What's the most interoperable poly?

[domino]

I've read most of the big poly hive threads as I'm planning to use polys this year after great success with poly nucs from paynes.

I'm trying to work out if there are any poly types that are 100% (or near as damn it) compatible with wooden national hives; floors, crownboards, boxs etc.

Given they are all different I want to be sure I'm picking a type I can live with rather than swapping them around.

Cheers

 

[mbc]

Swienty

 

[itma]

Your main choice is between standard inside (but bigger outside) and standard outside (so smaller inside - usually one less frame).
Using 'one less frame' gives WBC-size boxes - which many would consider too small to get away with for single-brood working --- but they are a nice light choice for double-brood ... !

The 500mm x 500mm (bigger than the 460 standard) hives from BHS and Paynes can be completely interoperated with wooden parts - though there is a caveat regarding roofs.
A standard wooden roof won't fit over a 500 square box, but if needs must, you can top your poly stack with a wooden box, and then the wooden roof.
Totally standard QX's, coverboards, clearing boards , etc are what they are designed to use.

I have Paynes and wooden 14x12's and one BHS roof & floor. I know they work together.

Mixing 'big' poly and wood can be done easily and without trouble. It does look a bit odd though!
By 'topping' poly with wood, you do lose some of the insulation advantage - heat rises ...

The CWJ/Swienty 'small' polys will go under a wooden roof, but lacking a complete bottom beespace, they are probably best used (without rails) as top beespace boxes.
The MB top-beespace boxes with their 'lip' aren't really designed for interoperability with standard bottom beespace wooden boxes - all the other 'nationals' are. They are something to standardise on, not to mix.

 

[domino]

Thanks, I like the Paynes nucs -although I wish they'd do one without the feeder - so that'll work well.

 

[user 6228]

...

Mixing 'big' poly and wood can be done easily and without trouble. It does look a bit odd though!
By 'topping' poly with wood, you do lose some of the insulation advantage - heat rises ...

...

almost 100% of the thermal advantage is lost

 

[itma]

... but if needs must, you can top your poly stack with a wooden box, and then the wooden roof.
...

To minimise the heat loss, you'd fill an extra wooden super (above the coverboard) with Celotex.

 

[Alabamaeee]

I have Paynes and Swienty. Swienty is the toughest poly I have seen so far and is the hive I will be buying again when I need more boxes (probably soon).

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have Paynes, Swienty and MB.
Any more brood boxes will be Swienty
The Paynes I will keep with the lugs off the brood box
The MBs are destined for the skip.

 

[pargyle]

To minimise the heat loss, you'd fill an extra wooden super (above the coverboard) with Celotex.

Or ......


This cover incorporates two timber supers ... one that the bees used with frames in it and one with 100mm slab of Kingspan in it.

I don't care if you think I'm obsessive .... I'm not and it works for me ... I like the Paynes Poly Hives for lots of reasons - having the same size interior outweighs the slight disadvantage of the larger outside.

 

[Swarm]

Not if you are moving hives, that extra size is a pain and the poorly placed fingertip grips just make things harder than they need be.

The swienty boxes and all the boards, excluders and such all fit together neatly, as do wooden boxes and also a wooden roof. Using a standard wooden roof is probably a good idea if you have Green Woodpeckers around and it is so simple to fit permanent insulation inside it. I mix and match my swientys, using wooden supers and roof on poly broods, with wooden under floor entrances.

 

[mbc]

I mix and match my swientys, using wooden supers and roof on poly broods, with wooden under floor entrances.

Me too, no issues to speak of either, I suppose some might not like the flat area where the frame rests are, but I have cheap wooden boxes with similar lack of raised rests so I'm used to working with them. The new swienty nationals have frame rests.

 

[alanf]

Thanks, I like the Paynes nucs -although I wish they'd do one without the feeder - so that'll work well.

It's fairly easy to cut out the feeder partition, I did it on a couple of mine using a home made hot wire cutter. Leaves a useful 8 frame box, handy for building from 5 to 8 to 11 frame boxes.

To use a feeder after, I use a correx crown board with a hole cut to fit a round 2 litre rapid feeder in the Paynes eke.

 

[fiftyjon]

The swienty boxes and all the boards, excluders and such all fit together neatly, as do wooden boxes and also a wooden roof. Using a standard wooden roof is probably a good idea if you have Green Woodpeckers around and it is so simple to fit permanent insulation inside it. I mix and match my swientys, using wooden supers and roof on poly broods, with wooden under floor entrances.

Me too, no issues to speak of either, I suppose some might not like the flat area where the frame rests are, but I have cheap wooden boxes with similar lack of raised rests so I'm used to working with them. The new swienty nationals have frame rests.

Using a box with the same external dimensions as the rest of the kit makes beekeeping a lot easier. The flat area for frame rests give me no issues either.

However if you only have MB or the Paynes offering just stick with them.

 

[fatshark]

The MBs are destined for the skip.

My MBs were languishing unloved and unwanted as well but were pressed into service as bait hives last spring and provided sterling service. I still have half a dozen supers so will build solid ply floors and Correx roofs and stack two together to make another three bait hives.

Re. the original Q. … Swienty. Not indestructible, but not far off. I dropped a Swienty/Denrosa full super from shoulder height when taking off the OSR last year. I took the pieces home and used dowel and Gorilla glue to rebuild it. Almost good as new.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

The MBs are destined for the skip.

My one MB hive was pressed into service to overwinter a nuc in this year. Otherwise it sits in the corner as the emergency hive.

Wrong bee spaces - shame really.

 

[Tim1606]

It's fairly easy to cut out the feeder partition, I did it on a couple of mine using a home made hot wire cutter. Leaves a useful 8 frame box, handy for building from 5 to 8 to 11 frame boxes.

+1

I used a multi cutter and got the feeders cut out in about 2 mins. Spent a whole day back in April to cut and make good 30. Also placed plastic frame runners on them as well so no sticking of frames. Have had no problems with the bottom of the frames being braced to the floor.

If you pick up swarms, i found them useful as i could leave 8 frames of foundation in them and then move them on when the time was right. No shaking or walking swarms into hives anymore.