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Author Topic: Foam boxes,etc.  (Read 9068 times)

Offline Finski

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #20 on: February 14, 2011, 01:21:22 am »
Finsky:

What latitude do you live near?
I'm just a couple of miles south of latitude of 50 degrees North. at 3000 ft.above sea level.


I live 60 lat like Anchorage Alaska. If you put into google maps "Liikkala, Kouvola, Finland" you see my pastures.

Just I have on my cottage area -22C and snow 70cm

http://ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/saa/Kouvola?parameter=4&map=weathernow&station=2830
« Last Edit: February 14, 2011, 01:52:38 am by Finski »
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Offline Finski

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #21 on: February 14, 2011, 01:24:30 am »
From my observations - if you have hives on a 4-way pallet.  If you have a styrofoam hive and a wooden hive on the sunny side, you have more activity with the styrofoam hive.  On the shady side, wooden boxes warm up faster and they have more activity than styrofoam boxes.

Bees generate the heat into hive. Not the sun.


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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #22 on: February 14, 2011, 05:25:01 am »
Another thing to consider is how you arrange your hives especially over winter.  Mine are all clustered together touching each other.  If I were to insulate anything it would just be the outside edges and the roof.  If I put styrofoam on the cover, that leaves only the front exposed, which on an eight frame hive is only 13 3/4" (12 1/4" inside).  My other issue is I have, and want, all eight frame mediums.  I know of no foam hives in that size available.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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Offline Finski

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #23 on: February 14, 2011, 07:50:04 am »
Another thing to consider is how you arrange your hives especially over winter.  Mine are all clustered together touching each other. 

No one do that with insulated hives, foam or not.
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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #24 on: February 14, 2011, 09:45:52 am »
If I were to insulate anything it would just be the outside edges and the roof.

This is the exact issue I've been considering.  If you have a top entrance, does insulating the roof make any difference?   If moisture is leaving through the top entrance, isn't any extra warmth at the top going with it?
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline Finski

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #25 on: February 14, 2011, 11:04:19 am »
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Folks living in tempeterate climate do not understand insulating at all.

Heat escapes via  surface which has less insulation.  It does not help if you insulate 5 side of cubic if the sixth lead the heat out.

Moisture condensates to the coldest surface. The inner roof must have good insulation that condensation happens onto side walls.

The heat conducts via material, not cold. If you have a double wall and only air between them, it is like a double window. It cuts the heat conduction and air is the best insulation. Loose material in air gap stops the air circulation and heat movement with air.

How many of you use douple window in houses?  We use to have here 3 glasses when we spare energy.


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Offline Finski

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #26 on: February 14, 2011, 11:13:17 am »
 If moisture is leaving through the top entrance, isn't any extra warmth at the top going with it?

Of course it does but like in human houses, there must be some ventilation that you get fresh air.

If the hive has 25 kg food stores, it generates 10 litre water via respiration. How you get it out is ventilation and condensation.

Cold air has quite few water vapour. When that is heated up, the air is dry and it catches moisture from the hive. Then warm air comes out, like from your lungs, and it makes mist, because cold air cannot keep so much moisture.


In our climate we get ridd of moisture with heating, not adding ventilation.



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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #27 on: February 15, 2011, 01:00:58 am »
>If you have a top entrance, does insulating the roof make any difference?

Yes.  It reduces condensation.  A lot.

>   If moisture is leaving through the top entrance, isn't any extra warmth at the top going with it?

Of course.  But you can't let the moisture out without letting the moist air out.  Moist air is less dense than dry air, and it rises, as does warm air.  Contrary to popular believe it's not heat that rises it's hot air that rises.  But it's also moist air the rises.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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Offline edward

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Re: Foam boxes,etc.
« Reply #28 on: February 15, 2011, 01:20:58 am »
When humid air cools it rains , or condenses from a gas to a liquid.

One thing we all can agree with is that the damp air has to bee ventilated out of the hive ,

Cold winters don't kill bees that have as long as they have food.

Cold wet bees are likely to die.

mvh edward :P