Perspex crown board

[clare p]

Hi
I want to put a see through cover on my national, which doesn't have a crown board!!
Can anyone see a problem with cutting perspex to size drilling a hole in the middle for the feeder/escape?
I have been trying to buy a glass quilt for the hives but they are sold out everywhere.
Hubby is on his way back from work with a sheet and his jigsaw
Cheers
Clare

 

[victor meldrew]

Perspex is fine (better than glass, less condensation ).. The bees wont scratch it , so if you're careful it should last for ages. If using a bottom bee space hive , an eight millimetre frame should allow bees to run over the tops of the frames ,plus it will ensure that the perspex remains flat !

John Wilkinson

 

[oliver90owner]

Bees won't mind. Just an expensive piece of ply! But if you want to see them through the cover board it'll do.

If it is thin it will need a frame for top or bottom bee space or it may be difficult to remove in one piece! I expect you are bottom bee space.

Regards, RAB

 

[MuswellMetro]

use a plastic scrapperor old credit card to clean it, not your hive tool otherwise it will get srcatched ,

 

[keith pierce]

Thats all i use now is perspex crown boards.i have also fitted to all of them an eke which allows me to treat with apiguard and also leaves enought space to take a bag of fondant in the winter.

 

[Rosti]

claire, entirely practical to achieve this, I have gone persex as crowns on nucs to allow me to routinely inspect for progress with minimal intervantion. Also works well as a central cover on miller feeders. In each case I drilled some 3mm venting holes at each corner. Comments above on beespace important. You can get a 6mm deep x 18mm wide batton strip from B&Q which I then stuck on with contact adhesive to achieve BS. If cutting the perspex make sure you have the specialist jigsaw blade, normal fine toothed ones will melt the perspex (now how do I know that? )

 

[clare p]

Thanks all
We have used 6mm perspex and used 6mm strips to make a frame glued onto the crown board.
I hope 6mm is enough bee space (it maybe 7mm with the glue) if not we will add a bit more next weekend.
Have now put it on a super and put in some apiguard with a feeder on top.
I have been feeding them up a bit lately and they have really got going with drawing out the frames and storing it.
I just love peeping in to see what they are up to!
Now going up to my mums to put the other perspex crown board on to the swarm in a national up there. I am going to change them from a frame feeder to a rapid feeder

 

[Skyhook]

I hope 6mm is enough bee space (it maybe 7mm with the glue) if not we will add a bit more next weekend.

Nice job! 6mm bee space fine- don't increase the bee space though, they will try to build comb in it. Bee space is 5-6mm; less than that and they think it's a crack and fill it with propolis, more than that and they think it's an opportunity to extend the combs.

 

[oliver90owner]

Anyone who has read widely re bee space will know the historical Imperial value was 1/4 - 3/8 inch. Some even advocate more than this. I usually aim for 7-8mm and get it Ok one side if not both!

I daresay it might depend on the type of bee one has, too.

A 1/4 inch happens to be a tad under 6.5mm (6.35 to be precise). I would not go as low as 5mm on any of my constructions.

Regards, RAB

 

[clare p]

Thanks all.
We have put our two perspex crown boards on the wbc and national
It is really great to look in on them with out disturbing them, I could stand there for hours!!
I have put apiguard on the wbc today using a super as an eke, I have just sat the open tub on top of the frames and all i can see is a bee who has crept in and expired in the middle of the tub!!!!!!

I am worried about a few things.

It is a bit chilly tonight is this big super space above the frames going to really upset them?

They are not really feeding now the apiguard is on top, there is the big space to travel across to get to the hole and enter the rapid feeder will they get used to it?

I know it is only for a short while but is it possible to pour the apiguard onto the foil and leave it under the crown board (perspex) without an eke/super?

Cheers All
Clare

 

[oliver90owner]

A shallow eke would be better, 25-30mm is more than enough.

If you are feeding heaily they may start to fill the cavity!

This weather is not so good for treatment; I would think an insulating quilt of some sort might help just at the moment.

Regards, RAB

 

[SavvySalli]

Aha, now my question about condensation is dealt with - I have some condensation on each corner of my polycarb board and was wondering if I should put holes in it. It's in use right now but at inspection next week I can swap for the standard board and then drill and swap back.

There's some really helpful information with designs on Dave Cushman's site: .dave-cushman. net. There's a link at the bottom which is useful too, about top bee space and perspex.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Aha, now my question about condensation is dealt with - I have some condensation on each corner of my polycarb board and was wondering if I should put holes in it. It's in use right now but at inspection next week I can swap for the standard board and then drill and swap back.

There's some really helpful information with designs on Dave Cushman's site: .dave-cushman. net. There's a link at the bottom which is useful too, about top bee space and perspex.

I wouldn't drill holes in the crownboard. They will create unwanted leakage of energy (heat) to the detriment of hive conditions for most of the year. If you have condensation trouble you need to take steps to keep the temperature of the crownboard up so condensation doesn't occur. Even in summer a sheet of kingspan lying on the top of the crownboard will suffice and the bees will move air about inside to control humidity and temperatures.
Under strong sun the insulation will protect against excessive solar gain.

 

[nantmoel]

Make sure you put a piece of wood under the hole cutter when drilling the feeder hole, the drill 'grabs' when breaking through and can split/crack the perspex.

 

[pargyle]

Aha, now my question about condensation is dealt with - I have some condensation on each corner of my polycarb board and was wondering if I should put holes in it. It's in use right now but at inspection next week I can swap for the standard board and then drill and swap back.

NO NO NO ... NO HOLE IN CROWNBOARDS except when you have a feeder on - then the feeder will cover it. If you have a cental hole in the crownboard the when the feeder is not on cover it with another piece of perspex, a tile, a piece of plywood, anything, but NEVER leave it open.

If you have condensation on the CB then you need insulation or more insulation on top of the Crownbaord.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

 

[pargyle]

Goodness ... How long does it take to get the message through that holes in crownboards are about the worst thing you can do to 'Help' your bees ...?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Goodness ... How long does it take to get the message through that holes in crownboards are about the worst thing you can do to 'Help' your bees ...?

I dunno - we'll get there one day I'm sure

 

[Hivemaker.]

I dunno - we'll get there one day I'm sure

You won't, ever.

 

[nantmoel]

You won't, ever.

The piece that I cut out with a hole saw goes back into the hole on a slightly larger piece, it can then be removed for feeding. But we do want to move over to miller feeders, then there will be no need for holes.