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  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #1204  by thewoodgatherer
 27 Oct 2018, 17:06
Trouble with polycarbonate is that it will quickly scratch once you start scraping it. I find the glass quits are good, you do get some comb build up but never had enough to prevent a good view. I make sure I cover in a good layer of insulation otherwise it will form condensation and obscure the view as well has dripping down on the bees.
 #1205  by NigelP
 27 Oct 2018, 17:38
True it does scratch but some of my Paynes covers have been in use for over 6 years and I can still see through them, scratches and all. I shall take a picture sometime next week and post it on here to show you.
I don't use glass due to possible breakage...It's can be difficult to smoothly remove any type of crown board after the blighters have glued it down.
 #1207  by thewoodgatherer
 27 Oct 2018, 18:19
Agree, if your using an unframed sheet then defo Perspex as it will be somewhat felexable. I have the framed type which has twin panes of glass. Haven’t broken one yet this year but it will happen. I wouldn’t try a hole sheet of glass unless it’s toughend as it would break once they have glued it.
 #1209  by Steve (The Drone)
 27 Oct 2018, 20:00
I’m all for Perspex crown boards and I’ve banged on about this before. There are plenty of websites out there that will supply Perspex cut to size ( ie 18” squared). Don’t buy any less than 5mm thick as it’s too flexible. Now screw on 7x15 mm strip pine round one side and 10x15mm on t’other. This means that it’s nice and rigid. Now for the hole. You can use a hole cutter and cut it central- ok for big syrup feeders. But!...if you want to feed fondant in winter or during a famine period then cut the hole off centre. This means that you can spin the crown board round so that the food is directly above the cluster. Easy Cos you can see where the cluster is.
Yes, there may be some condensation. If the hive is kept not quite level then the moisture will flow to one side and will then not drip on the bees. Also It will then be available to the bees to dilute the stored honey as food.
Finally- insulation above the crown board is essential whatever crown board you are using. The beauty of an acrylic crown board is that you can see what is going on without disturbing the bees or chilling them.
 #1210  by thewoodgatherer
 27 Oct 2018, 20:40
I don’t understand why see through crown boards are not a standard practice these days. Personally I’m not into guess work , it’s so nice to be able to get an idea what’s going on without disturbing the bees.
 #1217  by Paras
 28 Oct 2018, 19:23
I removed wax moths larvae from under the screen board. Atleast they not in the hive.

I have noticed that spiders so set-up their home around the hive, I tend to always clear out there webs.

But I guess they must be keeping other insects controlled around the hive.
 #1218  by Patrick
 28 Oct 2018, 22:34
Before paradichlorobenzene crystals became commonplace and now banned of course, it used to be quite a common practice to pop a house spider into each stack of stored supers to keep wax moths under control.

Wax moths seem to have had a really good year and have popped up all over the shop. May need to keep a particular eye on stored combs perhaps.
 #1221  by Apiarisnt
 29 Oct 2018, 18:58
Steve (The Drone) wrote:
27 Oct 2018, 20:00
There are plenty of websites out there that will supply Perspex cut to size ( ie 18” squared). Don’t buy any less than 5mm thick as it’s too flexible. Now screw on 7x15 mm strip pine round one side and 10x15mm on t’other. This means that it’s nice and rigid. Now for the hole. You can use a hole cutter and cut it central- ok for big syrup feeders. But!...if you want to feed fondant in winter or during a famine period then cut the hole off centre.

There are a couple of websites with information on how to make Perspex (acrylic) crownboards. Dave Cushman is simple: http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/ratquilt.html but as always The Apiarist http://theapiarist.org/perspex-crownboards/ is rather more comprehensive, covering design, construction, use and cleaning. From my own experience I would agree with not having a hole in the board (see how he uses them to understand)

If you have acess to a router, or even better a router table, there is a simpler, safer, and dare I suggest, a more elegant solution. I order online sheets of Perspex 430 x 430 x 4mm. I then get a couple of metres of planed timber 25 x 50mm (finished size 20x44mm) and run a 4mm wide groove 15mm deep the length of the wood, one beespace (~8mm) from one edge. I then cut the wood into four pieces (exact length depending on what sort of corner joint you want. I am pretentious, cut them to 460mm length and use finger joints) and then slot the four pieces around the Perspex, glue and clamp. I have tried using 5mm and 6mm thick Perspex, but have found 4mm is perfectly adequate.

As long as you have decent lump of PIR insulation (Kingspan, Celotex) above the Perspex there are no significant issues of condensation on the Perspex.
 #1222  by Apiarisnt
 29 Oct 2018, 19:04
Apiarisnt wrote:
29 Oct 2018, 18:58
I then get a couple of metres of planed timber 25 x 50mm (finished size 20x44mm) and run a 4mm wide groove 15mm deep the length of the wood, one beespace (~8mm) from one edge.

Correction

Groove should be 5mm deep not 15mm deep
 #1223  by Alan_A
 29 Oct 2018, 19:26
I made two insulated crown boards, as per The Apiarist design, about three weeks ago. I've checked my bees by removing the insulation and observing them through the perspex (4mm), so far so good, they seem happy enough and there's no condensation.
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