I don't like the internal feeder either so I cut it out.
http://www.bbka.org.uk/files/gallery...6081_large.jpg
I don't like the internal feeder either so I cut it out.
http://www.bbka.org.uk/files/gallery...6081_large.jpg
I have thought about doing this in the past and have suggested it to other people after seeing it on here. However I use langstroths so only use the paynes nucs in an emergency.Originally Posted by Adam
The comment of the lids being to thin on the national poly nucs comes from several nucs being transferred from the national nuc to full poly langs and doing so much better even in the bigger hive I belive this is due to thicker lids meaning more top insulation.
Poly hive musings.
robin118 ... this is all sounding good since I've ordered some poly Lang nucs following the earlier tip from drumgerry about the current offer from ModernBeekeeping. These should be here Tuesday and are destined for conversion to Nationals - either six frame or twin three frame. The feeder on the Paynes box is poor, but can be avoided, the lid is hopeless. At the frankly daft prices some people are charging for nucs this year you can get half a dozen empty nucs for the same price ...
I bought two of this new design on yesterday (Sunday)afternoon. On has a black disk and the other a white one. They are of beaded and not extruded construction and although I do not have anything with which to compare them, the quality and design do not over impress. There are totally unnecessary slots underneath the lid, presumeably to aid it's removal - what a farce, the lid falls off at every opportunity. I can see myself having to make 9" deep roofs with 2" of insulation to bring them up to standard. I shall not be butchering the feeder - cost too much and can stay! My faith in my old fashioned, well used wooden nucs has been restored. But as always what works for one may not work elsewhere and vice versa.
Did you buy the eke as well? If not, I think using the eke filled with insulation would be easier than making roofs - and neater too. That's what I do.
Kitta
Even without additional insulation bees seem to winter very well in them. That has to be the important thing. The roof is a good fit as well as made of poly and that has to count for something. If you modify the roof, there is likely to be more of a draught unless your craftmanship is very good. Filling the eke sounds good though.
The design does have weaknesses - but credit to Roger Payne who put his hand in his pocket and paid for the mold tool in the first place. As you write Gavin, bees do seem to do quite well in them - unless they drown in the feeder which is why I removed it. All right..., butchered it.
We've just received 3 of the latest design Paynes nucs and they seem to have dealt with most of the previous design faults (apparent to us in one sent over for a nuc). Transferred 2 nucs into 2 of them so we'll see how they do compared with our previous method of either having two nucs in a twinstock or a nuc taking up a whole brood box with dummies. One spare now but probably not for long as the bees are feeling prosperous and will probably be thinking about swarming!
6 of them arrived today together with 3 of the Modern Beekeeping Langs. The Paynes poly seems a bit harder than on the two I already have or maybe it's just that they've got a winter under their belts. I like them. People criticise them but they work. Bees stay alive in them! Just moved a swarm into one of my old ones with removed feeder and I'm glad they won't have the option to build comb in that now. It's going to hurt (without bloodshed I hope!) to butcher the new 6 but it's got to be done.
The MB ones are made of "proper" poly but it's going to to take a bit of work to get them to take Nat frames.
Poly hive musings.
I received half a dozen of the MB poly Lang nucs today, also destined for National conversion. Like their full National hives the poly is reassuringly dense. Let's compare notes after the attempted conversion.
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