should polynucs have frame runners?

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nessieb

New Bee
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
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Location
powys
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
4 in wintertime
Question is the title..
My bees have propolised the lugs of the frames to the poly making them really hard to prise off without jarring frames or damaging the poly with my hive tool. So I was wondering if there should be a frame runner - there wasn't one supplied?
Its one of the ******/Maisemore national nucs with inbuilt feeder
 
I'm finding the same thing too. I have to pry them up with the hive tool and one day I'm afraid it may damage the poly. I have some vaseline and olive oil mix which I may try putting on to see if it helps.
 
I have put vaseline/petroleum jelly on my ones and have been fine all season so far and with only 1 application from new. Would be easy to put runners in if you needed to as there is space with the plastic crown board but would mean no top bee space. A pain if your not used to it. A pain for the bees too until they get used to it. A wee vibration with the top sheet on the poly hives and they go scampering down. They learn quick them there bees;-) or you can really upset them with smoke of course:-/
 
If you have a look at a forum from north of the border their is a thread on there. They have glued plastic frame runners in.
 
It must be the strains of bees as I have not had a problem over the years though my bees over the years have not been heavy propolisers.

PH
 
If you have a look at a forum from north of the border their is a thread on there. They have glued plastic frame runners in.

:iagree:
A la Hedgerow Pete, I followed the same piece of advice, used a couple of pieces of tile edging - it works a treat.
 
Use the hook of a "J-Tool" under the frame lug and in the space between the hive wall and the side bar of the frame - doing this you will not damage the poly. If using one of the scraper hive tools, have a search on the forum for a description by IntoTheLion'sDen of how his staff are instructed to use hive tools.
 
Yep, had the same problem with my Poly Nuc. It's intreseting to see that in the poly hives a friend just got to give it a go this season that they have now added frame runners.
 
Think, folks. There must be a beespace above and below the lugs if you don't want them propolised. If there is not space for a full bee space, the situation with propolis will likely only get worse. Langstroth sorted this out 150 years ago!

Why do you think there is a rebate at the bottom of the boxes on bottom bee space boxes? It is not put there for no good reason!
 
.All polyhives should have frames runners. At least in my all hives have.

I wonder that vaseline idea in hive. Not suitable idea.

Runner affects that size of gap over and under frames, like Oliver says..

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.All polyhives should have frames runners. At least in my all hives have.

I wonder that vaseline idea in hive. Not suitable idea.

Runner affects that size of gap over and under frames, like Oliver says..

.
.
All my poly hives have runners that I also put vaseline on. It's only the nuc's that don't seem to have them and if they did, I still would put a thin smear of the slippy stuff on. Makes life so much easier for me in any case. Reading the many forums and posts on using vaseline, it seems there should be no harm to the bees? Unless you know different Finman? You are a guru on poly hives? :)
 
Its only an issue in this country where we have long lugged frames. In short lugged set ups the boxes, even the wooden ones, are often made with the material of the box at the correct height, no runners used. I actually prefer this, as the frames are less likely to slide at times you do not want them too, but move easily enough when you do, like pushing them across with a hive tool. Smith/Langstroth....no problem. National? Another issue althogether.

Most designs of poly gear are derived from other units, and involved some degree of compromise to suit the National, and one that is sometimes the case is the flat frame rest area.
 
This flat frame rest area with boxes of wood or poly is a curse with the long lug of the national frame, causing lots of unnecessary bee deaths by squashing and slowing down and awkwardifying inspections.
 
I will just add that over my poly time since 1991 (I think was my first) I have had no bother using no runners. Nor grease or what ever magic substance.

PH
 

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