BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • What have you done today bee-related?

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #2199  by NigelP
 02 Mar 2019, 21:51
Jim Norfolk wrote:
02 Mar 2019, 18:09
Actually its not the poly but the insulation.
Poly = insulation ? Surely.
There are other ways of generating insulation, that is for sure.
Double walled hives filled with cork chipping (Original WBC), original langstroth hive was double walled for same reasons..
 #2200  by MickBBKA
 02 Mar 2019, 22:46
NigelP wrote:
02 Mar 2019, 21:51
Jim Norfolk wrote:
02 Mar 2019, 18:09
Actually its not the poly but the insulation.
Poly = insulation ? Surely.
There are other ways of generating insulation, that is for sure.
Double walled hives filled with cork chipping (Original WBC), original langstroth hive was double walled for same reasons..
I think Jim may mean overhead insulation as in loft insulation, not the brood box construction as in cavity wall insulation, maybe ??
 #2205  by Jim Norfolk
 03 Mar 2019, 11:23
I am very interested in hive insulation and after attending a talk by Derek Mitchell on the subject a few years ago went and conducted some crude experiments on a WBC. I had a small 10 w electric lamp as a heater and recorded temperatures inside and out until they reached a steady state. I then noted the uplift in temperature between inside and outside. With just the boxes on an open mesh floor and a closed crown board the increase was 5 C. Putting on the lifts and roof only raised the temperature a further degree and a half. Putting a 2 inch thick PIR slab over the crown board increased the temperature difference to 8 C. Useful but not as much as I expected. I then put on an insulated cover I made which covered the whole brood box and this raised the temperature to 13 C above ambient. The cover extends down into the space between the lifts and brood box. It isn't just the insulation but sealing air gaps that matters. I have overwintered my two colonies with these sealed covers and when I checked them recently there was no sign of mold on any of the frames and two strong healthy colonies.

Poly nucs and poly hives provide better insulation than wood but I suspect my insulated WBCs might give more.
 #2206  by NigelP
 03 Mar 2019, 12:53
JIm, not sure why you would think your cover will give "more" insulation than a poly hive. I think they are pretty much equivalent and when you add bees then I doubt it matters to any practical extent. Neither loose much heat from them.
There has been "debate" over which poly hives are the best insulated. Whilst you can measure away to your hearts content...... my acid test is simply does snow melt on the rood.....and if we don't have snow take an IR heat gun and measure the temp of the roof....
To date snow has not melted on my Abelo, Paynes, Maismores or Swienty hive roofs and they are always around the outside ambient temperature. Snow has melted on my wooden hives with metal roofs and no top insulation.
We can get carried away with minutia.

There is nothing new about insulation and hives either. If you look back at the history of hives, the WBC was simply a lighter version of Cowan's huge double walled hives. Both of which were meant to be overwintered with the gaps filled with cork chippings or equivalent for insulation. Langstroth's original hive was double walled for the same reasons. Straw skeps used to be overwintered with a thick layer of dung around them to act as winter insulation and also were kept in sheltered areas (bee boles).
We now seem to be astounded that insulated hives are good.
 #2210  by Jim Norfolk
 04 Mar 2019, 08:48
Nigel agreed insulation is not new, we just have better materials. My latest version has 4 inch Celotex pir sheet on top of the crownboard and I am looking at improving the insulation down the sides from the present foil thermawrap for next winter.
 #2212  by Chrisbarlow
 04 Mar 2019, 10:34
I intend later on to check apiaries after the high winds last night.
 #2213  by Cable_Fairy
 04 Mar 2019, 11:13
Chrisbarlow wrote:
04 Mar 2019, 10:34
I intend later on to check apiaries after the high winds last night.
Just checked mine, still standing upright and the bees are bringing back pollen, despite the temperature being 6.1 C
 #2218  by Chrisbarlow
 04 Mar 2019, 18:02
Cable_Fairy wrote:
04 Mar 2019, 11:13
Chrisbarlow wrote:
04 Mar 2019, 10:34
I intend later on to check apiaries after the high winds last night.
Just checked mine, still standing upright and the bees are bringing back pollen, despite the temperature being 6.1 C
I popped in and one had gone over. So uprighted stand and hive. It was strapped up so wasnt to bad.
 #2235  by Chrisbarlow
 06 Mar 2019, 21:54
Popped down to the local association Winter new beekeeper course to give moral support.
  • 1
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 301