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Bee Hive building & a place to share howto's on equipment
 #6184  by NigelP
 05 Apr 2020, 11:24
Always need more kit.....
Cannot understand how you have got damp frames. An Abelo roof overhangs the crown board and comes about 1/3 of the way down the brood box, so technically no water can ingress from that direction. I use Abelo floors with inserts in over winter (solid floors) and nothing can get in from that direction either. Where I have had occasional problems is rain entering through the entrance and accumulating inside the insert trays, but this is only when we get horizontal rain from the South as all my hives face south in the garden. Problem is easily overcome by not putting tray fully in, which leaves a small gap sio any rain water coming through entrance just drains through the gap before it can accumulate in the tray.
 #9959  by Boston Bees
 08 Feb 2021, 13:21
No mystery here. It happens to Abelo boxes because they have hard plastic faces between the boxes. As such they don't mate together quite as tightly as other poly boxes do, so rain can get in. Abelo acknowledge this themselves, which is one reason they just launched a new hive with rims (rebates) on all boxes.
 #9964  by Steve 1972
 09 Feb 2021, 10:53
Boston Bees wrote:
08 Feb 2021, 13:21
No mystery here. It happens to Abelo boxes because they have hard plastic faces between the boxes. As such they don't mate together quite as tightly as other poly boxes do, so rain can get in. Abelo acknowledge this themselves, which is one reason they just launched a new hive with rims (rebates) on all boxes.
That is not a problem for me and i have no water in my Abelo boxes..i have condensation on the outer edges of the clear crown boards but that is all...the only problem i do have is cleaning all the propolis from the plastic faces (for neat storage) that the bees have put there to seal any small gaps like they do with any other type of box...if anything the plastic facing is a plus for me as scraping the propolis away is a doddle..
 #9967  by Boston Bees
 09 Feb 2021, 11:20
Steve 1972 wrote:
09 Feb 2021, 10:53
That is not a problem for me and i have no water in my Abelo boxes..i have condensation on the outer edges of the clear crown boards but that is all...the only problem i do have is cleaning all the propolis from the plastic faces (for neat storage) that the bees have put there to seal any small gaps like they do with any other type of box...if anything the plastic facing is a plus for me as scraping the propolis away is a doddle..
That's good to hear, as I am trying an Abelo for the first time this year. But it is obviously a known issue affecting some people, as Abelo have mentioned it on their own website: https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/national-hive/national-poly-hive/national-poly-hive-green-grey/
 #9968  by Steve 1972
 09 Feb 2021, 11:49
i have fifteen Abelo national brood boxes and a lot of supers.. i run between eight to ten hives each year and over the past three years all those boxes have been juggled around..none of which pose a problem where water is concerned..however with some of the earlier deep poly roofs a batch had a problem with the paint bubbling up and peeling off..that problem was easily fixed ..
If you have the same results and experiences i have had with Abelo poly hives i am sure you will be happy...i do not use the poly floors though as i make my own so i can not comment on them..
 #9970  by mikemadf
 09 Feb 2021, 12:15
I make my nucs from 50mm celotex, my roofs as well.
No issues with damp from any of them - my roofs do overlap the sides so any junction roof/box is well covered.
 #9975  by NigelP
 09 Feb 2021, 17:36
I've solved the problem as it were...because Abelo hives have hard plastic edges any propolis/wax build up on the edges acts like matchsticks and allows water ingress through the gaps they cause. A good scrape of both top and bottom edges has more or less solved the problem for me.
From a few experiments I've done with my winter stacks I can see the same happening with wooden hives, but because my metal frame runners in wooden hives are not watertight it runs off down the sides. I've now started making little cuts into the waterproof edges of the Abelo hives and this ( on top of a good scraping) and problem de nada....
But if you get sick Mick....always looking for more hives. :)
 #9979  by MickBBKA
 10 Feb 2021, 00:45
Ha, may take you up on that Nigel. I have not bought any more Abelo hives as the water ingress was just crazy. I had to throw away quite a few frames and comb after winter last year as they were rotten and stinking, something I have never had in a wooden hive. Also Spring build up is retarded as they don't warm up enough in the sun but cold ambient temps. I think you are a few weeks behind me when flowers are appearing so they may work better in your area. I read in one of Tom Seeleys books the same thing happens in tree housed colonies compared to wooden hives as the trees are better insulated. That may mean they over winter as a larger colony but as in my experience they don't expand fast enough in Spring and in my area rapid Spring expansion is critical if you want a honey crop.

I may keep my poly hives for the Heather seasons though just for the weight saving when transferring to the moors.

I am not bad mouthing Abelo poly hives in general though, they just don't suit my bees and my location. They are well made and if the water ingress has been solved they may be very good for your needs folks.