Perspex / Polycarbonate Crown Boards

[bingevader]

I get mine cut from the polycarbonate shop.
3mm is sufficient to take the weight of a 2 litre feeder without deforming. I glue/screw a beespace rim on one side
The nucs get the same

Ta muchly!
My time with children and bees in school has drastically reduced with the continuing squeeze on the school's budget.
The majority of the staff have been trained up to kit everyone up and go and watch the bees.
However, I've been looking for a way for other staff to be able to show children the bees without the need to take everything apart, especially for the warier staff!
The price of the beekeeping see-through crown boards has been putting me off.
The DIY approach will do nicely.
Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not very sustainable though

 

[pargyle]

Ta muchly!
My time with children and bees in school has drastically reduced with the continuing squeeze on the school's budget.
The majority of the staff have been trained up to kit everyone up and go and watch the bees.
However, I've been looking for a way for other staff to be able to show children the bees without the need to take everything apart, especially for the warier staff!
The price of the beekeeping see-through crown boards has been putting me off.
The DIY approach will do nicely.
Thanks

Ask your local recycling site to keep any polycarbonate shower doors or screens for you .. they are only interested in the aluminium surrounds - most I've ever paid for the polycarbonate is £3 .. usually they will give it to me if I remove the aluminum edging ... can't get much cheaper than that. Bit of a wash and a polish up with UPVC polish .. good as new.

 

[Poly Hive]

Just a thought but would an observation hive not suit much better and be safer into the bargain? No need for boots and suits either or paranoid staff and parents?

PH

 

[bingevader]

Not very sustainable though

Indeed! But at least we can recycle it here.
It'll add a great deal of value to the hives.
A compromise I think I can make.

 

[bingevader]

Just a thought but would an observation hive not suit much better and be safer into the bargain? No need for boots and suits either or paranoid staff and parents?

PH

We've just "acquired" one of those, but it will still need me to fill/empty it.
We're pretty much sorted on the boots, suits, paranoid staff and parents front though!

 

[Millet]

Too many hypocrites on here and it is sad to see..

 

[bingevader]

Too many hypocrites on here and it is sad to see..

Politeness is the flower of humanity....

 

[bingevader]

Politeness is the flower of humanity....

Doesn't make as much sense now the original post has been edited!

 

[pargyle]

Doesn't make as much sense now the original post has been edited!

Didn't make any sense even when the profanity was there anyway ?

 

[Madge]

... Is it worth getting a Perspex / polycarbonate crown board for added insulation and ease of inspection ...

I also have some sheep’s wool insulation, is it worth using it? Or does it cause more problems?

Thanks,
Emily

Emily, The only advantage of a clear crown board is that you can see where the cluster is. In a wooden hive, the cluster will probably be in the middle of the hive - so, a central hole is probably all you'll need. In a poly hive, the cluster can be anywhere, and a corner hole or holes may help.

I use off-cuts of sheep's wool insulation. It's hygroscopic which means it stays lovely and dry apart from slight dampness at the edges where it touches the side walls - and that's not a problem. The other benefit is that it easily wraps around your tub of fondant or rapid feeder.

 

[pargyle]

Emily, The only advantage of a clear crown board is that you can see where the cluster is. In a wooden hive, the cluster will probably be in the middle of the hive - so, a central hole is probably all you'll need. In a poly hive, the cluster can be anywhere, and a corner hole or holes may help.

But for a new beekeeper who is sitting on their hands in the middle of winter and wondering what their bees are doing it is very reassuring to be able to lift the roof and sneak a peak at your bees without unduly disturbing them. With a poly hive and insulation above the crown board I find that the warmth in the hive often finds them not in a cluster but wandering about on the top of the frames. It's good to see that they are alive and well for a few moments...

 

[Poly Hive]

I find that when they do cluster in poly (and it needs to be really cold) they more often than not are in the corner and so benefiting from the warmth of two walls.

PH

 

[Madge]

But for a new beekeeper who is sitting on their hands in the middle of winter and wondering what their bees are doing it is very reassuring to be able to lift the roof and sneak a peak at your bees without unduly disturbing them. ...

I agree - and not only new beekeepers. I still enjoy seeing the bees through a clear crown board.

 

[E&MBees]

Emily, The only advantage of a clear crown board is that you can see where the cluster is. In a wooden hive, the cluster will probably be in the middle of the hive - so, a central hole is probably all you'll need. In a poly hive, the cluster can be anywhere, and a corner hole or holes may help.

I use off-cuts of sheep's wool insulation. It's hygroscopic which means it stays lovely and dry apart from slight dampness at the edges where it touches the side walls - and that's not a problem. The other benefit is that it easily wraps around your tub of fondant or rapid feeder.

Thanks for the reply. The crown board with polycarbonate panel is now constructed and in place. The bees are still very active here, bringing in ivy pollen. No sign of clustering yet.

 

[bingevader]

Didn't make any sense even when the profanity was there anyway ?

The profanity was above the quote in his sig, but never mind, it tickled me at the time.

 

[bingevader]

Thanks for the reply. The crown board with polycarbonate panel is now constructed and in place. The bees are still very active here, bringing in ivy pollen. No sign of clustering yet.

Excellent, mine's on the way too!

 

[madasafish]

I have a polyhive set up near the house so vistors can see bees at first hand with no risk of being stung. It has a clear crownboard and it always fascinates non beekeeping visitors to see the bees through it..

Young children in particular love it..

Helps sell honey in season

 

[Erichalfbee]

I thought I’d add my thoughts here. I do I’m have just vaped a colony from the top. Far far superior to doing it from the bottom. Stan made me a crownboard with an eke. It’s made of the cheap plastic that you get with Payne’s hives. Even cheaper from Simon. I can tell you that it takes the weight of 2 litres of invert perfectly.

 

[fiat500bee]

I've found it's a bad time to go looking for clear polycarbonate or simlar. It's all being used up in the myriads of screens being erected around tills and counters. In the future I'm guessing the world will be awash with the stuff when (hopefully) Covid 19 is a distant memory. So all I could find at short notice was the twinwall stuff which is not perfectly transparent. On the plus side it is very rigid considering it's only 4mm thick and it will also have a marginal insulation benefit.

To install it I dismantled the frame of my existing wooden crownboard and glued together three sides of the frame. The fourth side is a very good, interference fit at the joints and now I have an adaptible crownboard for all purposes.