concrete hives

[texter]

May I have your thoughts on the pros and cons of using concrete hives in a place where the daily temperature is anywhere between 25 and 32 degrees Celcius? I've been using them for the past 7 months for my Asian honeybees and stingless bees but I am not really sure about the material i used. Thank you!

[ugcheleuce]

May I have your thoughts on the pros and cons of using concrete hives in a place where the daily temperature is anywhere between 25 and 32 degrees Celcius?

A while ago there was a thread here or there about the insulation value of various materials, and I seem to recall that concrete does not insulate very well.  So if you have a concrete hive, you'd have to keep that in mind.

[AllenF]

I would be worried about the weight of the hives and just how sturdy they are.  Hate to bang 2 together and break them.

[Michael Bush]

It depends on your weather.  As mentioned it doesn't insulate real well, and if the concrete gets hotter than wood, it might lead to heat problems in the summer.

[texter]

Thanks for the insights. I will surely consider them.

[jredburn]

In SW Florida there are a lot of bees living in concrete hives.  Otherwise know as concrete block walls and concrete utility boxes.  They seem to live longer and have bigger colonies than those that live in wooden boxes.
Regards
Joe

[jayj200]

we had one for five years and did not know it

you see for five years out front in the circular drive way we had a swarm in the lemon tree

by the 5Th year the wife said we must do something

so i talked to a beekeeper friend

he came by 24 hrs later? suprise they still clung to that branch

collected them into a deep Lang 5 times they would not stay.

we put a queen excluder on the front, worked like a charm.

then he showed where they came from.

under a rock in the rocks in the circular drive.

picked up the rock and said here.  darn thing was hollow.

for 5 years this hive was here and it was small. the rock was actually coral and somewhat porous.

every time it rained they got wet and set em back.

those docile girls raised 7 swarms in 6 months  

one was huge two deeps and two honey supers

the big swarms we see in the vids bigger maybe

insecticide need I say more, the bees on the cement in front of the hive was 3 inches deep in some places.


while in the rock this hive was smaller than a nuc after a clean dry place was provided they exploded

so in the cold cover the Lang with foam or poly, if it is small a small vent hole.

        take a hot shower do the mirrors steam up same thing in a hive of any size

jay