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Thread: Poly hive musings.

  1. #671
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    I've got both the 'new' Swienty and Abelos. It's too soon to make a decision about the latter as the bees have yet to overwinter in them. However, the Abelo boxes have some good and bad design features (in my opinion). The poly is very different "hardness" and I'd like to see a comparison of their thermal properties. The hard plastic interfaces between the Abelo boxes is great as is the fact they come ready-painted.

    As noted elsewhere, I get more condensation in the Abelo all-poly boxes than my Swienty's, which are mix'n'matched with woodenware.

    One additional thing to note about the Swienty's is that they're not uniformly the "45mm thick" as usually advertised (for example on the CWJ site) ... the walls are rebated and are only 29mm thick for ~75% of the area of both side/end walls. This presumably reduces the insulation and seems a missed opportunity (or an unfortunate money-saving decision).

    I note that the 14x12's broods on the CWJ site today are 'old-style' Swienty, with uniformly thick walls ... which were ~45mm thick. All mine are their standard National broods. I suspect they haven't updated the pic as the full 14x12 hives appear to be similar to the standard Nationals.

  2. #672
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    I've got old and new swienty brood and supers. Apart from the rail, I prefer the old style, mainly due to the bevelled edge. The bees nibble this away very readily, making new entrances. A prominent beefarmer I spoke to said that the bees do this where light shines through. The only consolation was that he had worse problems with his paynes poly.

  3. #673
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kate Atchley View Post
    ... and I wish Swienty produced a cover board in poly, with bee space of course ... and a deeper-sided roof. The hives are good but damp can find its way in if you use a conventional cover board in the winter (or summer!) gales.
    Yes, so do I, Kate - but you could perhaps use Abelo crown boards for the Swienties ...

    I've made inner crown boards for the Swienties - particularly for winter use. They fit inside a super that I use as an eke, with extra insulation above the crown board. I've made them out of plywood, but also 4mm twin-wall polycarbon (B&Q). I covered the ends with aluminium tape, and the hole with Sugru (because I had some available). A friend gave me the one on the left. It's been cut with a laser cutter - much better than my efforts.

    Kitta

    Swienty inner crown boards 2.jpg

  4. #674
    Senior Member Kate Atchley's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by steve View Post
    I think my observations about the swienty national are being dismissed too readily ...... I converted all my kit to TBS then along comes this abelo national and it has none of the nonsense, it is what it says it is. I did buy some of their roofs because again, they are a better design.
    If I was starting out again, looking to integrate poly, it would be these abelo hives, it's a no brainer.
    I agree Steve... overall the Lyson/Abelo hives do a better job: I like their deep roof and cover board into which slabs of fondant can be added in winter; their entrance, with its plastic insert, making it easy to adapt to circumstances or hive moving; the plastic surfaces of the box walls protect and make it easier to scrape off propolis; and they're painted already.

    I bought several Swienty hives and several Lyson/Abelos in 2015 so they've been tested over 2 winters and 3 summers. Next year I want to try using a Lyson/Abelo brood box side entrance – or perhaps on both sides with a box divider – for vertical splits. Anyone done this?
    Last edited by Kate Atchley; 10-09-2017 at 08:28 AM.

  5. #675
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kate Atchley View Post
    ... I bought several Swienty hives and several Lyson/Abelos in 2015 so they've been tested over 2 winters and 3 summers. Next year I want to try using a Lyson/Abelo brood box side entrance – or perhaps on both sides with a box divider – for vertical splits. Anyone done this?
    I've used the side entrances, Kate, for vertical splits, and also to let drones escape from above the queen excluder after moving the queen down to the bottom box. I've not used it with a box divider to house two nucleus colonies in the same box - but that's a good idea.

    I was a bit worried that the entrance might be too large for the colony to defend the honey boxes, and have reduced some with foam. I think I'll use some of the ventilation plugs next year as entrance reducers, with some of the plastic rods cut out to create a smaller entrance.

    Kitta

  6. #676
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    FWIW years ago I trialled some brood boxes which took 2 nucs. Result was invariably one colony as one of the two queens would be more attractive to the bees. Not saying this is always going to happen but its the reason I use individual nuc boxes now.

    PH

  7. #677
    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poly Hive View Post
    FWIW years ago I trialled some brood boxes which took 2 nucs. Result was invariably one colony as one of the two queens would be more attractive to the bees. Not saying this is always going to happen
    That's right.

    But, I have put a lot of effort into using divided boxes, of all sizes, over several years (I've previously made lots of posts discussing these things, but I don't really bother much anymore). Anyway, this is stuff for a totally different thread but I will add a handful of photos, just for the hell of it .

    374.jpg

    14956009_1140919536004928_5866019811253777440_n.jpg

    089.jpg A particularly strong nuc being allowed to draw extra combs while it's smaller neighbour is waiting on a queen to mate.

    296.jpg

    072.jpg Short on frames (both boxes)!

  8. #678
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    I have lots of split national broods with an entrance either way and I do still use them, given the funds I'd go over to poly nucs as they're more flexible but the split boxes owe me nothing and still do a good job.
    I have also used the side entrance of an abelo brood for a vertical split and it worked fine, I'm a fan of the lyson design, as Kate says the hard plastic edges make them robust and easy to clean, my favourite so far though is the Abelo poly national Ashforth feeder, no painting or bee space issues and can be used out of the box, super bit of kit imho

  9. #679

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    I like the Abelo hives and find the extra entrances very useful
    I have used them for splits and also find the bees use the entrances in the suppers to bring honey in
    I use the white entrance blocks side on to reduce the gap in the boxes if I need to
    Also had the other makes of national poly but Abelo hives have got it spot on as far as I'm concerned

  10. #680

    Default Abelo roof propolised!

    Quote Originally Posted by mpenn View Post
    I like the Abelo hives and find the extra entrances very useful
    I have used them for splits and also find the bees use the entrances in the suppers to bring honey in
    I use the white entrance blocks side on to reduce the gap in the boxes if I need to
    Also had the other makes of national poly but Abelo hives have got it spot on as far as I'm concerned
    I have been very pleased with my Abelo hive - had it for a year and the swarm I overwintered in it did fine (actually as did my WBC hives). However, this summer
    I am unable to remove the deep roof to get at the super in order to take off honey. I can only think the roof is heavily propolised onto the super. Does anyone have an idea how I can get the roof off without damaging it?

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