Using the new polynucs [Archive] - SBA Interactive forum

Kate Atchley

28-05-2011, 11:09 PM

Bought some of the new Paynes' polynucs to try this year, one of which has been occupied for a couple of weeks now. Here are some thoughts about them:

I noticed the bees found it hard to find the entrance at first. I'm considering painting the recessed entrance a different colour.

Also, I now have a board in place under the entrance which deters bees running back and onto the mesh underneath. The first night, a number of bees settled under the mesh floor where they died in the gales.

It's very hard to avoid squashing bees when putting on the roof or lowering frames into place (no bee space under the lugs). So I'm thinking of using some kind of crown board - cardboard probably - and fitting plastic frame runners to allow bee space under the lugs.

The bees had built brace comb above one frame, up to the roof, so opening up caused quite a kerfuffle and lots of unhappy bees. A crown board would deter them from this.

The polynuc blew over in the gales last week despite big stones on top ... it's pretty light. You may be wise to strap them down and weight them heavily.

I hadn't painted the inside of the feeder but there was only one dead bee in it when I went to refill it today. So it seems they can run up and down the sides fairly easily when it's empty. It takes an unexpectedly large amount of syrup - more than 2.75 lt.

A useful piece of kit I reckon, but improved with these simple adaptations.

Anyone else got experience of these ... more suggestions?

Kate

gavin

29-05-2011, 01:00 AM

Hi Kate

Its nice to see you assessing them in this way, with a view to improving the features that could be improved. I agree with several of the things you say about them. Currently I have 6 in use as mating nuclei for 2-3 frame splits.

That feed unit is very useful and mine have up to 2kg of fondant in each, cut off a big block with a kitchen knife in thick slices and dropped down into the space. Fondant doesn't slop about in transit and bees don't drown in it. There is no need to fit a queen excluder - the thin slot in the depression between the main and the feed chambers is for a piece of queen excluder.

Hard to find the entrance? Yes, there were some bees that couldn't work it out when I made the splits. Not that many, but my bigger worry is that queens might also struggle to make it back. Painting a different colour in the recess and perhaps around it seems wise.

Strip under the entrance to stop bees gathering under the mesh? Yes, could help. I only lost a few that way.

Squashing bees on the rim under the lid. Yes, one or two met their end that way. Maybe I should use more smoke in future. Can't see what you can do to help in the way of alterations except perhaps use a crown board substitute. Cardboard would work (though the bees would chew it) or perhaps a polythene sheet just laid on the top bars. That would stop brace comb too.

It is advised that you paint inside the feeder units in poly hives to avoid mould and the seepage of syrup into the matrix. So I used a small radiator paint roller to paint inside, and added sand to the exterior masonry paint to give it a rough surface.

Tescos currently sell a pack of two straps in their car section for £2.50. They are not ratchet straps but the gentler fastener is appropriate for polystyrene. Useful for moving hives and ensuring that the lid stays on.

Small colonies (up to 6 frames) will probably overwinter well in these boxes. Cost £27.50 from Paynes. (http://www.paynesbeefarm.co.uk/nuc-mating-hives/)

Further thought: is the entrance immune to chewing by mice? If not, what can be done?

Mellifera Crofter

29-05-2011, 06:59 PM

Very helpful post, Kate. Thanks.

colintinto

30-05-2011, 11:14 AM

Kate Atchley

30-05-2011, 11:37 AM

I've got a couple of these I haven't used yet.

As for the feed unit - how is it supposed to work? Do you just put in one of these frame feeders? Or can you just put the syrup straight into the space, but with some sort of float in it?

Colin

Colin, the feeder is the equivalent of a frame feeder, but in situ, so you can put syrup or candy into it. (See Gavin's recommendation above re painting + sand in paint, to protect it and make it easier for the bees to scramble up and down. My polynucs came with a wooden float for the feeder - sitting in the bottom of it. If you don't have this, perhaps Paynes would supply one or you could create your own?

Have fun with them!

Kate

colintinto

30-05-2011, 01:52 PM

Ah - now you mention it, they did come with a bit of wood! Wondered what that was for ;)

So Masonry paint with added sand then? I think I have some of that lying about.

Colin

Rosie

30-05-2011, 05:30 PM

There is no need to fit a queen excluder - the thin slot in the depression between the main and the feed chambers is for a piece of queen excluder

I had assumed the slot was for putting a sheet of steel or plastic in for keeping bees out of the feeder when not in use. I would expect them to fill it with brace comb once empty.

Rosie

fatshark

12-06-2011, 09:28 AM

That feed unit is very useful and mine have up to 2kg of fondant in each, cut off a big block with a kitchen knife in thick slices and dropped down into the space. Fondant doesn't slop about in transit and bees don't drown in it. There is no need to fit a queen excluder - the thin slot in the depression between the main and the feed chambers is for a piece of queen excluder.

Hi Gavin
I'm just thinking of buying a few of these for overwintering. I've fed fondant and Neopoll in frame feeders before now and had them filled with brace comb. The width of the feeder on this Paynes box suggests it would be tough to remove. Have you had any problems?

I use thick polythene on Kielers and was considering the same for these nucs, or a sheet of 2mm clear polycarbonate perhaps?

Finally, is there an obvious way to adapt them to make two three frame mating nucs, by filling in the entrance and cutting new ones? With a divider of course.

Cheers
D.

gavin

12-06-2011, 11:42 AM

Hi there cartilaginous fellow

They do look good for overwintering small colonies. I haven't had bees in them long enough to see the problems with comb in the feeder - and Steve may be right that the small slot is to put a small sheet in to stop them getting access to the feeder. It could serve both functions - queen excluder as in an Apidea, and bee excluder.

The feeder tapers and is narrower lower down. If you had brace comb in it a long kitchen knife would probably free it from the sides. It should be easier to remove than in a frame feeder which has additional barriers at each end.

Yes, thick polythene or any kind of light board on the frames may help. Haven't tried it yet.

Kate mentioned the problem of crushing bees under frame lugs. I agree, this is a problem and plastic frame runners would help. The frames can be hard to remove without damaging the polystyrene so I've tried polyurethane varnish on the surfaces the frame lugs rest on. These boxes don't yet have bees in them so I'm not sure how well that will work.

You could cut new entrances but if I was to do it the result would be messy! If you were to do that one side of the nucleus would not have access to the feeder.

I have added black Magic Marker lines (like sun's rays) inside the cut-out for the normal entrance and there seemed to be less confusion when we hived a swarm in one recently.

all the best

Gavin

fatshark

12-06-2011, 12:42 PM

Hi Gavin
Is there space for frame runners? The photos on the Paynes site aren't hugely helpful as they neither show the entrance or whether they are top bee space. If the latter it should be possible to use some of that plastic beading you can get in 8' strips from the DIY stores.
Regarding making new entrances ... polystyrene can be drilled pretty neatly using those 'brace and bit'-type drills. That, plus a Correx spacer might generate generate two x three frame nucs for mating.
Cheers
D.

gavin

12-06-2011, 01:40 PM

Hi D

Yes, they are top bee space and as far as I recall with a sufficiently generous top space to allow a runner and a still a bee space above the frames. I should have access to some this afternoon and if I remember I'll measure the space. I can visualise the Correx divider working as you suggest. In that case I would leave a break in the frame runners to make shaping a bee-tight divider easier. It would need to protrude sufficiently above the top bars to meet the roof, and have extensions that sit on the shelf where the frame lugs sit. One other complication is that there is a mesh floor. This is a cut-out piece in the polystyrene and mesh is affixed to the underside. So the Correx would have to be shaped to match the cut-out in the floor too. I can see lots of cardboard attempts before you have a good template for the Correx but it should be possible.

We have 15 to play with and 20 Apideas thanks to Awards for All but if I was paying for them myself I might be tempted to try as you suggest. The one problem might be cutting off the access to the feeder. A frame feeder in a 3-frame nuc isn't really on so you'd be reduced to thin pancakes of fondant for top-up winter feeding.

G.

Here are two boxes, one just acting as a hive stand to support the box into which a swarm was knocked (not our swarm we think!). The entrance is a small slit inside that cut-out.

http://www.sbai.org.uk/images/polynuc1.jpg

GRIZZLY

12-06-2011, 03:31 PM

Hi all,I've just hived two neucs from these boxes.One was fine and just emptied the feeder full of ambrosia so was easy to get all the bees out.The other had built brace comb at right angles to the normal frame run,i.e. across the feeder.Not easy to remove the bee from inside the feeder.Fortunately the queen was in amongst the frames and had not gone into the wild comb.It's VERY important to fit a piece of Q.excluder across the slots to each side of the feeder wall to stop her maj going awol.Getting her out of such a confined space would not be easy without causing her injury.

droning_on

12-06-2011, 11:34 PM

I have six of these but I wouldn't buy any more. They are not designed by an experienced bee keeper. If you put a swarm in one you need to fit a block of foam to keep them out of the feeder slot, the thick inner wall to the feeder slot gets bees squashed, the entrance is too small the list goes on. The manufacturer should have road tested the design before going into production. The ONLY good thing about them is the price £23.50 If you have a look at http://www.wealdplacefarmbees.co.uk/hives.php you can get some more info.

gavin

12-06-2011, 11:46 PM

Murray McGregor says that he will have one in production later in the year and that the cost will be below this.

A word of warning: Wealdplace Farm has been getting slated on another forum. He sounds most unreliable. I bought ours from Paynes and their customer service was good. The box is branded by them and I hear that Wealdplace now markers the Paynes ones.

OK, there is a crushing risk but it isn't that much worse than other polyhives which all have thick walls.

D, the bee space where the frame lugs sit is the thickness of two top bars. Plenty of room for runners, a frame top bar, and a bee space.

Gavin

fatshark

13-06-2011, 07:10 AM

Thanks Gavin ... I've ordered some. From Paynes - I'd seen the correspondence about other suppliers.
Photographs of modified mating nuc to follow, but thus might be a winter project as this years queens are about ready to come out of the Kielers.
Cheers all,
D.

gavin

13-06-2011, 09:18 AM

It's VERY important to fit a piece of Q.excluder across the slots to each side of the feeder wall to stop her maj going awol. Getting her out of such a confined space would not be easy without causing her injury.

Hi John

I think that you need to put a small piece of the thin slotted zinc type of excluder vertically in the thin slot in the depression between the feeder and the main box. One across the top isn't going to work as the top is closed off by the roof which sits directly on the walls and the division wall for the feeder. The only way through for bees is via that depression.

If I understood you correctly.

Gavin

Kate Atchley

13-06-2011, 11:33 AM

Apparently Roger Payne (of Paynes, suppliers) has 60 of these in use so I guess he is the current expert on the pros and cons. I know he is watching this discussion but whether he will be willing to share the cons as he experiences them ... ??

Kate

GRIZZLY

13-06-2011, 10:05 PM

Exactly what I said Gavin-Drop the Q excluder into the slots either side of the access slot leading into the feeder.
Hi John

I think that you need to put a small piece of the thin slotted zinc type of excluder vertically in the thin slot in the depression between the feeder and the main box. One across the top isn't going to work as the top is closed off by the roof which sits directly on the walls and the division wall for the feeder. The only way through for bees is via that depression.

If I understood you correctly.

Gavin

fatshark

14-06-2011, 09:56 PM

First impressions ... delivery from Paynes was very quick indeed. Ordered late Sunday and arrived late this morning (Tuesday). Reasonably well packed, with the odd surface blemish, but nothing to spoil function or that won't be covered in paint in due course. Internal width is 22.4cm, so enough room for a thin divider with 3 frames each side if anyone is thinking of converting them to a double three frame mating nuc. Although Gavin is correct about the mesh floor, the rebate is square-cut so I think it would be pretty easy to profile a Correx divider ... perhaps the best way would be to use one of those profile shapes to fit lino around skirting board edges. The entrance is central, recessed and a bit narrow for my liking. The photo above by Gavin shows an arrow pointing to the hole. However, filling it in would be easy, and the polystyrene is sufficiently dense it should drill easily to add two new entrances at opposite 'corners'. The rebate for the frame lug is 1.7cm below the top edge, so frame runners are possible at the expense of the top bee space. However, there is ample space below the frames, so all should be OK.

Poly density is reported as 100g/l. For comparison, it gave the impression of being a little less dense than a Kieler mating hive or a Denrosa/Sweinty polyhive.

D.

Adam

20-06-2011, 05:25 PM

I bought a couple from Paynes and their service was good. I too was not impressed by the lack of runners so there is a lot of propolis space. You can't put the top on without crushing bees. :( The top does tend to get stuck down with propolis and you can't ease it off well. >>PING<< I personally don't like the entrance (not straightforward to close up for travelling or wasp attack) and the polystyrene does seem quite lightweight - none too strong. It may be lighter than wood but then you don't need a brick with a wooden hive. You can't feed without disturbing the colony too. A crown board would be beneficial. With the two I have I have not noticed any faster build-up compared to 5-frame wooden ones. I have some 8-frame nucs and Nationals so I can jump from 5 to 8 frames - don't need the 6 frame poly.

In summary: These prototypes are OK but I prefer my plywood and timber boxes.

gavin

20-06-2011, 08:25 PM

At the weekend I bought some inexpensive plastic beading as D suggested and will soon try gluing it into place (wood glue?). If this helps then maybe Roger can add some to the package as they wouldn't be an expensive addition.

I'll probably always now paint the ledges the top bars sit on with polyurethene varnish - a bit of toughening up will help.

As for a crown board a sheet of heavy polythene, cut to cover most of the top bars, will probably work as well. No >>PING<<, less squashing. The ability to feed with minimal disturbance.

They seem warm so build-up during the summer should be better (mine are certainly building well) and winter survival should be better than wood. So far, I quite like them. Looking forward too to seeing the design Murray has come up with.

G.

PS I should add that I like the small entrance - it is just the size it should be for a nuc. I can't see a 6-frame nuc being bothered by congestion, and it is a good size for them to defend.

Adam

21-06-2011, 08:45 AM

The opening is about the right size IMO - but with a heavy wasp attack and a small colony it's not straightforward to close up to just the odd bee space. I personally don't like entrances on corners !

Adam

21-06-2011, 08:52 AM

Gavin
Can you clear you inbox out? I can't get a pm through to you!

The Drone Ranger

21-06-2011, 06:06 PM

Being a bit of a bodger I just took a sharp knife to the wide central rib and cut it down in height to give a bee space (so bees avoid being squashed) and stuffed some foam in the unused feeder slot

Kate Atchley

22-06-2011, 11:09 AM

BE WARNED ... Apparently the camphor in certain Varroa treatments - eg Apivar - seriously affects the polystyrene so such treatments are not compatible with these hives.

I hope folk find his out before their nucs become damaged.

Kate

The Drone Ranger

02-07-2011, 06:28 PM

Gavin
How's the mating success rate using these Poly Nucs
I haven't had much luck but it might have been weather or murphy's law

gavin

02-07-2011, 08:17 PM

Poor. Roughly one third mated and laying, one third drone layers, one third early failures.

Others not using these boxes also report poor mating, so I'm not blaming the boxes.

Jon

02-07-2011, 09:44 PM

I am getting good results with apideas this year so I would also blame the weather rather than the box.
I have about 30 queens mated and only two drone layers so far.

Kate Atchley

03-07-2011, 08:02 AM

Anecdotal evidence only: queen in first one, set up late May, was very slow to lay (about a month) and is now forging ahead with great slabs of brood.

I filled three more this week and will let you know how they fare. I'd heard that one lot liked to meditate and others worshipped the sun - see pic!

Kate

http://www.sbai.org.uk/images/kate_sunworship.jpg

gavin

03-07-2011, 11:35 AM

I see that you have placed a slab under the entrance. I can see why - when you first set them up you get bees milling about on the ground, certain that the front door was somewhere near here but not realising that they had to jump up a cm or so to get there. I wonder if your slab might also discourage the attentions of rodents. I'll bet that they would be willing to lurk underneath the hive, out of sight, but with your arrangement they would have to go in head first to nibble at the entrance and expose their rears to a watching world of cats, kestrels, owls and other types of mouse horrors. I don't suppose that anyone has stress-tested these things yet during peak mouse invasion season?

Kate Atchley

03-07-2011, 12:24 PM

Keep watching Gavin and I look forward to the pic of the mouse being end-nibbled by the kestrel, with the owl and cat in attendance wondered when/where to pounce. The woodpecker meanwhile is sulking nearby. Ol' McDonald'll have nothing on these!

gavin

03-07-2011, 08:56 PM

And where you are (also where I am come to think of it) a sea eagle skulking in the background waiting for a nice cat fillet ....

Seriously though, winter rodent attack is one of the bigger problems for bees and beekeepers. Putting hives on exposed high stands deters mice, I was once told by an observant countryman who sometimes reads the forum. Maybe your slabs will also help.

Cracking day here. It looks like the clover and lime are both flooding in. The ragwort is out too and the comb is getting yellow-stained here and there by hives that are collecting it. Had a great afternoon at the association apiary with a bunch of enthusiastic helpers. We shared grafting into a row of cups and I'll have a look in a couple of days to see if they have taken.

Ooops - I'm drifting off topic. We moved the queen from a strong colony to provide the safest kind of cell raising colony but maybe the grafts were out in the warm too long. The queen was moved into a polynuc (Phew! Got back on topic.)

G.

Jon

03-07-2011, 09:10 PM

Had a great afternoon at the association apiary with a bunch of enthusiastic helpers. We shared grafting into a row of cups and I'll have a look in a couple of days to see if they have taken.

Staying off topic, you can check if grafts have taken in a couple of hours. Any larvae they don't like will be gone at this point.

fatshark

03-07-2011, 09:31 PM

I've used a small piece of correx (held in place with gimp pins) as a landing board to funnel them into the entrance:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2460080/bees/entrance1.jpeg

which seems to do the trick:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2460080/bees/entrance2.jpeg

and have used Gorilla glue to stick both plastic or metal frame runners in place:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2460080/bees/gorilla.jpeg

This one needs a bit of tidying up ... Finally, rather than using a plastic sheet as a crown board, I've used a 2mm sheet of perspex.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2460080/bees/perspex.jpeg

This has the advantage that you can gently slide it across, which forces the bees down between the frames and makes closing up the box very straightforward. In due course I'll make a simple wood-framed, kingspan-filled eke with a space for fondant to overwinter colonies with ... I've yet to use the integral feeders and am beginning to think they might have been better as a simple poly box in which we could add frame feeders if required.

The Drone Ranger

04-07-2011, 08:51 AM

Many thanks Kate Gavin & Jon for your experiences
I am going to fit landing platforms
I have a theory that my bees are too thick to find the entrance after the mating flight
They can't even find their way though an open window just above their head.

gavin

04-07-2011, 09:17 AM

You might be right. I have seen queens struggle to return to observation hives

Kate Atchley

04-07-2011, 09:27 AM

Yer ... the bees do seem to find these entrances tricky. (Hope the painted lotus/sunstars are helping them and the Qs when they take off soon ... see pics above!)

If I overwinter some polynucs I'll find a way of putting them up, well off the ground ... not just to help re mice but also pinemartens and the damp. My guess is that these hives wouldn't stand a chance if a pinemartens decided to get in. And mice too perhaps? Maybe I could create a wee mouse guard to cover the whole of the "porch" around the entrance. That would deter both from exploring further perhaps.

By the way, I realised only when I gave the first of the new colonies to a beginner to take away that a strap tied lengthways round fits neatly over the foam placed in the entrance, so no way it could have slipped out on the journey. Neat heh?

Kate

Adam

04-07-2011, 04:31 PM

I did have a problem with the integral feeder.

Some syrup had gone in and had been taken. Unfortunately there were quite a few dead bees down the bottom of the feeder but also wood for them to stand on so I wasn't too worried about it. The bees seemed dry. Of course it's not easy to take them out. The colony of bees needed more syrup to draw comb so I put in an inch or so in there - not a big quantity. On the next inspection - about a week later there were even more bees in the feeder, drowning in a fermenting mess - most of the syrup had gone by this time. I suspect that the dead bees that I hadn't cleared out were the cause of the fermentation as the large jar of syrup was used elsewhere so the syrup was fine. For some reason the bees were unable to climb up the side-walls of the feeder prison. Maybe got drunk on the alcohol? Does this happen with bees?

Fortunately I had just emptied my other 6 frame poly nuc so I was able to transfer the bees into a new box.

Was it my fault? Maybe I should have removed the dead bees and they would have been OK thereafter. However the design does not allow for easy removal. A frame feeder - or just a box with a crown-board and eke would be better.

GRIZZLY

05-07-2011, 12:59 PM

I use AMBROSIA to feed the bees in my poly neucs - no floating wood.The bees seem to cope o.k. and I haven't experienced drowning.Also the AMBROSIA doesn't seem to ferment.I use 1mm thick polycarbonate sheet as an inner cover board , this stops the bees propolising the lid shut and lets me re-fill the feeder.Successful matings using these neucs so far.

GRIZZLY

29-07-2011, 03:27 PM

Paynes are now producing a "lek" for the polyneuc.The intention is to be able to convert them to accept 14 x 10 size frames.I purchased a set for the standard size Paynes polyneucs I am running - not to convert them to 14 x 10 but to allow me to put fondant or pollen patties on top of the frames.They also supply inner covers made from clear plastic sheet which they gave me free of charge to complete the set-up.This can be trapped between the brood box and the lek to allow a slab of expanded foam to be added under the roof for better insulation if the colony is overwintered in these units.They also supplied the wooden floats F.O.C.for the feeder slot.I think these additions make the polyneucs more versatile.

Kate Atchley

13-08-2011, 08:33 AM

The four polynucs I've used for mating colonies have worked well ... four queen-right starter colonies; no dead bees in the feeding frames (syrup was fed); and the unpainted ones showing no signs of deterioration, yet.

I'm thinking of using two for overwintering, so will raise them and close off the passage through to the feeder once they are sufficiently fed.

I reckon it's worth gluing plastic frame runners on all of these nucs ... one national runner cuts into two for one polynuc ... perfetto!

Their integral feeder has made me long for frame feeders in all my wooden nucs! Anyone got a few spares!?

It's been a rewarding beekeeping spell despite broken wrist (escaping attack by a ferocious broody!): saw queen returning from mating flight for first time about two weeks ago; then heard virgin(s?) piping their eagerness to emerge in a colony superseding; and yesterday I collected my largest swarm yet. The placid bees had built exquisite drifts of comb, full of brood, in a compost bin over four weeks. Their comb almost filled a brood box. Now they are confronting the drizzle and strange surroundings with hesitation!

... and there's honey to harvest ... mouth watering!

Kate

fatshark

16-08-2011, 07:27 AM

GRIZZLY

16-08-2011, 10:41 AM

Some scrap 20mm makes a perfectly functional eke for Apiguard treatment ... at quite a saving from the Paynes prices ;) There's a gap once the lid is fitted, but the strap holds everything secure.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2460080/eke.jpg

.fatshark

The Paynes lek is some 3 inches deep-enough to get slabs of poly insulation for overwintering bees in safety.

Kate Atchley

16-08-2011, 10:50 AM

Some scrap 20mm makes a perfectly functional eke for Apiguard treatment ... at quite a saving from the Paynes prices ;) There's a gap once the lid is fitted, but the strap holds everything secure.

fatshark

I don't know the contents of Apiguard ... any camphor in it? See entry 25 ... may be wise to talk with Paynes about possible damage to the polystyrene.

Kate

fatshark

16-08-2011, 12:34 PM

My understanding is that Apiguard contains Thymol (25% w/v) only, in a food-grade gel. There is no mention of camphor in the literature from Vita.

Furthermore the nuc box appears to still be intact ... ;)

Adam

24-08-2011, 04:24 PM

My nucs are intact too. No problems with the thymol. I have a crown board with feeder on top and wooden eke so I can monitor feeding. The MB Poly nationals are made from stronger stuff... On the BBKA site I have made some comments about them. In the intermediate & advanced section. (Well someone has to post there!)

http://www.bbka.org.uk/members/forum.php?c=2&f=4&t=5420&pg=0

Has anyone here seen them in the flesh?

fatshark

25-08-2011, 11:59 AM

I have two MB National hives waiting to be painted in the garage. First impressions are that the poly is very dense and that the hive parts fit together extremely well. The poly seems much denser than the Paynes nucs, but it's worth noting that they have much thicker walls so it might just reflect the additional material. The (horribly coloured) frame runners fit well and provide protection to the most vulnerable parts of the brood box/supers. I have Denrose/Sweinty poly supers for comparison which lack this and needed modifying with castellated spacers. I prefer castellations in supers and I think it will be harder to modify the MB ones.

So, first impressions are good, but the proof of the pudding is how well a colony copes over the season.

--
fatshark

gavin

25-08-2011, 05:15 PM

Has anyone here seen them in the flesh?

What, the posts on the BBKA forum?! :)

Used to be there all the time. I've given up on it, just like most of the folk who used to post there.

G.

gavin

25-08-2011, 05:20 PM

Jon

25-08-2011, 06:27 PM

sheets that look like Chinese carry-out lids is their low profile.

That's what I use but with a shallow 1" eke. If you have a crown board or a framed excluder it should leave enough space.

The 3k tub cost £92 from Thorne and that will treat 30 full sized colonies.

Adam

25-08-2011, 08:18 PM

What, the posts on the BBKA forum?! :)

Used to be there all the time. I've given up on it, just like most of the folk who used to post there.

G.

I must be mad!

Adam

25-08-2011, 08:23 PM

We're going to have a Varroa session this Saturday at the association apiary. I may try Apiguard on the sheet that you get with the buckets of Apiguard (we had an Awards for All grant, remember) directly on the top bars (in the Paynes polynucs) without an eke. The advantage of the tray-less application straight onto these sheets that look like Chinese carry-out lids is their low profile.

One advantage of these, I realised, is that you don't have to use an eke if you have a wire queen excluder. The card with Apiguard goes on the top bar of the frames, a wire queen excluder goes on top and then a crown board on top of that. The Apiguard just squeezes through the queen excluder and the bees can get to it.

In one of my paynes polynucs I put the card upside down i.e. with the apiguard underneath - seems to work. The polynuc is sitting on a piece of wood to block up the ventillated floor.

gavin

25-08-2011, 08:25 PM

You are trying your best Adam. Maybe it will build again, but I fear that the current folk responsible will, one day, just repeat their mistakes and shed much of the community again. Anyway. I shouldn't be bitching about other fora.

Yup, that's the tub Jon. Ours should last a few years at this rate. I might not need to use it every year as the winter oxalic treatment will be routine and the Apiguard just used as required. This summer at least on one colony it is very much required.

Adam

26-08-2011, 01:53 PM

You are trying your best Adam.

I don't know why really. It's the Eric and Adam show at the moment but feel free to join in! I don't know if it's me keeping Eric company or the other way round!

I fear that the current folk responsible will, one day, just repeat their mistakes. My fear too.

Rosie

26-08-2011, 03:02 PM

This is the already the second time they have done it. I forgave them the first time but I don't plan to invest any energy in this new attempt for it all to be thrown away again. We all dutifully helped the BBKA to provide a good service to counteract the rubbish advice being dished out on a competeing forum and we were rewarded with a stab in the back.

Rosie

madasafish

28-08-2011, 07:28 PM

I met someone in the BBKA who knows one of the individuals responsible for the forum debacle...( I have to be careful not to identify individuals).
They commented that the BBKA individual was clueless about forums and had rarely used one... a strange choice...

Adam

29-08-2011, 01:30 PM

I actually emailed and spoke to 'people' at the BBKA BEFORE the forum was updated and they still got it wrong. (In fact it went exactly as I feared). Madasafish, I can confirm what you say that the bloke in charge did not 'do' forums. As you say a strange choice. A bit like the last Leonard Rossiter Reggie Perrin series where the various individuals were made to do things that they didn't know about.

I didn't get where I am today by knowing anything about Forums!

Great CJ.

Sooper.

Remember the hippo? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2mLAajm7ZY