Plastic beehives

[itma]

Itma

Have you actually seen one of these hives in the flesh?

Nope. Going purely by the sales material.

/ which Langstroth standard size are the boxes?

 

[VEG]

I stood on top of one in sub zero temperatures at the royal welsh convention. They are more than up to the job.

 

[itma]

I stood on top of one in sub zero temperatures at the royal welsh convention. They are more than up to the job.

Sorry, but you are confusing compressive strength with toughness. Different physical/engineering concepts/properties.

The compressive strength would have to be vastly in excess of realistic requirements because of the problem of "creep".
http://tinyurl.com/5hv4w5 // Wikipedia on Creep - forum software messes up the link
This would be a problem in the hot Australian sun rather than the Welsh winter!
PP suffers less than most thermoplastics because of its high melting point. But it will still suffer ... so, you build it much stronger (compressive strength - usually thicker) than you anticipate needing.

Toughness is whether it bends or cracks. And is measured by the GTT.
I reckon the GTT of propolis would be about 25C. Brittle below that, flowing ("plastic deformation") above that temperature.

 

[Hivemaker.]

If you don't or won't believe that, I'll start to think that you are trying to sell the things.

I have been thinking along these lines since post one, but doubt it as the op has a Langstroth poly brood box bought from Abelo.

 

[bee crazy]

I have been thinking along these lines since post one, but doubt it as the op has a Langstroth poly brood box bought from Abelo.

I can guarantee palmadoc is not trying to sell them, I will say I've been running these hives for 3 years and i have never had one crack or twist, the main reason i went to these hives is for there durability, they come with an 8 year guarantee.

I dont know of any poly or wood hive that comes with a guarantee

 

[klara007]

This is a very interesting idea!

 

[alice-edmund]

I bought two this year - one as a spare - and my single colony seems to be happy. The one thing that does annoy me is that once I have replaced the built in feeders there are always bees on the top of them - which have to leave before the roof can finally go on - as they can not get back down into the hive.
I can let you know exactly what size frames it has if you want?

 

[bee crazy]

Hi Alice,

I think the thread is talking about a different plastic hive to the one you have.

 

[Finman]

Is Scotland colder than Finland where poly hives are made and used?

-12C is mild .. our last 2 winters saw -16C - Midlands.
My bees survived in TBHs.

Temps on beekeeping district may go down to -40C.
In my area every winter some nights go into -30C

I have had polyhives since 1987, .....26 years. They are all in work, except those which wax moth destroyed. And some by wood pecker.

But some cases material has been so bad that bees have eaten through the box in one month. - Without quarantee....But I think that producer learned from that. Not seen that later.

.MAGA: My bees survived in TBHs

The idea of polyhives is not at all in surviving. Bees do it in ply too.

- very cheap
- light to move; good in migrative beekeeping
- early build up
- earlier to forage yield
- splended nuc material
- protect honey from cold that it does not get crystals as easy as in cold box
- in condition one human lifetime
- easy to repair (polyurethane glue + spare piece of material)
.
.

 

[Finman]

1/ I have no idea what you are referring to by "the posibility of splitting hive in three wich could be advantageous" - but I suspect there may be something you are misunderstanding.
.

At least I have written that I have splitted polyboxes in three with table saw. I have made 2-3 frame mating nucs and 5 frame nucs from them. Then you glue a missing wall from Kingspan. And box is ready. You may do nuc roof from Kingspan too.

I have bought used polyboxes with £5, and they are easy to work to nucs or what ever.
.

 

[REDWOOD]

I don't quite get the kicking bit surely if you kick a poly hive hard enough you will get you foot stuck in the thing and if you kick a wooden hive you will have a sore toe and that's without the angry bees in defence mode

 

[Finman]

Yes, you learn quickly how to brake polyboxes


.
Well, and that poly hive price...

Last summer I went to buy super boxes to the guy who produces them.
Medium box was £ 8.5. Reseller price was £ 12.7.

100 frame sticks package is £ 42.

.