Will a smallish colony still expand at this time of year?

[user 20297]

I think he would do better watching and learning from the @markyfive channel where water and condensation are non-issues already. I'm not sure how many beekeepers in the UK are so "static" that they would be happy with such chunky hives.

 

[Anduril]

I think he would do better watching and learning from the @markyfive channel where water and condensation are non-issues already. I'm not sure how many beekeepers in the UK are so "static" that they would be happy with such chunky hives.

UK chunky hives are the WBC. Many years ago I used to see one, when I used to walk to work, strangely it was in the front garden.

 

[madasafish]

A couple of mine are on solid floors. Will the cosy idea still be ok? I’m putting extra insulation on the roof (150mm compared to 50mm for the walls) so I think this will prevent condensation above the bees.

@Erichalfbee I think I vaguely remember some/all of yours were on solid floors but I could be mis-rememberin

 

[madasafish]

A couple of mine are on solid floors. Will the cosy idea still be ok? I’m putting extra insulation on the roof (150mm compared to 50mm for the walls) so I think this will prevent condensation above the bees.

@Erichalfbee I think I vaguely remember some/all of yours were on solid floors but I could be mis-remembering?

Solid floors? More than half mine are on them - with Underfloor entrances.
No visible differences .

 

[Bluetractorman]

Thanks for the comments and pics. Really like your design and pleased to hear it’s doing the trick.

I’ve made a prototype today and am pretty happy with it. I need the 1cm air gap all around to prevent it getting stuck.

I’m no engineer but I’d be very surprised if the whole thing is worthless because of the air gap as you suggest…in fact don’t they recommend leaving an air gap when you install it in houses? Or is it specifically that it’s open at the bottom that you think will cause an issue? Isn’t this just the same principle as a hot air balloon and the warm air will remain in the void as it will rise? If the insulation was touching the hive body wouldn’t you lose heat through thermal bridging?

As I say I’m no engineer…at the very least it should stop the wind sapping the heat from the hive…

Just need to spray paint it black.

View attachment 33438

good idea to paint it, left as is small birds (tits?) pecked holes in mine leaving them a bit scruffy.

 

[markyfive]

Same issues around here; I use headphones on the laptop and she can watch rubbish on TV without interruption.

Hmm I don't think I'd get away with that!

Had a look at Vino Farm last night.....That thing is mammoth.....The outer cedar looks almost bulletproof!!

I get his thinking but how on earth would you do any 'box juggling' like, for example a Demaree? I agree with you, a long type of hive
would be so much easier to achieve this level of insulation.....I might have a look into that

Also relevant to this conversation was the massive thermal bridge he'd built in and the subsequent condensation damage, although it
seems he will be addressing this issue in the future.

Interesting to watch though.

 

[Do224]

Could you stuff in some strips cut from pipe insulation into the gaps?
My sleeves are a very snug fit and were assembled using my polyhive boxes as a former. But they are very, very snug on the few wooden boxes I own because the timber boxes aren't uniform size and shape. So your gap will have a practical benefit when handling the sleeves. When you look at the internal dimensions of a standard roof you find that same oversize for easy fitting and removal.

I like the pipe insulation idea, I’ll give it a go. I suppose if I push the cosy tight against two sides then I’ll just need to fill the other two

 

[markyfive]

I like the pipe insulation idea, I’ll give it a go. I suppose if I push the cosy tight against two sides then I’ll just need to fill the other two

Or maybe a tapered batten fixed around the floor or hive stand, thin end pointing skyward so as to 'wedge' the cosy on when lowered down?

Of course this would be totally dependant on the length of your cosy, as you really wouldn't want to fit anything to your boxes...just a thought

 

[Sutty]

How about strips of the brush-type draught excluder, could stay on the cosy all the time.

 

[user 20297]

Or maybe a tapered batten fixed around the floor or hive stand, thin end pointing skyward so as to 'wedge' the cosy on when lowered down?

Of course this would be totally dependant on the length of your cosy, as you really wouldn't want to fit anything to your boxes...just a thought

In order to keep a stable space for the feeder above the crownboard, I considered fixing a batten, internal to the sleeve, a few centimetres from the top. This would stop the sleeve from sliding down if you have a removable lid which is not a perfect friction fit.
Another modification which would achieve the same would be a short, additional rim of 25mm insulation bonded inside the top of the sleeve. This would also help keep warm any syrup in a feeder.

 

[user 20297]

How about strips of the brush-type draught excluder, could stay on the cosy all the time.

Depending on the width of the gap you can use that or the soft, rubber draught strips; both of these are usually available in Lidl from time to time.

 

[madasafish]

You are gilding the lily in my view.
The key advantages of hive covers are in my view:

1/ keep wooden walls dry so conduction losses through evaporation of water are minimal. How many times does it rain in winter? And is then followed by dryish but windy weather. A wet wooden hive conducts heat due to water logging of wood and worse: loses heat through water evaporation.

2/Extra roof insulation coupled with a deep cover body minimises heat loss from the vulnerable hive top. Indeed open OMFs in winter on stands mounted on hives = a VERY BAD thing.

All the rest is extra effort for 2-5% savings..

 

[Do224]

Could you stuff in some strips cut from pipe insulation into the gaps?
My sleeves are a very snug fit and were assembled using my polyhive boxes as a former. But they are very, very snug on the few wooden boxes I own because the timber boxes aren't uniform size and shape. So your gap will have a practical benefit when handling the sleeves. When you look at the internal dimensions of a standard roof you find that same oversize for easy fitting and removal.

I got some pipe insulation today. If I push the cosy flush against the hive walls on two sides then the gap on the other two sides is about 20mm…perfect for stuffing with a length of pipe insulation at the bottom .

It may mean that the insulating properties are different between the walls where the cosy is flush and those with the air gap but I don’t suppose it matters too much. Perhaps the bees will slightly favour one side of the hive over the other

 

[user 20297]

I got some pipe insulation today. If I push the cosy flush against the hive walls on two sides then the gap on the other two sides is about 20mm…perfect for stuffing with a length of pipe insulation at the bottom .

It may mean that the insulating properties are different between the walls where the cosy is flush and those with the air gap but I don’t suppose it matters too much. Perhaps the bees will slightly favour one side of the hive over the other

That will be a good experiment that might give some support (or otherwise) to the argument that a small gap of "dead" air between the outer hive wall and the reflective inner surface of the cosy gives additional insulation; the theory being that it allows reflection of radiant heat back into the hive.