Poly hive musings.

[Kate Atchley]

The super thick crownboard in the eBay advert has got 5 ruddy great ventilation holes in it ... these can apparently be closed off, but are plastic and presumably not quite so super thick and insulating. Perhaps there are 5 big fat poly circles to fill the gaps? Nice colours though ... And commendably flat exterior surfaces, so easy to paint.

What are the small white 'blocks' for ... surely not handles? Upper entrances?

All the detail is in the Abelo catalogue at: https://www.abelo.co.uk/wp-content/u...logue-2016.pdf Reading this it seems polystyrene bungs are supplied, as well as plastic ventilation plugs, for the crown board circles. Odd that the Abelo website page on these is so light on detail and has some incorrect pics showing lipped boxes.

I didn't find these hives on eBay (only something similar with fewer extras).

Fatshark, the "white blocks" are optional extra entrances: 2 per brood box and one per super, for ventilation or open. These present interesting ready-made options for colony increase ... could run a brood box as 2 nucs, separated but warmed above its "mother" brood box. Horsley board could become redundant with use of Qx, crown board and these entrances.

I first read about this hive in an ad in the BBKA magazine.

One question, if Swienty boxes take ten frames and these take eleven are they using thinner side walls or is it theoretically possible to actially fit 11 into a Swienty box?

Prakel (corrected to "Prattle" by spell-checker!): maybe the side wall thickness gives way in favour of better insulation above. I've puzzled that Swienty polyhives have such thick side walls but little thickness in roofs (and no insulated crown boards).

[mbc]

I have one of the original thick crown boards and yes, if they're the same, they have the poly disks to close them off, ventilation for moving/hot weather, and a rebate one side for feeding.
The swienty poly broods will fit 11 narrow hoffmans (as in thornes seconds slightly narrower hoffman ends) all be it at a very tight fit, but considering the swienty side walls must be nigh on 1 3/4 " thick theres plenty of scope for keeping the same footprint, making 11 hoffman ends fit comfortably and still leaving a decent wall thickness for insulation.
I must admit I'm getting a bit of a hardon waiting for these new boxes, compatible with existing equipment, mention of dividing boards for queen rearing /split box nucs, integral floor pollen trap, simple, thick, strong looking well insulated roof, reasonably priced and ready to go out of the box, all sounds a bit too good to be true but heres hoping.

[prakel]

The swienty poly broods will fit 11 narrow hoffmans (as in thornes seconds slightly narrower hoffman ends) all be it at a very tight fit, but considering the swienty side walls must be nigh on 1 3/4 " thick theres plenty of scope for keeping the same footprint, making 11 hoffman ends fit comfortably and still leaving a decent wall thickness for insulation.

Thanks great information -I hadn't realized that there was scope for thinning down the walls without compromising the structure.

Prakel (corrected to "Prattle" by spell-checker!):

A German spell-checker may be required (or, perhaps not )!

[Mellifera Crofter]

...
I like the sound of it (no pics available it seems ... website ones are the old version), with its super-thick crown board and deep roof. Think I'll have to try one as I'm looking to add a few more polyhives to kit.

Hope to see it when I visit the BBKA convention early April. Will keep you posted!

I hope you get to see them, Kate. I'd like to hear your verdict. Do they, or don't they, have lips? I imagine I can still see lips in the catalogue photos - but whereas the raised edge illustrated on the website are on the inside (like MB Paradise Boxes) the catalogue illustrations seem to have a raised edge on the outside - but I might be wrong. Take a Swienty with you to test them out, Kate.

Apart from the brittleness drawback C4U mentioned, is the fact that they are 160g/L as opposed to the usual 100g/L an advantage? I remember vaguely that somebody said the gain is not significant. (Was it you, C4U, or somebody else?)

Kitta

[Kate Atchley]

I hope you get to see them, Kate. I'd like to hear your verdict. Do they, or don't they, have lips? .... Take a Swienty with you to test them out, Kate. Kitta

Kitta, Damian at Abelo assures me they don't have lips and can combine with any national boxes, including Swienty. Hope you won't be too dispappointed if don't travel down to near Birmingham from the wild West Highlands carting Swienty parts with me! But I'll have them in mind when I see the new hive!!

[gwizzie]

Kitta, Damian at Abelo assures me they don't have lips and can combine with any national boxes, including Swienty. Hope you won't be too dispappointed if don't travel down to near Birmingham from the wild West Highlands carting Swienty parts with me! But I'll have them in mind when I see the new hive!!

Hi Kate, I have been in contact with Damian for sometime now about these new hives and I hope that I will have one delivered to me next week ? I will keep you posted on if and when this happens. I will also share pictures of the hive if anyone wants them..

As far as I have been told the plastic ridge is the same in the picture (the same as on the Mini Plus mating hives) the ones you have Kate.

A quote from their catalogue

We have also embossed the top and bottom of both
the brood boxes and supers with rigid plastic

[Kate Atchley]

Hi Kate, I have been in contact with Damian for sometime now about these new hives and I hope that I will have one delivered to me next week ? I will keep you posted on if and when this happens. I will also share pictures of the hive if anyone wants them..
As far as I have been told the plastic ridge is the same in the picture (the same as on the Mini Plus mating hives) the ones you have Kate.

No Lip! Another message from Damian in my inbox this morning, with a photo I'll include below:

"Hi Kate,

... Just to let you know both boxes National in the catalogue are upside down (The photo was made in studio). They don't have lips. I have attached a photo of the super without runners etc..

Best regards
Damian"

Super National.jpg

Wondering if this is the dream hive? gwizzie do tell us how you get on.

[gwizzie]

No Lip! Another message from Damian in my inbox this morning, with a photo I'll include below:

"Hi Kate,

... Just to let you know both boxes National in the catalogue are upside down (The photo was made in studio). They don't have lips. I have attached a photo of the super without runners etc..

Best regards
Damian"

Super National.jpg

Wondering if this is the dream hive? gwizzie do tell us how you get on.

Hi Kate,
I think I will need to speak to him again as I am sure he said to me that they were going to have the plastic part ? hummmm.....
As for the perfect hive I don't think there is one out there, as different people want look for different aspects in a hive!!! hahaha NOT what the bees want

I hope that they do have the plastic lip as in the mini plus hives as I really like that part.

[Kate Atchley]

Hi Kate,
I think I will need to speak to him again as I am sure he said to me that they were going to have the plastic part ? hummmm..... I hope that they do have the plastic lip as in the mini plus hives as I really like that part.

Yes I like the lip on the MiniPlus boxes. It makes them less likely to slide apart etc.

But for many of us having national hive equipment which can be interchanged is also important: using cedar supers, for instance, on a Swienty hive, or a Lyson (Abelo) brood box with wooden or Swienty supers, floor or roof.

[gwizzie]

Yes I like the lip on the MiniPlus boxes. It makes them less likely to slide apart etc.

But for many of us having national hive equipment which can be interchanged is also important: using cedar supers, for instance, on a Swienty hive, or a Lyson (Abelo) brood box with wooden or Swienty supers, floor or roof.

Yes I agree with the mini plus the lip is great....

OK I have just been on the phone to Damian and he has confirmed with me that there will be a plastic plate top and bottom of the hives BUT this will NOT have a lip they will be flat, BUGGER was hoping for the lip.

Kate yes I agree with you on that point about interchanging equipment but it would not have been that hard to make a very small eke for this to make lip flush. ???? anyway I hope that this clears up the misunderstanding on this hive!