Extra insulation

[The Drone Ranger]

Now I am undecided !!
I might insulate the polynucs and carry on as normal with the rest

[prakel]

As this is the Scottish beekeeping forum it seems appropriate to mention that John Barrington wrote in 'Red Sky at Night' (1984) about using oven dried sphagnum moss sandwiched between two sheets of mesh with (I think, from memory) the crown board on top.

edit: having had chance to check the book, he says that the moss is sandwiched between a sheet of mesh and a piece of ply.

[prakel]

Here in the balmy South I've got wooden hives with both solid and open-holed crown boards, John Rawson suggested that I leave them open to February/March and then cover them to help Spring build up but I'm rarely organised enough to get them covered -maybe next Spring. I've also got an increasing number of hives and all of our nucs fitted with a sheet of kingspan instead of crown-board and roof, just so much cheaper and simpler. Might not look very pretty put it's very efficient. I've never really been able to see a real difference between any of these configurations based on 'end of year results' which are what I judge my bumbling attempts at beekeeping on. The one exception is seen in the nucs, there's no question that they definitely benefit from the top insulation hence they're all treated that way now.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Now I am undecided !!
I might insulate the polynucs and carry on as normal with the rest

I think, definitely insulate the polynuc, DR, and I think the bees can only be happier if you insulate the rest as well - but not with something that gets soggy.

I wonder how HJBee is getting on with Thornes spongy quilts (post #9). They got soggy when I used them - but maybe that had something to do with my hives' set-up.

Kitta

[crabbitdave]

You never hear of bees dying of the cold but you do of starvation, I think it's us worrying about a problem that isn't there, if your bees get damp from lack of ventilation the water evaporating of their bodies will make them cold, but as I always say do what works for you


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[chris]

As Mellifera Crofter, I use insulation all year round.I put fleece in a rubbish bag and stuff it in an eek over the crown board. Harsh winter cold and very hot sun in summer. Also, a variation of 20° c between max and min is the norm over 24 hours. So it gives the bees a little less work. I think methods used must be dictated by the climate.
I would also venture (if Jon is not looking) that sometimes bees know best. On my Warré, I have a plastic mosquito net laying on top of the frames and a box with a sack base, filled with sawdust sitting on the netting. The net has been propolised between the alleys. The bees depropolise it and repropolise it as their needs for through ventilation vary.

[Jon]

I am looking!
Bees sometimes (but not always) know best.
I found a supersedure queen laying yesterday, one which had only emerged on 18th September so she was cutting it fine.
I still don't understand why several colonies had big slabs of drone brood a couple of weeks ago.
If they know best it must be to unleash them into a mating window some time around mid October and that does not look likely.

[The Drone Ranger]

they have caught a whiff of that marking cage andthose drones will all be heading your way as soon as they can fly

[HJBee]

I wonder how HJBee is getting on with Thornes spongy quilts (post #9). They got soggy when I used them - but maybe that had something to do with my hives' set-up.

Kitta

Hi Kitta

This is my 3rd year of using these, not had a soggy quilt problem yet, but the way this year has gone, who knows!

HJ

[Mellifera Crofter]

It must be my set-up then, HJ. All my hives are polystyrene, and I've made inner crown boards for most of them. There are small gaps around the edges so some of the bees' vapour must get into the eke. Wool can cope with that - but not the sponges.
Kitta