BBKA Forum

I've been wondering, with the cost of hives and delayed hive and nuc deliveries. If anyone has toyed around with knocking up XPS poly
hives?

Having just put together an Abelo/Lyson brood box, which is essentially 4 XPS poly boards with 12 screws it got me thinking why don't I just buy some XPS polystyrene sheets and make some super insulated brood boxes for this winter and a few Nucs for swarm collection and spares.

So abelo bands around the 160g/l figure, which isn't the industry standard way of measuring. Does anyone know what that is equivalent to?

Any objections to it being done?

Is it worth the messing about when bespoke poly moulds like the Abelo are available with the added hardened ABS/nylon top/bot edges and the nice bees space rebate.

Yes true, however competitors like paynes don't use any and their hives are workable. Nothing to stop plastic strips being added.

I think you will find the Lyson Poly is nothing like XPS which is quite "soft" in comparison.
But nowt to stop you making your own, give it shout and see how it works out.
Looking at XPS board costs I don't think you will save much if you add in the cost of your time and the cost of the paint....£29 for an Abelo National Brood box already painted......(Currently out of stock though ).

So what do you think the poly they are using on these poly hives?

It's injected poly beads into a hollow mould heated to super steam temperature to fuse it together.
If I understood what I was told a while back....so don't quote me

I have been making all my own polynucs from celotex/other inuslation board for 4 years.(50mm thick)
£10 per nuc.

Yes, the bees will eat holes in the sides when crowded. But they are easily repaired..
BUT : thet are light and cheap and perform far better than wooden hives in summer or winter... important where I live at 150 meters above sealevel near the Peak District..

ANyone with a saw and PU glue and cocktail sticks (to hold them together when the PU glue is setting can do it..

But then I use Langtsroths which have flat sides and are designed to be easy to construct..

Interesting, got any pictures? I've used kingspan for over winter protection for my wooden hives, not really thought about making NUCs with it. Interested to see how you make the frame ledge on the inner walls..

But essentially that's my idea with the same material as the poly hives, if we can find the equivalent.

NigelP wrote: ↑

20 Jun 2020, 18:02

It's injected poly beads into a hollow mould heated to super steam temperature to fuse it together.
If I understood what I was told a while back....so don't quote me

Yep, that's what the Kingspan website says.
The 160 g/l spec that Abelo refer to is to highlight the increased strength compared to other polystyrene boxes which are about 100g/litre. Cheap packaging is around 20 - 30 g/litre I recall.

I had some 10mm XPS left over from underfloor heating and used it here and there. Bees will still chew through it though, if they get access to it.