Poly Langstroth versus Poly National

[Hombre]

PH, excuse me if I am entirely wrong, but I thought that you and Murray were together at Stonleigh last year? You with the stripey (horizontal) shirt?

I understood that Murray has been the agent for Sweinty Polyhives for a few years, was this not so?

Just to get my brain into shape.

 

[Poly Hive]

I was there for a while yes but not in cahoots with him at all.

I was there to give him a hand but he had another guy to do that so we chatted for a bit and that was it, I was redundant and toddled off.

He has been an agent for Swienty for 2 years to my knowledge and beyond that I do not know.

PH

 

[Hombre]

Ah, my brain is working after all. I was under the impression that you had been acquainted through bee keeping in an earlier life and were just distant friends.

Sorry to disrupt the thread. Nice shirt by the way - memorable

 

[Poly Hive]

About right. Dammed if I remember what the shirt was though?

Scary memory you have.

PH

 

[ian]

Hi Poly


GET YOUR COAT OR SHIRT, YOU JUST PULLED

 

[Poly Hive]

Julie and I are chuckling here...

PH

 

[Hombre]

Rugby type shirt, horizontal stripes yellow/orange and dark-green/brown/black - so the memory isn't quite that good.

Good one Ian - not a chance. PH is just not my type. ha ha.

 

[Poly Hive]

Dumped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PH

 

[Hombre]

Don't feel bad about it PH; I'm sure you will survive . ha ha.

 

[Darren]

I hate to say this but...Huston you have a problem.

If you leave that insulation exposed the bees will chew it to shreds. Trust me been there...

If you have bought your poly hives from Swienty or their agents in the UK again trust me on this they aint going to let you down. Think a life time. I am utterly confident on this.

If they are not from the above or Struan apiaries then I cannot comment as I have no experience on them.

PH

ok so I am not yet a bee keeper but wouldnt using Kingspan(I am a builder) be a better option the styro foam ? lighter easier to cut and a membrane(a metal finish far stronger than foil) that would stop the bees chewing

http://www.insulateonline.com/index1.htm?products.htm~main

btw sorry to but in

 

[Finman]

ok so I am not yet a bee keeper but wouldnt using Kingspan(I am a builder) be a better option the styro foam ? lighter easier to cut and a membrane(a metal finish far stronger than foil) that would stop the bees chewing

http://www.insulateonline.com/index1.htm?products.htm~main

btw sorry to but in

To do own polyhives is waste of time, as I have written.

 

[ian]

Hi Darren

Hi-density poly is stronger than Kingspan/Cellotex and as the parts/hives are molded there is no need for cutting or making parts.


Regards Ian

 

[Poly Hive]

As mentioned many times in the forum making a poly hive is a waste of resources as the bought version is vastly superior.

When I had a fully kitted workshop, dust extractor, table saw, router table and Uncle tom Cobley, I made timber parts but making a poly never crossed my mind as it was so cost ineffective.

PH

 

[Finman]

Very essential thing is the strenghtness of joints.

But second essential thing is the surface. When you keep the surface clean with chemicals, do boards have such a surface which does not suck chemicals inside? I have not met such a polystyrene insulation board.

 

[beesandsheep]

PROBLEM with POLY- I have 3 poly national hives from swienty. They don`t have a runner for the frame lugs to sit on, simply a shelf. This makes the frames more difficult to lift as the get propolysed to the shelf along the length of the lug. You need to be careful not to gouge the hive with the hive tool. Also when you set the frames back again it is much more difficult to avoid crushing bees under the hive lugs than with a wooden hive with a metal or plastic runner.

 

[tonybloke]

you could apply vaseline to the runers before use. this should stop the build-up of propolis!

 

[Haughton Honey]

PROBLEM with POLY- I have 3 poly national hives from swienty. They don`t have a runner for the frame lugs to sit on, simply a shelf. This makes the frames more difficult to lift as the get propolysed to the shelf along the length of the lug. You need to be careful not to gouge the hive with the hive tool. Also when you set the frames back again it is much more difficult to avoid crushing bees under the hive lugs than with a wooden hive with a metal or plastic runner.

Could you not glue/nail on some of those white plastic runners that you sometimes get with inferior (i.e non-Hivemaker/Tom Bick etc) cedar boxes?

 

[Onge]

PROBLEM with POLY- I have 3 poly national hives from swienty. They don`t have a runner for the frame lugs to sit on, simply a shelf. This makes the frames more difficult to lift as the get propolysed to the shelf along the length of the lug. You need to be careful not to gouge the hive with the hive tool. Also when you set the frames back again it is much more difficult to avoid crushing bees under the hive lugs than with a wooden hive with a metal or plastic runner.

If you use the Lang version they have plastic runners so this is not a problem.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does anybody make poly nationals with top bee space?

 

[Poly Hive]

Two points.

Never had myself runners on Langstroth and never had issues but then didn't have much in the way of propolising.

No. TBS for a nat poly is not (as far as I know) available. However by adding a timber runner above and neat machining below you could convert.

PH