Poly Nuc Boxes & Wasps

[Finman]

Still protected by the sale of goods and services act.

Finman has a point if it is just a handful out of 30, it could be defective materials or manufacture, reason for replacement.

Companies do have legal recourse if necessary, even if it is not stated in the contract.

Good heavens!

In Finland famous polyhive producer sold a huge amount of boxes, which was too soft and bees shew them trough in a month. I had them, and my friends had them and a seller offered -50% sale "rest of product".

Well, and you must accept it. Things do not go that way nowadays.

EXPERT! oh dear! Your are there experts when you pay douple prize about poly hives...and 3 fould price about frames. .....That "expert" does in UK. OD

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[itma]

Still protected by the sale of goods and services act.

Finman has a point if it is just a handful out of 30, it could be defective materials or manufacture, reason for replacement.

Companies do have legal recourse if necessary, even if it is not stated in the contract.

Yes, there are implied contract terms.

However, I believe that the supplier does advise internal painting of the feeder before using with syrup. (Been looking for my leaflets - must have binned them.)
But then, it gets complicated if the instruction sheet was not included with this particular consignment.

The problem of syrup leaching through the hive is known, and has been discussed on here previously.
What is new is the wasp attention.


If Bates really wants to use the built-in feeders, then they are going to have to be painted.
And that probably means shunting the bees back into the wooden boxes for the time taken to do the painting.

The external damage could probably be quickly repaired at the same time - if really required. But washing the soaked-in syrup out of the material might however take a bit of time... and is going to be needed to prevent further damage in the next few months.

 

[Finman]

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New products should be tested so that customers do not need "re engineering".

When forum starts to "re engineering" the product, it must the end of it.
Or do you have capitalism markets there .

It is same as dekemn started to re engineer Finnish polyhives. Just like that.


The seller surely has "conventional" working products and he compensate the unproper product.

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[Excession]

If its the same instructions that came with mine, it states you don't have to paint them, and advises to use a sand mix if you do.

But let's be clear here, we aren't talking verbal contract, intent, or implied terms. We are talking UK legislation that applies to every transaction for goods or services.

Just because you can make do with what you've got doesn't mean you should.

Talk to the supplier explain the problem, ask how they propose to fix it. It costs you nothing to ask.

 

[sipa]

Well, I use a lot of these boxes.
Never had a problem with wasps or anything else eating them. I have used syrup in the feeders too, no problem.
However ,the integral feeder is a flawed design and should never of been incorporated in the first place, really spoils an otherwise fabulous piece of Kit.
I just block it off.
I don't know why people insist the roof isn't thick enough, not lost a colony in one yet !

I don't bother painting them either.

 

[Walrus]

I have used the internal feeder compartment without any leaking. I now use frame feeders mostly but I don't think the internal one should leak - sounds like a duff batch.

Wasps are certainly bad this year; I've lost 1 nuc to them recently.

I think the boxes will last much longer having been painted as without painting the sunlight causes damage to the surface (although that may just be a cosmetic thing rather than life impairment)

 

[drstitson]

i've only ever used fondant in my pallet load.

 

[mbc]

Well, I use a lot of these boxes.
Never had a problem with wasps or anything else eating them. I have used syrup in the feeders too, no problem.
However ,the integral feeder is a flawed design and should never of been incorporated in the first place, really spoils an otherwise fabulous piece of Kit.
I just block it off.
I don't know why people insist the roof isn't thick enough, not lost a colony in one yet !

I don't bother painting them either.

They are a very cheap drop and go box and they work fabulously as that. They double up as tidy boxes for sale of nucs, are very bee tight and convenient as vehicles for collecting deep frames of honey( feet keep them off the ground are not too heavy once full and they stack nice for transport). If they last a couple of years of hard use then they're a bargain IMHO.
I believe the cost of these things is in the mold, if I was redesigning the item I would leave out the internal feeder and ventilated floor and provide a separate ventilated lid for transporting bees.

Edit: I've seen langstroth poly nucs with the entrance an inch or so up the side of the box, no bottom ventilation and the whole bottom of the box used as a feeder, with no drowning or seeping issues.

 

[Finman]

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I have had same hard plastic contact feeders 30 years. They have glossy surface and easy to keep clean. They are 8 litres. Before that I made my own 20 y, and they were awfull.

Polystyrene boxes get gradually black mold on surfaces . I have seen them as used and they did not looked good.

The use of feeders is about one week a year. why it should be "multifunctional".

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[user 6228]

A lower water content syrup is going to less likely to leak.
btw has anyone tried very high sugar content syrups e.g 30% to 20% water?
as feeds in frame feeders?

 

[Finman]

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Winter feeding need 66% syrup. Get a feeder which works.

Repair the feeder, if it is broken.

I have had so much self made leaking feeders, that it is enough in one man's life.

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[Bates]

I have sinced returned a box to them to look at and make a decision. I have requested replacement of 10 faulty units. Hopefully know by this week what's going to happen, just wonder if i'm entitled to anything regarding time / money spent painting them again!

Pics of the box sent

 

[Tim.S]

Good luck. I've always found them to be very reasonable, just make sure they know this has been discussed on the forum - a bit of leverage does no harm. For what it's worth I have 3 of the very first ones they produced and they are still in fine condition, including using the feeder with no paint so it sounds like a production fault to me.

 

[Winker]

Roger will replace them, he has the best customer service around. He would rather give you new ones than have people talking bad about his product.

I have 14 of the nucs 6 of the old mark1 and 8 of the mark2. I dont use the the feeding box on the side and always block it off. I put his eek on the top of the boxes and put a feeder on top of the frames. I am looking to cut out the feeder from the Nuc's this year to make room for an extra frame.

 

[beebopalula]

Roger will replace them, he has the best customer service around. He would rather give you new ones than have people talking bad about his product.

I have 14 of the nucs 6 of the old mark1 and 8 of the mark2. I dont use the the feeding box on the side and always block it off. I put his eek on the top of the boxes and put a feeder on top of the frames. I am looking to cut out the feeder from the Nuc's this year to make room for an extra frame.

I have cut out the feeder wall on some of mine - they make a perfectly-sized 8 frame nuc - copied Fatshark . I also block off the feeder in the others.

 

[madasafish]

A lower water content syrup is going to less likely to leak.
btw has anyone tried very high sugar content syrups e.g 30% to 20% water?
as feeds in frame feeders?

Yes: no problems.. apart from filling them...I use a filter funnel and it takes a while to fill them.

 

[itma]

Found my poly nuc "care" leaflet the other day.

So I can now quote Payns advice:

Although you don't need to paint polystyrene hive parts, like the wooden equivalent, they will last much longer if you do. Exterior masonry paints or even the Cuprinol shades can be used. Painting the inside of the feeder is also recommended, especially if you are going to be using it for weak sugar syrup. Make sure the finished surface in the feeder is roughened to aid the bees in climbing. You can achieve this by adding sand to the paint.

 

[Bates]

Just had a reply and they said they will be dispatching 10 replacements to us. Asked we returned the remaining 9 boxes to them.

Where do I stand in regards to the cost it has involved us? I mean we have had to buy paint and devote time to paint them and also had to fund the returns cost. Should they not be offering anything for this?

 

[oliver90owner]

Negotiate? They are clearly accepting they are, err, sub-standard. I would suggest they collect them, should they want them back. Seems pointless as the scrap value appears to be minimal.

They might be worried that you might be able to use them for winter duties when wasps would not be around, that you might (with a little thought and effort) be able to make them serviceable, or that you might flog them off cheap to recoup some of your incidental losses?

Other losses are likely covered (excluded?) nicely in their terms and conditions of sale. You need to read the small print, then you may not need to ask such a question on the forum.

 

[mbc]

Value of the returned goods is immaterial, think of queen sellers who will only replace queens if they are sent back in their cage with the tab unopened.
Seems a waste to skip them though, so considering that, offering to let them collect them would probably result in you keeping them.
Watered down PVA glue swished around seals the feeders.