Extra insulation

[lindsay s]

Cedar Smith hives with wooden floors and entrance blocks. I’ve tried open mesh floors but couldn’t see any improvements so I switched back to wood (nine expensive OMF’s are now gathering dust).
On top of the brood chamber wooden crown board with mesh over the holes and an empty super plus roof. The mesh is to stop the bees having access above the crown board and the empty super gives the damp air somewhere to gather before venting out through the roof. If the bees are bothered by the draught or loosing heat then they can seal up the mesh but mine don’t. This method has worked well for me for over 30 years because winters up here tend to be long cold and damp rather than cold and dry.

Some of the old boys think it's funny because they drill big holes in their crownboards, then lift them on matchsticks every winter to make sure their bees to live in a wind tunnel.

I’ve just been reading Principles of Practical Beekeeping by Robert Couston.
Included in chapter V on wintering he mentions lifting the crown board on match sticks, leaving the feed holes in crown boards open and in colonies prone to dampness over wintering with an empty super directly on top of the brood chamber. Before you all throw your hands up in horror I’m not anti-insulation but the whole chapter steers towards ventilation rather than insulation and although it was written over 40 years ago I tend to agree with him.

[The Drone Ranger]

The Bob Couston book is a good one Lindsay if you live in Scotland especially the east coast

I have enough room in the roof for a small rapid feeder over the hole in the crown board
I usually put a nice clean feeder on empty to catch the condensation during winter
I'm beginning to wonder if I should be insulating the space instead as it might be better for the bees

Its reasurring to know I am not the only beek with no top insulation though

A bit of advice would be welcome on the Paynes Poly nucs
The old ones had no perspex crown board so it didn't arise
The new ones do have this thin perspex and I wonder if it needs to come out for overwintering nucs ?
Although I was a bit sceptical several nucs overwintered well in the old style last Winter (it was mild though)
Anyone have thoughts or experience of surviving bad winters in Poly nucs ?

[Rosie]

I’ve just been reading Principles of Practical Beekeeping by Robert Couston.
Included in chapter V on wintering he mentions lifting the crown board on match sticks, leaving the feed holes in crown boards open and in colonies prone to dampness over wintering with an empty super directly on top of the brood chamber. Before you all throw your hands up in horror I’m not anti-insulation but the whole chapter steers towards ventilation rather than insulation and although it was written over 40 years ago I tend to agree with him.

So do I but when Couston wrote that, OMFs were a rarity. I would guess that if he wrote it today he might well believe that ventilation through the floor was as good or better than a through draught pouring out of the top. My thinking is that with an open floor it would be easy for the bees to control the convection current through the cluster merely by tightening up or loosening their huddle.

[fatshark]

Hi DR
I've overwintered in the Paynes poly nucs with a 2mm perspex sheet as a crownboard. No problems, though the roof is very thin - frost melts above the cluster. I built insulated ekes to take a lump of fondant a few years ago which worked well.

[The Drone Ranger]

Thanks fatshark I will just leave the perspex in then.
They sell an eke for £10 I see which might allow room for a bit more insulation ?

[Bumble]

I've overwintered Modern Beekeeping nucs, which have quite a thin roof, using just a sheet of polythene as a crown board. This year they're getting a kingspan hat above (over and around) the roof, although they probably don't need it.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thanks fatshark I will just leave the perspex in then.
They sell an eke for £10 I see which might allow room for a bit more insulation ?

DR, I use that eke all year round with insulation - in fact, all my hives has a shallow as an eke with insulation all year. In my case, offcuts from slabs of wool insulation. They fit easily over feeders and stay nice and dry apart from around the edges where the wool touches the roof or walls (and that varies from hive to hive).

Downside of using wool in the summer is getting woolly fingers - so I change gloves often and have a damp cloth handy.
Kitta

[The Drone Ranger]

Thanks kitta
I think the wool loft insulation might be cheaper than Celotex especially if I just "borrow" some from the loft

[crabbitdave]

Hi all I've stopped insulating the roof of my hives, I tried it with and without and seams to make no difference, I've found they need more ventilation not Insulation and my apiary well above 600 ft so we get snow most years


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[Neils]

I just cover the hole in the crown board with a block of fondant and leave them to it.