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Author Topic: polystyrene hive  (Read 28557 times)

Offline edward

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #40 on: March 01, 2013, 05:59:19 pm »
Is it worth making the inside of a hive out of thin plywood and covering in poly?

Maybee the best of both worlds?

mvh edward  :-P

Offline Finski

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #41 on: March 01, 2013, 06:00:13 pm »
.
Extremely stupid discussion.
Half Europe uses polyhives and here we have this kind of wisdom.

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Language barrier NOT included

Offline edward

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #42 on: March 01, 2013, 06:02:59 pm »
our North American ants are maybe not so ferocious like the Scandinavian ant?

The big ant piles in the forest aren't a problem , its the small black ants that chew up poly hives, though they don't disturb the bees.

mvh edward  :-P

Offline edward

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #43 on: March 01, 2013, 06:08:43 pm »
Half Europe uses polyhives

And half don't  :lau: so is the hive half full or half empty  :idunno:


mvh edward  :-P

Offline fshrgy99

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #44 on: March 01, 2013, 06:56:47 pm »
Canadian Price list in Nova scotia (about 1200 miles or 2000 Kilometers away  :-\
$28.50 for a deep!
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee23/fshrgy99/polystyrenepricelist-1.jpg

Although I am sure there is a closer supplier this is the 'real german' product!

Versus

FREE! since I have all the materials to build 50 or more  :)

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee23/fshrgy99/hivedeep.jpg
« Last Edit: March 01, 2013, 10:37:55 pm by fshrgy99 »

Offline edward

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #45 on: March 01, 2013, 07:02:38 pm »
Is it worth making the inside of a hive out of thin plywood and covering in poly?

Gave this some more thought  :roll:

There are some semi professional beekeepers in the southern parts of sweden that use wooden hive bodies.

They also insulate there hives with a poly hat/outer-box casing so is the hive roof, is big enough to insulate the roof and all four walls of the hive under the winter months and size of the winterized hive.

Not to common but I guess it works and could bee an alternative in a transitional phase.

mvh edward  :-P

Offline BlueBee

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #46 on: March 01, 2013, 07:34:53 pm »
this is the 'real german' product!

You know that German engineering is never cheap!  :-D

Offline BlueBee

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #47 on: March 02, 2013, 12:06:36 am »
Bush_84, I have used the foam glued to plywood approach on an earlier generation of homemade foam hives.  It will work, but it did have some attributes I didn’t like.  First off, the thin plywood is typically 3 ply.  3ply plywood tends to warp this way or that way.  None of the boxes end up the same size and that causes problems.  Exposed edges get blasted away by UV and promotes air infiltration losses, water infiltration zones, icing, and bee chewing grounds.  The other problem with plywood is delamination if/when it gets wet.  Depending upon how you design your venting (or lack there of), it can get pretty wet inside a hive.  Plywood molds up easier than solid wood or other options.   

Offline BlueBee

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #48 on: March 02, 2013, 04:48:23 am »
Hey Fshrgy99, if you want to try wood, go for it.  Most beeks in the USA use wood.  We can’t all be cavemen (and women) can we?   Most of my hives are foam, but I do have a few all wood hives too.  Last time I checked, I lost 2 or 3 woods this winter, but I was surprised some smallish wood nucs have survived.  One of those wood nucs is just 13 half medium sized mating frames in a wood box with absolutely ZERO insulation, no tar paper, and a BIG top vent.  Somehow they’re still alive.  Go figure!  None of my wood hives have insulation on them.  Nada, zero, zip, ei mitään .  I’ve probably lost 3 and have 3 living; 50% loss in the wood hives for me.  Might be raising queens from those surviving wood babies this summer  :-D

Personally I’m sticking with foam hives because my overwintering yields are better, they’re more tolerant of beek mismanagement (IMO), and they’re more flexible for my management style.  But as T Beek wisely says, "different strokes for different folks".  If you want to try wood, by all means give it a whirl.

Offline Finski

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #49 on: March 02, 2013, 06:30:45 am »

Personally I’m sticking with foam hives because my overwintering yields are better, they’re more tolerant of beek mismanagement (IMO), and they’re more flexible for my management style.  But as T Beek wisely says, "different strokes for different folks".  If you want to try wood, by all means give it a whirl.


insulation is needed to keep bees warm and to save winterfood.

What heck "flexible mismanagement tolerant insulation"!

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Language barrier NOT included

Offline danno

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #50 on: March 02, 2013, 09:26:45 am »
Hey Fshrgy99, if you want to try wood, go for it.  Most beeks in the USA use wood.  We can’t all be cavemen (and women) can we?   Most of my hives are foam, but I do have a few all wood hives too.  Last time I checked, I lost 2 or 3 woods this winter, but I was surprised some smallish wood nucs have survived.  One of those wood nucs is just 13 half medium sized mating frames in a wood box with absolutely ZERO insulation, no tar paper, and a BIG top vent.  Somehow they’re still alive.  Go figure!  None of my wood hives have insulation on them.  Nada, zero, zip, ei mitään .  I’ve probably lost 3 and have 3 living; 50% loss in the wood hives for me.  Might be raising queens from those surviving wood babies this summer  :-D

Personally I’m sticking with foam hives because my overwintering yields are better, they’re more tolerant of beek mismanagement (IMO), and they’re more flexible for my management style.  But as T Beek wisely says, "different strokes for different folks".  If you want to try wood, by all means give it a whirl.

Maybe the reason you lost "2 or 3" is you fed them syrup in Feb in Michigan!!!   Are you kidding me!!!!   I guess we cant all be a cavemen.    You refuse to tell how many years you have so as I can only guess this is your second winter.   Also wonder why when I brought up you had only 3 colonies in your yard, you scrambles to delete them. 

Offline BlueBee

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #51 on: March 02, 2013, 02:14:42 pm »
DannyBoy, I think there is only one caveman here. :laugh:

I’m not going to answer your childish questions because your only goal here is to denigrate me.  Really, how much help has your rock throwing been to people trying to learn about bees?  How much real advice have you and Finski actually offered up the original poster?  All I’ve seen is a stream of criticism.

If you had been paying attention to the facts and not just looking to attack me, then you would know I AM feeding syrup (and water) to 2 weak FOAM hives that I added electric heat to on Feb 15th.  This was an experiment relating to rapid spring build up.  If you had more than a grade school understanding of science, you would know it would be pointless to try this experiment in a wood hive because 35 watts of heat would not be enough to keep the syrup warm in Michigan.  My 50% losses in wood hives had nothing to do with syrup or electric.  

As for the photo of my 3 hives in the backyard suddenly disappearing, they’re still there.  I recently re-organized the structure of my photobook photos because it was getting unwieldy.  This forum doesn’t make a local copy of the photos and hence when you re-organize, the photos no longer show up.  It’s not some big leftist conspiracy theory; you can go back to your cave now. :laugh:

Offline danno

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #52 on: March 02, 2013, 03:46:29 pm »
I ask a question.  You answer like a politician.    You even threw in some 2nd grade name calling.   Nice!!!  Real Nice!  
« Last Edit: March 03, 2013, 11:00:46 am by danno »

Moots

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #53 on: March 02, 2013, 03:50:40 pm »

I’m not going to answer your childish questions because your only goal here is to denigrate me.

Bluebee,
Not to jump into your and Danno's pissing contest...BUT!

Honestly, it's a fair and relevant question.

Obviously, your comfortable and confident with your level of knowledge on the subject. Why not be up front and honest about the timeframe over which you acquired it?

Offline edward

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #54 on: March 02, 2013, 03:55:59 pm »
If you guy get out a ruler and start to unzip give the rest of us fair warning so we can avert our eyes  :deadhorse:

Offline BlueBee

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #55 on: March 02, 2013, 04:42:50 pm »
Edward, it’s really too darn cold out there today to have a contest with these guys  :-D

Maybe this tread helps to explain why bee keepers don’t use poly hives more in the USA.  It’s just a constant stream of ridicule and belittlement.  What do I care, most of my bees are alive and well.  God forbid a bee keeper ever tries to experiment to save the bees around here!  LOL. 

Moots

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #56 on: March 02, 2013, 06:40:51 pm »
Edward, it’s really too darn cold out there today to have a contest with these guys  :-D

Maybe this tread helps to explain why bee keepers don’t use poly hives more in the USA.  It’s just a constant stream of ridicule and belittlement.  What do I care, most of my bees are alive and well.  God forbid a bee keeper ever tries to experiment to save the bees around here!  LOL. 


Maybe the fact that I live in Southeast Louisiana and the "trend" of temps dipping below 32° maybe a hand full of times a year...if that, better explains why I don't have an interest in using poly hives.

Regardless, your insistence on spinning and dodging a legitimate, relevant, and on point question is quit comical...and perhaps quite telling!  :)


Offline tbrinck

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #58 on: March 02, 2013, 07:11:43 pm »
You missed one
betterbee.com

Offline fshrgy99

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Re: polystyrene hive
« Reply #59 on: March 02, 2013, 09:38:23 pm »
If you guy get out a ruler and start to unzip give the rest of us fair warning so we can avert our eyes  :deadhorse:

 8-)

 

anything