Too Much Insulation?

[daroco]

I've managed to get hold of a load of celotex with the intention of adding insulation above the crown board. Is there any reason why I can't simply cut the sheets to size and fill a super up on top of each hive?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I just cut a piece to fit inside each hive roof and glue it there permanently

 

[oliver90owner]

Yes you can, but deep roofs with insulation are better/good enough because there is no joint open to driven rain ingress. I used to strap all boxes together when I did that. Where to store shallow frames can be a b****r if lots of shallows are in use over winter.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

deep roofs with insulation are better/good enough because there is no joint open to driven rain ingress. I used to strap all boxes together when I did that. Where to store shallow frames can be a b****r if lots of shallows are in use over winter.

 

[Jimmy]

I just cut a piece to fit inside each hive roof and glue it there permanently

Is there any benefit from having it glued to the roof over glueing it to the crownboard?

 

[user 6228]

I've managed to get hold of a load of celotex with the intention of adding insulation above the crown board. Is there any reason why I can't simply cut the sheets to size and fill a super up on top of each hive?

No point in having more than 25mm if all you are doing is a slab on the crown board. After that, the side losses dominate and you are well into diminshing returns.
To be worthwhile over 25mm on the roof you need to do the sides as well.
A super filled with it is worse than a crownboard slab because the wooden walls of the super conduct more heat away from the crown board.

thicker 50mm on the roof and 25mm on the walls you then need to address the floor and entrance adding insulated under floor entrances.

cheers

Derek

 

[daroco]

Glad I asked! I'm just going to go with the simple solution of a slab on the crown board then. Cheers for the answers!

 

[Swarm]

Permanently fixed inside a deep roof is easier IMO, less chance of damage or loss.

 

[For want of a better word]

Permanently fixed inside a deep roof is easier IMO, less chance of damage or loss.

If the roofs are too shallow add a telescope to make them hang over the sides... 25mm bigger on each side and this can be insulated too
thin timber can be used drilled and pinned... I use wide pieces of feather edge fence panel.. loads in skips after a big wind !

Nos da

 

[enrico]

There seems to be a niche for a moulded deep roof made out of insulating material instead of the wooden ones! They should be able to fit like normal roofs, could even have a metal covering on the top.
E

 

[Jimmy]

Permanently fixed inside a deep roof is easier IMO, less chance of damage or loss.

Does it compromise the practical benefits of using the roof to stack supers etc during summer inspections?

 

[Swarm]

Not at all, you place them on the rim of the upturned roof, diagonally not inside the roof

 

[For want of a better word]

Not at all, you place them on the rim of the upturned roof, diagonally not inside the roof

Just like WBC covers!

Nos da

 

[irishguy]

No point in having more than 25mm if all you are doing is a slab on the crown board. After that, the side losses dominate and you are well into diminshing returns.
To be worthwhile over 25mm on the roof you need to do the sides as well.
A super filled with it is worse than a crownboard slab because the wooden walls of the super conduct more heat away from the crown board.

thicker 50mm on the roof and 25mm on the walls you then need to address the floor and entrance adding insulated under floor entrances.

cheers

Derek

I can't get my head around the fact how you can't see how 50mm insulation wouldn't be better than 25mm. More insulation = better heat retention. It just doesn't make sense that more isn't better!

 

[charlievictorbravo]

There seems to be a niche for a moulded deep roof made out of insulating material instead of the wooden ones! They should be able to fit like normal roofs, could even have a metal covering on the top.
E

Here are a couple of photos of the DIY version of this. I finished painting it today.

It's made of 50mm Celotex - both roof and sides - because that's what came out of the skip! I have made an aluminium roof cover out of caravan sides from the local scrappie. The most expensive bought part is the aluminium adhesive tape to seal the wedges of the cuts and to cover the outside (completely) and all of the inside joints. The outside was painted with some left-over kitchen/bathroom emulsion. The Celotex keeps the heat in and the aluminum roof-covering sheds the rain, hopefully so that most of it falls to the ground and does not drip onto the sides.

The suggestion that warmth and humidity adversely affect Varroa Destructor has lead me to keep this deep roof on my home-made plywood 14x12 National hives on for the whole year, not just the winter.

If I paid myself minimum wage for the work involved, this deep roof would have cost about £100. Thank goodness it's a hobby!

CVB

 

[user 6228]

I can't get my head around the fact how you can't see how 50mm insulation wouldn't be better than 25mm. More insulation = better heat retention. It just doesn't make sense that more isn't better!

It's better but Only a by a very small amount unless you insulate the sides as well. Take this example scenario uninsulated
Roof 10w
Walls 5w
You then insulated the roof. 25mm The losses are now
Roof 0.5W
Walls 6W
You then insulate 50mm the losses change
Roof 0.4W
walls 6.01W

 

[Finman]

.
Perhaps it is better first plan, what kind if hive parts you are you need and what are handy to use. Then shoose proper material.

IT is really expencive to use a bee box as insulation frame.

When I started beekeeping, I used newspapers in insulation and inner cover was pieces of timber board.

My inner cover insulations are same year around on. First if all they must be easy to keep clean.

Remember, your winter is not difficult at all. Take it easy..., and handy.....
.
.

 

[Finman]

.
My inner cover + outer cover costs are about £5/hive. It is sheet of steel. Other material is recycled wood.

 

[Swarm]

The suggestion that warmth and humidity adversely affect Varroa Destructor CVB

Who suggested that? It was indigenous to Indonesia, hotter by far and more humid.

 

[user 6228]

Who suggested that? It was indigenous to Indonesia, hotter by far and more humid.

The humidity inside an insulated box with a heat and vapour source is not directly related to the outside conditions

Kraus B. & Velthuis H.H.W. (1997) High humidity in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) brood nest limits reproduction of the parasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni. Naturwissenschaften 84:217-218 doi:10.1007/s001140050382.

Huang Z. (2012) Varroa Mite Reproductive Biology. American Bee Journal 140(10):981-985.