Struggling here, any help appreciated.

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
thankyou! I just thought it didn't add to the questions that were being asked - just me being a bit mournful?
You don’t have to add. Sympathy and similar stories always make the original poster feel better too…. Not so alone.
It’s been hard without proper contact. I’m surprised there haven't been disasters.
 
5 brood is ok this time of year, though obviously the colony really struggled, preferably if you can insulate above the crown board do so once settled for winter so the least heat is lost from the top as possible. They will need 30- 40lbs of stores to see them through to spring so you will need 7 or 8 brood frames filled with stores if BS deep or 6 -7 for 14 x 12, one can feed well in to October so there is time for stores to be laid up.
Remove the super unless you use it as an eke for fondant feeding.

It sounds like they have some stores but not much so from you description one can guess maybe about 6 or 7lbs, you will need approx. 30 more lbs of stores. 5kg/11lbs of sugar mixed with 6 pints hot tap water will make up approx. 13.5 lbs of stores so they will need at least 10kg of sugar, 12 - 14kg more likely.

If feeding fondant don't faff around with little amounts above the feed hole, simply place a whole 12.5kg box on top of the brood frames inside an eke (in total they will likely need 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 boxes as feed) leave the fondant as it is wrapped up and make some cuts in the bottom for them to access. If a deep eke play some insulation PIR under the crown board (CB), if not a deep eke place the PIR on top of the CB.
Also if going the fondant route I would be inclined to leave maybe 2 empty frames and then dummy down and fill the rest of the space so heat isn't lost. if they fill those frames then add one more at a time moving the stores out and placing the empty (drawn if poss) next to the brood to fill up.
 
what is PIR board please? I’m struggling to find good insulation ideas, don’t have access to tools or clever gadgets I’m afraid 😕
 
PIR is sold under many branded names, it is all the same stuff with a foil face to both sides. Typicalay it is used as rafter/joist or cavity wall insulation and is used a lot in loft conversions, it is ideal as insects can't chew it. If using it seal the cut/ bare edges with foil tape this can be bought in 3" or 4" wide rolls.
It is easily cut with an old hand saw or a stout toothed kitchen knife.
My hives have 50mm - 75mm above the crown board all year round.

If buying shop around for cheapest price as a sheet can vary by at least £10 or if you see some building work going on ask the builders or home owners for any offcuts. They don't have to be the exact size you need as you can simply butt two pieces together and cover the join each side with foil tape, by the time the edges are foiled as well the small slab will be rigid for the job, typically use any thickness you can get hold of 25mm - 100mm.
 
Last edited:
what is PIR board please? I’m struggling to find good insulation ideas, don’t have access to tools or clever gadgets I’m afraid 😕
There's nothing magic about PIR, if you're looking for insulation, then some expanded polystyrene, roof insulation rockwool or fibreglass, insulation from a frozen food delivery, even an old blanket or bubble wrap if that's all you have.

PIR is probably better, has a higher insulation value, but if you haven't got any, any of the above will help.

Simon
 
I'd feed light syrup at the moment. You want the workers to draw comb out and the queen to lay. Thin syrup will fool them into thinking there's a flow on and encourage this.
Heavy syrup is for stores. There's time enough for that later.
 
I wouldn't use rockwall/fibreglass insulation unless one can encompass it with an outer covering. Normal polystyrene will work if every face is covered with 4" foil tape.
 
I wouldn't use rockwall/fibreglass insulation unless one can encompass it with an outer covering. Normal polystyrene will work if every face is covered with 4" foil tape.
Depends where you're putting it. If above a closed off crown board, in an eke or super, then no reason I know of not to use them. It's not exposed to the bees or the elements.
Simon
 
The Depont stuff I use is pretty good, no foil to mess about with and I now have some ekes that are a good number of years old and still good. You know what comes next....

KISS

PH (signing off until further notice. Carpal op in the morning)
 
The Depont stuff I use is pretty good, no foil to mess about with and I now have some ekes that are a good number of years old and still good. You know what comes next....

KISS

PH (signing off until further notice. Carpal op in the morning)
Good luck Pete and I hope it goes well.
 
The Depont stuff I use is pretty good, no foil to mess about with and I now have some ekes that are a good number of years old and still good. You know what comes next....

KISS

PH (signing off until further notice. Carpal op in the morning)
Good luck with the op.
 
I wouldn't use rockwall/fibreglass insulation unless one can encompass it with an outer covering. Normal polystyrene will work if every face is covered with 4" foil tape.
I agree that rockwool and fibreglass insulation should not be used in a beehive. These are excellent materials for use as insulation in house construction, because they are non-combustible. They are, however, "fragile" materials which readily produces tiny shards of sharp dust-like material, which can be injurious to human health if they are ingested. These dust like particles are in reality tiny glass-splinters.
It is possible that rockwool and fibreglass may not injure bees (I do not know) but I believe that any of this material would be highly undesirable in the honey frames. If any of it got into the honey, I suspect that the honey might be regarded as "not suitable for human consumption" by the Health Authorities.
 
I don’t have the answer however I picked up a 5 frame nuc on 1st may - 5 frames. Split in July due to swarm indications. Now have 2 thriving hives, took a honey super off each of capped honey in the last month …and hives still have 3 supers on each…loads of bees and struggling to shrink them down…sharing as a comparison as we got our first bees at same time
 
What about their pollen stores? Would it not be wise to add Candipolline or similar in case they are low.
 
I agree that rockwool and fibreglass insulation should not be used in a beehive. These are excellent materials for use as insulation in house construction, because they are non-combustible. They are, however, "fragile" materials which readily produces tiny shards of sharp dust-like material, which can be injurious to human health if they are ingested. These dust like particles are in reality tiny glass-splinters.
It is possible that rockwool and fibreglass may not injure bees (I do not know) but I believe that any of this material would be highly undesirable in the honey frames. If any of it got into the honey, I suspect that the honey might be regarded as "not suitable for human consumption" by the Health Authorities.
Simple answer to that is to enclose the fiberglass or rockwool in a polthyene bag of an appopriate size and seal it up. If there's nothing else available for insulation anything is better than nothing !
 
Back
Top