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Author Topic: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs  (Read 15612 times)

Offline homer

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BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« on: November 21, 2009, 02:23:55 pm »
So far the only place that I can find that sells these is Better Bee.  Are there any other sources out there?

Offline slaphead

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2009, 07:49:01 pm »
Dadant sell the hives, not sure about the Nucs.

I believe Mann Lake sell polystyrene Nucs.

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Offline Sparky

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2009, 07:52:56 pm »
Got mine at Betterbee. Will look around other literature in my reference books.

Offline BeeHopper

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2009, 09:12:01 am »
I've try everywhere, Betterbee is the only place that I can find them within the USA.


I take that back, Dadant does sell the Beemax too  :-D
« Last Edit: November 23, 2009, 08:35:28 am by BeeHopper »

Offline Sparky

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2009, 11:05:08 am »
Dadant also have them but are a little more expensive than Betterbee. From Dec.1st to the 31st Dandant is having free shipping and would justify the additional cost.

Offline homer

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2009, 12:01:47 pm »
Dadant also have them but are a little more expensive than Betterbee. From Dec.1st to the 31st Dandant is having free shipping and would justify the additional cost.

Only for those of you who are fortunate enough to live east of the mississippi!

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2009, 12:58:05 pm »
I can understand why Brushy Mt. would onl do it east of the Mississippi, but Dadant's headquarters is West of the Mississippi... are you sure?
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Offline homer

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2009, 06:41:11 pm »
I'm just going off what I read in another post...


I don't know if this has already been posted but I recieved a promo from Dadant and they are doing free shipping on all orders (excludes west of the mississippi) for the month of December.

Offline mswartfager

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2009, 08:07:45 pm »
Consider not getting them at all.  I got mine two years ago from Dadant.  I don't like them. Just my personal preference.  They seem durable enough, but I like the feel of pine instead.  Not real sure which one the bees prefer. 

Offline rdy-b

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #9 on: November 22, 2009, 08:35:00 pm »
I can understand why Brushy Mt. would onl do it east of the Mississippi, but Dadant's headquarters is West of the Mississippi... are you sure?
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Offline Sparky

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2009, 10:33:21 pm »
Tell you what mswartfager. Now this is doing the ultimate sin and assuming that you use the telescoping cover, tops. Go out when it is about 98 deg. in the summer, in the sun and pop open the metal covered telescoping cover and quickly put your hand on the bottom side of it. Then do the same with the polystyrene cover and tell me which condition you think would be a more inhabitable environment to reside in.

Offline mswartfager

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2009, 07:08:59 am »
We don't get a lot of days in the ninties and didn't have a single day of 98 degree weather this summer or last summer in Northwest PA.  When it is very warm out my bees seem to cluster outside the entrance of the beemax hive equally as much as with the standard woods hives. 

Offline Jim134

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #12 on: November 25, 2009, 07:19:44 am »
Tell you what mswartfager. Now this is doing the ultimate sin and assuming that you use the telescoping cover, tops. Go out when it is about 98 deg. in the summer, in the sun and pop open the metal covered telescoping cover and quickly put your hand on the bottom side of it. Then do the same with the polystyrene cover and tell me which condition you think would be a more inhabitable environment to reside in.


   LOL on 98 deg. days in MA may get 2 or 3 per year 90 to 95 only 7 days this year 2009


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Offline Sparky

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #13 on: November 25, 2009, 10:09:16 am »
OK I see that I listed the extreme conditions for some parts of our country but my point is that I run a standard wooden box setup with the Beemax telescoping tops just because I have done the heat experiment and have noticed a considerable difference in the heat under the the top cover that is of the insulating type just with my hand as a indicator. My tops have all been changed to these, Painted white, Polystyrene covers just because of the way my simple mind works. My theory is that if the bees do not have to work as hard to keep it cool in the summer they may not think they are running out of room as quickly to start the swarm process and could be using their efforts to be more productive. That being said, if you have many hives that have the wooden ones already I think the cost effective method would be to provide a insulation barrier to keep the heat out. I did notice some difference when I painted some of the tin, tops with a paint that was almost chrome like before I made the change. They were so bright it hurt your eyes without sunglasses when you got near the hives.  8-) I wish I would have put one of my A/C temp. probes in them and documented the difference in temps., but I could feel it with my bare hands. This was also before I started building my ventilated inner covers. Different strokes.  ;)

Offline giant pumpkin peep

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #14 on: November 25, 2009, 03:41:21 pm »
Betterbee is the only palce I have found that sells them online. If I am wrong can someone please post a link? I am not interested in using these as full time hive but for taking a frame of brood in july and adding queen to replace deadouts and increase the spring. Save some money on packages and you can make honey with them the first year if the waether is good. Plus if you have extras you can sell them.
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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #15 on: November 25, 2009, 05:29:45 pm »
OK, I get to show my ignorance here.

 I have been catching discussions of these types of hives lately and I am curious to understand the conditions of their operation.

would someone 'learn' me a bit on do these poly hives keep heat out in the summer that much better and do they not hold too much heat generated by the bees?

Also, I would think they would retain condensation much more, or is there a 'trick' they have have to resolve that?

This is interesting to me.

Big Bear

Offline Jim134

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #16 on: November 25, 2009, 07:53:45 pm »
Betterbee is the only palce I have found that sells them online. If I am wrong can someone please post a link? I am not interested in using these as full time hive but for taking a frame of brood in july and adding queen to replace deadouts and increase the spring. Save some money on packages and you can make honey with them the first year if the waether is good. Plus if you have extras you can sell them.

Look at pg. 9 in the 2009 Dadant Catalog


http://content.yudu.com/Library/A14vo2/2009DadantBeekeeping/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A//www.yudu.com/item/details/39514/2009-Dadant-Beekeeping-Catalog

                                      
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=25
                                            



                                    BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)
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Offline rdy-b

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #17 on: November 25, 2009, 08:04:49 pm »
 try B&B  https://www.bbhoneyfarms.com/products.php?cid=56
 :lol: RDY-B

                            https://www.bbhoneyfarms.com/products.php?iid=243&cid=39

                 

Offline Sparky

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Offline Robo

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Re: BeeMax Polystyrene Hives and Nucs
« Reply #19 on: November 26, 2009, 07:31:09 am »
would someone 'learn' me a bit on do these poly hives keep heat out in the summer that much better and do they not hold too much heat generated by the bees?

I think most people use them to retain heat in the winter.  In the summer they aren't effected by solar heat gain as much as the wooden ones, and I have notices no difference in the amount of bearding, etc that would indicate heat issues.  Granted, I am not in the South where it gets extremely hot,  but we do get a few 90+ days.  I do notice 25-30% less honey consumption during winter compared to wood.

Quote
Also, I would think they would retain condensation much more, or is there a 'trick' they have have to resolve that?

They do, and the trick is to make sure the top has a higher insulated value then the walls, so the condensation happens on the walls and runs down and does not drip on the bees.  That is also a major issue with the traditional Langstroth design (assuming you don't put upper ventilation to allow condensation and heat to escape),  you get the cool air space above the inner cover where condensation takes place, and if there is enough, it drips back down on the bees.

Polystyrene hives have been used in Europe for many years and is the norm in many places.
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