Your thoughts on an observation skep using plastic crates

[ugcheleuce]

Hello everyone

I'm keen on trying out skep beekeeping next year, and since my aim for the year would be to learn how bees behave in a skep (instead of how much honey I can harvest in the skep), I would like to make it an observation skep.

Now, first let me just say that my understanding of a "skep" is that it is a roughly cone-shaped bee house that has no fixed bottom, made from anything.  And although straw used to be cheaper than wood many decades ago, that's no longer the case.  And plastic is even cheaper than wood (and plastic crates come in standardised sizes that nicely lock together).  So my first skep will be a plastic skep.

Here's a quick concept drawing of it:



The crates that I have in mind are 8 gallons, and cost the equivalent of $5 each.  You get them in transparent, red and blue.  When fit together (stacked), the outer crate is about 1 inch "higher" than the inner crate.  The idea would be to use a transparent crate for the inner skep, and then put a blue crate over it.  The space above the nest (between the two crates) is empty (or one could have a sheet of polystyreen in it).  There's about 0.75 bee-space space between the sides of the crates, so there is going to be air flow around the inner crate, but the bees can't climb up it.

Since the outer crate is not attached to the inner crate, it can be lifted up to see what the bees are doing inside the inner crate.

The one thing that bugs me right now is whether the bees will be confounded by the fact that there is a near-transparent edge all around the bottom of the their nest, where light will enter during the day.

A secondary question for me is whether the two crates will provide sufficient insulation for the bees during summer, and what I can do to give them a little extra insulation (e.g. a shiny roof similar to a standard hive roof).

(I'll be keeping my bees here (annual weather overview near bottom))

What are your thoughts?
Samuel

[thewhiterhino]

The one thing that bugs me right now is whether the bees will be confounded by the fact that there is a near-transparent edge all around the bottom of the their nest, where light will enter during the day.

A secondary question for me is whether the two crates will provide sufficient insulation for the bees during summer, and what I can do to give them a little extra insulation (e.g. a shiny roof similar to a standard hive roof).

(I'll be keeping my bees here (annual weather overview near bottom))

What are your thoughts?
Samuel

That is an interesting project.
I suspect that if the sun shines on the plastic skep the internal temp will quickly rise to a point the bees can no longer regulate it.
Have you considered making a foil covered foam insulating cover that can be lifted off whenever you wish to watch the activity.
This would also solve the too much light issue.
Maybe some vent holes in the ends with screen over them and a top vent in the insulated cover. In the winter many years ago Is lost hives to poor ventilation in the winter as condensation kept them wet inside.

Ross

[OldMech]

Rhino mentioned my concerns...   as well, the plastic has NO ability to absorb even the smallest amount of moisture, so with just a bit of temp fluctuations you could have rain inside the plastic box..  the insulated cover idea is a good one imho..
   I once removed a fish tank with a hive inside of it. It had been covered with an inflatable float and lay mostly in the shade amng some small trees and shrubs.. The bees had only JUST moved into it so I do not know if they could have wintered and or dealt with extremes of heat in late summer..  However, the fact that they did move in gives me some confidence that THEY had confidence in their ability to make it work...
   You will need to keep an eye on it at first, and help them if they start having trouble regulating temps or moisture.

[ugcheleuce]

The plastic has NO ability to absorb even the smallest amount of moisture, so with just a bit of temp fluctuations you could have rain inside the plastic box.

Good point.  Do you know what the best solution would be... holes, or putting something inside the skep that absorbs moisture?  I wonder what would be candidates for such moisture absorbing materials.  On the other hand, I wonder if simply putting the skeps on a slanted bottom would do the trick (the ceiling would be slanted as well, so droplets can run off to the walls).

You will need to keep an eye on it at first, and help them if they start having trouble regulating temps or moisture.

I'll look into cheap temperature tracking equipment.

[BlueBee]

The one thing that bugs me right now is whether the bees will be confounded by the fact that there is a near-transparent edge all around the bottom of the their nest, where light will enter during the day.

They won't care about the light.  I've seen a swarm build an open nest in a tree.  The light didn't bother them one bit. 

A secondary question for me is whether the two crates will provide sufficient insulation for the bees during summer, and what I can do to give them a little extra insulation (e.g. a shiny roof similar to a standard hive roof).

As the others have said, you will cook the bees if there is nothing to block the solar radiation from getting to the combs.  I think a foil reflector would work.  Polystyrene would work too.

As for moisture in a plastic bubble hive, I've done it and yes there is moisture since water vapor can't pass through the plastic.  However it is not a death sentence to the bees as long as the moisture isn't too great and doesn't drip onto them.  The slanted roof might help there.  Insulation in the winter would cut down the conversion of honey into heat + water and less water would be good.  Personally I prefer a top vent to just get the moisture out in the first place, but a pure bubble is doable.  If I get some spare time I'll see about posting a photo of my plastic bubble experiments.