The Weather

[madasafish]

All my insulated TBHs and warre have nice snow covered roofs.

Warm overnight -1c..

Mild winter so far - most of the press comment is by spotty juveniles who never lived in 1981-82 ..

http://tinyurl.com/ass4acn

 

[whoosling]

I just went out to heft the hives and noticed all the snow has melted off the roof of my 14x12 pains polyhive but still have thick snow on top of my cedar well insulated commercial. Makes you wonder

is your p..... poly hive top bee space or bottom and will it work with wooden stuff you already have, getting a hive soon and can't make up my mind.

 

[Erichalfbee]

noticed all the snow has melted off the roof of my 14x12 pains polyhive but still have thick snow on top of my cedar well insulated commercial. Makes you wonder

I have two MB hives and I put a super on top with EPS inside it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All my insulated TBHs and warre have nice snow covered roofs.

Warm overnight -1c..

Mild winter so far - most of the press comment is by spotty juveniles who never lived in 1981-82 ..

http://tinyurl.com/ass4acn

Quite - I think it was '81 (I was 14) and my father was worried there wasn't enough fodder out for the horses on the smallholding we had on the side of the mountain about 3 miles away - we walked up most of the hill wothout much effort (heavy snow and high winds made visibility terrible) we got near to the top, and saw that the Wife's grandfather had managed to get up there in the car as had a few acres there - to see to his sheep, but abandoned it and walked home. the wind ws so strong when we got to the top it picked up the bale of hay my father was carrying and away it went not to land for about 500 yards and it still kept on going over the mountain - the drifting was bad in the little nook where the farm was so we decided discretion is the better part of valour. and turned back by the time we got back to SWMBO's grandad's car the wind had virtually picked it up and snow had settled under the wheels - it was nearly a foot off the ground.
The year after, the snow had been down for over a week, so the worst was over! so again we tried to get up to the farm (via a different route) We got to my uncle's farm - still at the bottom of the valley,and called in for a warm apparently we looked like walking snowmen a further 500 yards down the road we encountered a massive snowdrift - we turned back when I tripped on the top of a lamp post and almost fell through the drift.

 

[Swarm]

is your p..... poly hive top bee space or bottom and will it work with wooden stuff you already have, getting a hive soon and can't make up my mind.

It uses metal frame runners, same as the cedar national and is bottom bee space. Theoretically, using no runners (none in Swienty nats) should give you top bee space. I don't know if anyone runs their P poly hives like this.
A wooden brood box will sit in the floor recess (a design feature) and wooden boxes will sit on poly ones. The only thing you can't do is fit a wooden roof on the poly boxes, due to the wall thickness of poly and the fact that P poly nats have the same internal dimension as wooden ones.
If you feel the need to extra insulate, a super filled with kingspan or other insulating material is a simple remedy.
My own are showing no signs of thawing on the roof (poly or wood)

 

[stephenpug]

Do I remove the snow off the roofs of the hives or leave it on for extra insulation ?????

 

[peterbees]

Suggest you leave the snow on the hive roof, just make sure the entrance is not blocked by snow.

 

[Swarm]

Quite - I think it was '81 (I was 14) and my father was worried there wasn't enough fodder out for the horses on the smallholding we had on the side of the mountain about 3 miles away - we walked up most of the hill wothout much effort (heavy snow and high winds made visibility terrible) we got near to the top, and saw that the Wife's grandfather had managed to get up there in the car as had a few acres there - to see to his sheep, but abandoned it and walked home. the wind ws so strong when we got to the top it picked up the bale of hay my father was carrying and away it went not to land for about 500 yards and it still kept on going over the mountain - the drifting was bad in the little nook where the farm was so we decided discretion is the better part of valour. and turned back by the time we got back to SWMBO's grandad's car the wind had virtually picked it up and snow had settled under the wheels - it was nearly a foot off the ground.
The year after, the snow had been down for over a week, so the worst was over! so again we tried to get up to the farm (via a different route) We got to my uncle's farm - still at the bottom of the valley,and called in for a warm apparently we looked like walking snowmen a further 500 yards down the road we encountered a massive snowdrift - we turned back when I tripped on the top of a lamp post and almost fell through the drift.

It began in Jan '82 around 1pm and snowed continually until mid afternoon on Tuesday. I remember it well as I was at fiancee's place and decided I'd better start walking home about an hour after it started, it was a few inches deep by then. That walk took me almost an hour, at least three times longer than normal. Blizzard conditions, had to keep looking down as the snow was blinding. Dug my Grandmother out of her house a few days later, when the back door was open all you could see was a wall of snow.
There was still a lump of snow/ice in early May at Llanfabon in the lanes near Nelson power station.

 

[stephenpug]

Suggest you leave the snow on the hive roof, just make sure the entrance is not blocked by snow.

Thanks Peter I will leave it on I just hope they have got enough fondant

 

[Ely]

is your p..... poly hive top bee space or bottom and will it work with wooden stuff you already have, getting a hive soon and can't make up my mind.

It is bottom. If I had a choice I would have top beespace but cant be bothered to start converting my brood boxes and supers. The poly is fine with wooden national supers, as is the commercial. I prefer my commercials. More expensive than poly though

 

[MuswellMetro]

Suggest you leave the snow on the hive roof, just make sure the entrance is not blocked by snow.

i don't unblock the entrances i just let the snow melt naturally if on OMF, ample ventilation through the omf, my view is that since the use of OMF floor then lots of Wedmores views on the requirement for additional ventilation as in his 1947 book are redundant

 

[beeno]

I just went out to heft the hives and noticed all the snow has melted off the roof of my 14x12 pains polyhive but still have thick snow on top of my cedar well insulated commercial. Makes you wonder

Hi Ely,
Same here icicles hanging off PH.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi Ely,
Same here icicles hanging off PH.

only snow and a bucket on my insulated roofs....and it does snow in London

 

[Ely]

only snow and a bucket on my insulated roofs

Same here on my insulated wooden commercials. No snow on poly. So that leaves the question. Is a well insulated wood hive better than an uninsulated poly? Should we start insulating poly as well?

 

[BeeJayBee]

I haven't got a picture, but my poly hives have a metal cover on the roof. They are still covered with snow.

 

[beeno]

I haven't got a picture, but my poly hives have a metal cover on the roof. They are still covered with snow.

Hi Bee,
I have got a picture, but seem unable to upload. Someone tell me what to do pls.

 

[oliver90owner]

Should we start insulating poly as well?

Depends on what product you have chosen to use. Mine don't need any more insulation - well I could, but the return on the investment would be meagre, IMO.

 

[user 6228]

Same here on my insulated wooden commercials. No snow on poly. So that leaves the question. Is a well insulated wood hive better than an uninsulated poly? Should we start insulating poly as well?

You would need to know the thermal conductance values for both hives to make that decision. Its not just the material but the thickness , and the sealing between the boxes and the height of the hive.

Snow melting on the roof doesnt tell you enough as the bees complicate the picture by not being a simple constant heat source.

 

[Ely]

You would need to know the thermal conductance values for both hives to make that decision. Its not just the material but the thickness , and the sealing between the boxes and the height of the hive.

Snow melting on the roof doesnt tell you enough as the bees complicate the picture by not being a simple constant heat source.

Surely snow melting off the roof indicates heat loss especially comparing it to the other. Im not sure if we really need to get all complicated. Its a pains 14x12 poly. They describe it as being better than wood with great over wintering insulation and improves Spring build up. Bullshite

 

[Dishmop]

The snow on the roof of my camper van will start to melt quicker on the areas where there is less insulation.