Paradise or abelo poly national.

[thorn]

What I meant was to run one colony without a QX. Wasn’t clear.

I never thought of you as a Rosie.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I never thought of you as a Rosie.

Only on the 12 frame but I think of these things all the time and never do anything about it

 

[lindsay s]

Any thoughts on the 12 frame Abelo poly hives now that the season is over, here’s mine.
I like the way they look but it hasn’t taken me long to get them grubby.
I still dislike the fact that the queen excluders are sunk into the rebates but with practice I’m not squashing so many bees.
When I separate a hive for inspections I like to remove two supers at a time for stacking nearby and usually a quick twist and a lift gets the job done but the rebates on the Abelo boxes makes this job a pain in the . I now have to prise up the supers before I can twist them to break the brace comb and trying to do this with two full supers is difficult to say the least .
At the height of the season I was finding a lot of dead bees in the inspection trays under the O M F it might have been down to me not closing them properly so I will need to check the undersides. Next summer I will leave them out.
I like that the hives are easy to move and the feeders fit under the roofs without the need for a super / eke.
Despite the drawbacks there’s still something about this hive that makes me want to persevere with it. So another one arrived last week!

 

[Erichalfbee]

usually a quick twist and a lift gets the job done but the rebates on the Abelo boxes makes this job a pain in the .

That's what I hate about these so never got one in the end though I did think about it for a while. Top space seemed to me its only redeeming feature

 

[Patrick1]

The locking allows a little bit more resistance to wind for instance, you have to put the box on properly meaning they don’t slip apart, and allow things like robbing. For me top bee space is a must. I leave the rails out of all mt nationals to create a top space.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Stan just makes the wooden broods up top space. Can’t be done with no rails. The Maisie’s boxes have none and they are a pain.
The poly boxes have a bee space plastic eke glued on top.

 

[user 20297]

I like that the hives are easy to move and the feeders fit under the roofs without the need for a super / eke.


View attachment 28812

...the feeders under the roof feature, for me is one of the best bits about the regular Mk 2 Abelo. But the drawback is that it uses the interlocking system which allows no telescopic overhang. I'm going to try modifying the much loved, standard Abelo roof to be used with the Mk 2 crownboard to give the best of both worlds...shouldn't be too hard.

No-one told me that my beekeeping would be 50% bees/50% DIY!

 

[lindsay s]

Abelo Black Friday sale on at the moment and they are pushing their 12 frame poly hives if anyone wants to save a few quid.
It’s got me thinking that due to the lack of discussion’s about this hive and the fact they are pushing them, I wonder what the uptake has been like. I’m still thinking about getting a few more.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I really like the normal Abelo poly national. I've not yet had an opportunity to examine a 12 frame model but as yet I don't see a good case for change.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I really like the normal Abelo poly national. I've not yet had an opportunity to examine a 12 frame model but as yet I don't see a good case for change.

Top space

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Top space

top space, bottom space, I see no difference, so that would definitely not be a driver to try it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

It would for me if it weren’t for the new design

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It would for me if it weren’t for the new design

And that's why beekeeping in the UK has always been miles behind the rest of the world, forever fiddling around with different hive setups/concepts with equipment producers feeling honour bound to pursue even the slightest whim from hobby beekeepers. I was true at the beginning of the last century, Dr Frank Smith said the same in 1963, and still the same now

 

[Erichalfbee]

And that's why beekeeping in the UK has always been miles behind the rest of the world, forever fiddling around with different hive setups/concepts with equipment producers feeling honour bound to pursue even the slightest whim from hobby beekeepers. I was true at the beginning of the last century, Dr Frank Smith said the same in 1963, and still the same now

Yes we should all be running Langs

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes we should all be running Langs

Unfortunately a bit late for that for most, however we could still stick with standardisation within National boxes but people seem hellbent on not doing that

 

[Erichalfbee]

we could still stick with standardisation within National boxes but people seem hellbent on not doing that

Yes all top space and no interlocking

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes all top space and no interlocking

Ah - so sticking with the obsession of pleasing the minority although I cerainly agree with scrapping this interlocking nonsense, totally lacking in practicality

 

[lindsay s]

Yes we should all be running Langs

We could go back even further and all be running Skeps but they weren’t standardised either!
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/skepbeekeeping.html

 

[Amari]

Yes we should all be running Langs

No, I dislike the short lugs and poor handhold and each box is heavier than a Nat if full of honey.. I did use Langs 1972- 2000.

 

[Erichalfbee]

No, I dislike the short lugs and poor handhold and each box is heavier than a Nat if full of honey.. I did use Langs 1972- 2000.

I meant if there was a standard it would be Lang.