winter hive wrap

[charlievictorbravo]

These kingspan cosies....do you keep the roof off and they fit straight onto the naked hive and crownboard? If yes, does that mean you just have a kingspan 'roof' through winter, ie. not a durable metal one?

By the way, I'll second Teemore's comment about the CDB hive. I have a few ancient ones of my own and the bees always do really well in them, any time of year. Main issue for me is the handling and moving and also that I cant put a super under the brood chamber in winter.

Here's a not-very-good photo of my deep roof made of 40mm Recticel PIR. In the photo it is on top of a Snelgrove stack last year. I have put an aluminium covering on top of the PIR to give it some protection from, and to shed, the rain. The roof in the photo is lighter than a shallow plywood roof with a similar covering that I made 4 years ago before I heard the lesson according to DerekM!

CVB

ps - missed your first question. These roofs are the same internal plan dimensions as a normal roof - they're just deeper. If I needed to do some work on this one in the workshop, I could exchange it for a standard roof easy-peasy.

 

[Erichalfbee]

These kingspan cosies....do you keep the roof off and they fit straight onto the naked hive and crownboard? If yes, does that mean you just have a kingspan 'roof' through winter, ie. not a durable metal one?

Crownboard
50mm Recticel on top
Then the cosy
Strap
They are durable.....especially if you paint them.
Mine are deep enough to cover a super as well

 

[madasafish]

Crownboard
50mm Recticel on top
Then the cosy
Strap
They are durable.....especially if you paint them.
Mine are deep enough to cover a super as well

+1

 

[MartinL]

What is inside the hive is more important than what's outside.

Also we need to have a winter before we can pat ourselves on the back for "surviving" one!

 

[Millet]

Also we need to have a winter before we can pat ourselves on the back for "surviving" one!

Last year as far as i can remember we had one or two light frosts and no snow.

 

[Show me the honey]

Last year as far as i can remember we had one or two light frosts and no snow.[/QUOTE

I can't remember the last time it snowed here. Talking more than a light dusting! Probably 5 years plus. Must be due a cold one soon well cold for cornwall

 

[madasafish]

Last year as far as i can remember we had one or two light frosts and no snow.[/QUOTE

I can't remember the last time it snowed here. Talking more than a light dusting! Probably 5 years plus. Must be due a cold one soon well cold for cornwall

Some of us don't have the Gulfstream to keep them warm...

 

[MartinL]

Some of us don't have the Gulfstream to keep them warm...

Think you just might be,
completely wrong?

Warms in winter & cools in Summer, (throughout UK).
It mainly ensures the northerners have to travel to Spain to get a tan!

Without the Gulfstream there'd be no need for Manchester airport!

 

[Bryang]

Last year as far as i can remember we had one or two light frosts and no snow.

No snow to speak of in my little valley, but we had some cracking frosts. the last surveer frost here was in mid May. There was a puddle of ice on our kitchen (flat) roof and the frost didn't lift off the cricket field behind my house until approx 10AM.

 

[Millet]

No snow to speak of in my little valley, but we had some cracking frosts. the last surveer frost here was in mid May. There was a puddle of ice on our kitchen (flat) roof and the frost didn't lift off the cricket field behind my house until approx 10AM.

Get some coal and lumber on the fire you tight git.. ..just messing it is weird how this country is so small but has such
a far range of weather differences.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Also we need to have a winter before we can pat ourselves on the back for "surviving" one!

Indeed

 

[Bryang]

Get some coal and lumber on the fire you tight git.. ..just messing it is weird how this country is so small but has such
a far range of weather differences.

I live approx 4 miles from Porth where the two Rhondda rivers meet...my growing year in the allotment starts approx 3 weeks later than Porth, but I can usually be picking crops such as runner beans in October, when everybody else have finished picking thiers in Sept...... Sorry I'm digressing from original post.

 

[Millet]

I live approx 4 miles from Porth where the two Rhondda rivers meet...my growing year in the allotment starts approx 3 weeks later than Porth, but I can usually be picking crops such as runner beans in October, when everybody else have finished picking thiers in Sept...... Sorry I'm digressing from original post.

Don't appoligise this is how forums should be (a bit of this and that inbetween), i was listening to BBC radio 2 Friday gone with Terry Walton on about his allotment in the Rhonda Valley and as it is he has had the best year ever with his runner Beans..lol

 

[MartinL]

. . . Terry Walton on about his allotment in the Rhonda Valley and as it is he has had the best year ever with his runner Beans..lol

Why would he worry about the cold?

Wasn't he on the list of top earners in the Beeb?

 

[Bryang]

Don't appoligise this is how forums should be (a bit of this and that inbetween), i was listening to BBC radio 2 Friday gone with Terry Walton on about his allotment in the Rhonda Valley and as it is he has had the best year ever with his runner Beans..lol

Just started picking my beans, but had late start because of failed germination. Terry's allotment is just over in the next valley.