Paradise beebox hive

[drumgerry]

Is that your website Fatshark? It's one I've visited a fair few times!

[Mellifera Crofter]

Ah, Fatshark - I've long suspected you're the author of that excellent site (The Apiarist) and now I know for sure!
Kitta

[gwizzie]

Here you go

Hi Fs, thanks AGAIN for the link very helpful.

[busybeephilip]

Here you go

Thats an interesting looking vaporizor, can you tell us more about it?

[fatshark]

A bit frantically busy at the moment (moving house) … it's a Sublimox. Recommended to me by a couple of trusted commercials as being the dogs bits. Purchased from Icko. Blisteringly fast to treat (30-45s/colony) and very well tolerated by the bees. Unlike the Varrox-type it 'blows' the OA forcefully through the hive - top, bottom, side … all it needs is a 6-8mm hole into the box. I've not measured efficacy, but have no reason not to think it's at least as good as any other. I've only been using it a few months. There was a discussion on the the BKF with contributors who have much more experience, including a schedule to use it with sealed brood present from Hivemaker.

[robin118]

I use the langstroth bee box it will be quicker to list the things I like about them rather than the things i dont. so Here goes

1 The density of the poly
2 The thickness of the walls
3 The thickness of the roof
4 The poly
I am currently changing back to nationals and have a couple of swienty poly hives and think they are great. As for the crown board I use rubble sacks.

[gwizzie]

I use the langstroth bee box it will be quicker to list the things I like about them rather than the things i dont. so Here goes

1 The density of the poly
2 The thickness of the walls
3 The thickness of the roof
4 The poly
I am currently changing back to nationals and have a couple of swienty poly hives and think they are great. As for the crown board I use rubble sacks.

Hi Robin thanks for your comments,
I have 2 and one more on the way to me today. I am using nationals and I really like them so far, the only issue I have had with them so far is the full size feeder in that the inside walls were very slippy after I had painted them but I know have rectified this now I think by repainting the slope and adding sand and then repainting it again.

[Adam]

I've got a Paynes National too. I echo the comments made. Poly too soft; bees have chewed though it in a couple of places and if you try to lift/lever off two heavy supers that are stuck down, the hive tool just digs in. I dropped an extracted super and it broke in two. Bee spaces are good though. Takes castellations for the supers which the MB/Paradise hive doesn't. The hand-holds are rubbish, so it's difficult to lift 2 supers off at once. The parts do mix well enough with wooden nationals, but they are big so storage is a pain when not used. Always squash bees when putting boxes back together. I am wondering about retiring my one and perhaps selling it. Bees do well in it but it's an odd-ball hive for me. A wooden national is just more enjoyable to use and a cedar one never needs painting.

[Adam]

Here you go

Thanks for the reference to my hack-about of the Paynes 6 frame to 8 frame box. (Yours are painted better!).

[busybeephilip]

it's a Sublimox. Recommended to me by a couple of trusted commercials as being the dogs bits. Purchased from Icko. Blisteringly fast to treat (30-45s/colony) and very well tolerated by the bees. Unlike the Varrox-type it 'blows' the OA forcefully through the hive - top, bottom, side … all it needs is a 6-8mm hole into the box.

Looks like it does the job ok but an expensive wee toy for what it is, I'm sure the price will come down, I think I'll try glowplug and Alu block for now .