Poly roofs

[linoleum bonypart]

You need to paint poly every year you can't slide/drop a block on poly week in week out

 

[Jimmy]

Jimmy,
Abelo is the best you can get for a standard National (Swienty is very poor, the rest are oversize) and at the quantity you need you should be able to get the price down. The more you buy the better: sure you only need 15? For starters, Abelo give 10% discount if you collect at Beetradex on 9 March; both you and Beetradex live in Warwickshire. Contact Damien and see if Abelo can offer more.
Eric.

Thanks Eric, tempting to buy more than 15 but expansion plans are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. I'll speak to Abelo/Damien and see if there is a volume discount.

What don't you like about the Swienty roofs? I have several, only problem is pheasants in one apiary pecking them.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Also poly mark if strapped tight quite a few negs for poly roofs really

 

[Ian123]

I have poly and wooden you certainly don’t need to paint every year, I have some over 10 years old painted with Cuprinol garden shades. They do dent if strapped but never had any crack, if your moving them then roof would be off any way it’s only if they are strapped to a stand

 

[madasafish]

Also poly mark if strapped tight quite a few negs for poly roofs really

I glue a small strip of wood (ice lolly/cream wooden handles are ideal) to each edge of the top on which the strap runs...Minimises damage.

 

[Hivemaker.]

They do dent if strapped but never had any crack,

I've had them dent and crack when placing heavy supers brood boxes on them during an inspection, not had that happen with the steel covered wooden ones, need to make sure and check the ground before putting them down.

Not tried an Abelo/Lyson one.

 

[BMH]

I glue a small strip of wood (ice lolly/cream wooden handles are ideal) to each edge of the top on which the strap runs...Minimises damage.

I might give this a go... Sounds a neat idea.

 

[fatshark]

No probs , I like an insulated crown board with a gravel tray + bricks on top, does a good job and cheap as chips.

Insulated crown board and £2 Correx roof ... probably cheaper still

 

[mbc]

Insulated crown board and £2 Correx roof ... probably cheaper still

I've never had a gravel tray fail whereas every correx roof I've made has deteriorated to the point of becoming landfill within a season.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Im going to give canadian beekeepers idea a try with the foil bubble wrap under cb too

 

[Hivemaker.]

Im going to give canadian beekeepers idea a try with the foil bubble wrap under cb too

The one I've seen below uses it directly under the roof of the hive...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKRwxwmsZhA&index=2&list=PLyDBTwXKg92EfXnjXyiPBZrU3-9xaRji8

 

[ericbeaumont]

What don't you like about the Swienty roofs?

Depends which roof you have, Jimmy.

Swienty re-designed the hive about 5 years ago and had the daft idea to curve the box tops; a matching curve on the lip of the roof was asked to seal the joint. Problem was that at that junction the poly was about 5mm thick, which defeated the object of max. insulation where it's most needed: at the top of the hive. Swienty acknowledged this (eventually) and went back to making the previous roof, which is square-cut and has an overhang. This change can be identified on C Wynne Jones website:The poly roof design is now denser and thicker and the colour of the polystyrene is a very light grey. Swienty poly is white, so perhaps they went elsewhere to re-manufacture the old roof. It probably fits the curved-lip box - still made - but it can hardly be called a considered and unified design.

The other drawback of this curved joint set-up was that (1) The thin curves on the roof break and (2) When boxes are stacked, bees chew through the exposed top curve of the lower box. I bought Swienty some years ago, decided that these design flaws were the result of poor thinking and limited practical trial, and have not bought more.

What else? Ah, yes: it was designed as TBS, but because most UK hobby beekeepers run BBS, they enabled BBS by giving the option to fit runners. Problem is, the base rim of the box is about 30mm wide, which doesn't matter with TBS but with BBS about 50mm of each top bar can be glued to the box above (what fun!) and bees strolling on that wide rim can be crushed easily when reassembling boxes.

This is not a great issue if everything is run as TBS, but the attraction of 460 sq poly National is that it is (or ought to be) compatible with wood National. Abelo are alone in achieving this. Mind you, the Abelo isn't perfect: last time I checked, beespace between boxes was about 11mm.

What is required is the knocking together of heads of the National poly manufacturers until they agree a British Standard to eradicate the current numerous, fundamental and loopy design flaws and incompatibility. Unlikely to happen, given the national need to disagree on almost anything.

 

[Goran]

I wonder..If I have ever poly roofs.. they won't last long.. Since when I come to apiary I lit the smoker and leave it on roof ( we use tinder fungus which burn looong and slooow).. The smoker will sink through such roof..
Though, I am replacing wooden floors with plastic floors.. Eh..

 

[Newbeeneil]

What is required is the knocking together of heads of the National poly manufacturers until they agree a British Standard to eradicate the current numerous, fundamental and loopy design flaws and incompatibility. Unlikely to happen, given the national need to disagree on almost anything.

 

[Angry_Mob]

I had the same issue as shown here: https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=41545&page=10

When I contacted Swienty they told me that it was rare; they forwarded the email onto C. Wynne Jones who said it was the first time they had a complaint about it which I find hard to believe given the feedback on here.

The other issue with Swienty brood boxes is that they only really take 10 frames and a dummy. The Abelo come with plastic moulded in that makes boxes easier to part and the actual poly is much denser/stronger as well.

The hives would need to be much cheaper for me to even consider buying Swienty again and the fact they won't stand over their product.

 

[Stiffy]

I have poly and wooden you certainly don’t need to paint every year, I have some over 10 years old painted with Cuprinol garden shades. They do dent if strapped but never had any crack, if your moving them then roof would be off any way it’s only if they are strapped to a stand

I paint mine with Cuprinol shades, most have straps but if I run short of straps a block is used, never had a problem. I have made a nice mark on a couple with a hot smoker though.
Wooden roofs tend to last 3-4 years then leak in my experience, have a nice stack that leaked but I am reluctant to chuck out.
S

 

[Millet]

I need around 15+ new national roofs and the cheapest option appears to be Paynes poly.
Any issues with using these on standard 460mm square nationals, a mix of mostly swienty poly and wood?

Abelo poly roofs fit the standard national hive bodies perfect..they are all i use now and they are brilliant..the only down side is when you turn them upside down and place them on the ground for inspections..if you put heavy supers on them on uneven ground they dent fairly easy but with a bit of care they are fine..

 

[Millet]

I glue a small strip of wood (ice lolly/cream wooden handles are ideal) to each edge of the top on which the strap runs...Minimises damage.

I mastic and pin a 4in piece plasterers corner bead to two sides..it works a treat

 

[madasafish]

I mastic and pin a 4in piece plasterers corner bead to two sides..it works a treat

Brilliant.. if you have corner beads to spare..

 

[fatshark]

I've never had a gravel tray fail whereas every correx roof I've made has deteriorated to the point of becoming landfill within a season.

I've got several black Correx roofs entering their 5th season. Must either be differences in the quality or colour ... I've noticed that some of my white Correx Varroa trays are starting to get brittle, but the black stuff seems more resistant.

None of mine is actually real Correx, just a lookylikey.

Correx is recyclable ... don't landfill it