on bathroom scales e.g. a car

 

[itma]

With a little ingenuity you can weigh very large weights on bathroom scales e.g. a car

And in the past I have been up past 3am adjusting race car suspension settings to set the "corner weights" using four scales simultaneously.
But it would be trivially easy to pop a nuc onto one scale.

 

[alanf]

With a little ingenuity you can weigh very large weights on bathroom scales e.g. a car

Standard practice on small weigh bridges to weigh per axle. The tricky bit on any set up not made for the purpose is keeping the vehicle level. I'm intrigued by how you would weigh a full size car (1500Kg ?) with bathroom scales when they run to around 130-150Kg.

 

[psafloyd]

Is the option of a nuc better than a dummied off BB with a bit of insulation on?

What is the difference (if done properly)?

Polynuc?

Can heavily insulate both sides in a full size box?

Ease of expansion next spring?

Need to be moved around?

How many frames are there now (feeding in the winter)?

Remember the top of the space needs to be completely sealed from the rest of the hive, or the bees will be heating a large area of roof (or the large roof area will potentially be losing heat to the exterior).

Kit for feeding, now, during the winter and in spring? If inappropriate you do have time to fix, but may not want extra, otherwise unecessary, kit around.

May be other things to consider. Just make a list of pros and cons.

Your call.

RAB

Thanks, RAB, I knew you'd come along fast.

I don't have kit for feeding a nuc, really, but thought it might help them stay the course over winter. However, it would be more fiddly.

Could dummy off half way and insulate with kingspan, I suppose.

Not feeding any at the moment as they are all feeding themselves, though the stores on this one are far small than the others, so anticipating fondants through much of the winter.

I know I should have been feeding this one, probably, but with my miss us in and out of hospital and being made redundant has been somewhat disruptive.

Still, I might put a contact feeder on and see how they do as it is still quite warm down here.

 

[rae]

As I've said on other threads, my hospital case has 75mm celotex at the sides, 25 in the front and back recesses, and 25mm in the roof. They are on 5 frames, and should be toasty warm. Probably a lot better than the average nuc box.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Standard practice on small weigh bridges to weigh per axle. The tricky bit on any set up not made for the purpose is keeping the vehicle level. I'm intrigued by how you would weigh a full size car (1500Kg ?) with bathroom scales when they run to around 130-150Kg.

break it up into manageable size chunks and after weighing put it back together again - if nothing else it will keep you occupied until the spring beekeeping starts again

 

[oliver90owner]

break it up into manageable size chunks and after weighing put it back together again - if nothing else it will keep you occupied until the spring beekeeping starts again


Good sugggestion. I like that idea.

Unfortunatly for us, maybe , but the poster could use a series of lever (force mulipliers, or 'dividers' in this case). Less resolution, maybe, but could easily be done.

I would think he should write with bathroom scales and not on if in this particular context.

 

[Finman]

.
In this case it would be easy to bye a poly box. Then you split it in two and you get from 10 frame box two 5 frame boxes.

Then make a missing wall from polystyrene insulating board. Glue it with polyurethane clue. Paint outer surfaces with some paint like car spray.

When the colony expands, pile two this kind of boxes and then you have one box size space.
Put the empty box under the brood and colony occupye slowly the lower box.

During years you will need these nuc boxes. They are better than dummy boar box.

 

[user 6228]

Standard practice on small weigh bridges to weigh per axle. The tricky bit on any set up not made for the purpose is keeping the vehicle level. I'm intrigued by how you would weigh a full size car (1500Kg ?) with bathroom scales when they run to around 130-150Kg.

Weigh each wheel with a simple board with and a spacer(dummy second set of scales) . you can then with 4 or 8 weight measurements get the weight of the car, find the centre of gravity in the horizontal plane and determine the "even corner weights". The scales have only to weigh ~ 1/8th the weight of the car if the spacer the wheel foot print and the scales are equaly spaced on the board. To go heavier you vary the ratio of spacer to wheel, wheel to scales