Hi Gillian,
In the past I have used a couple of unwanted feather down pillows as
insulation in a top bar hive.
They worked well as insulation but mice also thought they were a wonderful
place to spend the winter!
The quilt idea works well on a Warre because the top of the quilt box is
sealed by the roof base.
If you wanted to have an eke with insulation over the top bars I would seal
the top with something mouse-proof, mesh would allow moisture out, but I
suspect a thin sheet of plywood with some small holes drilled into it would
be fine.
Gino
On 2 August 2018 at 10:01, Gilliane Sills <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I'm planning to insulate my two hives (one with bees, the other empty now,
but set up in preparation for next year) over the winter, much more than I
did last year, and am considering using natural wool insulation in an eke
placed underneath the roof - see https://sheepwool4homes.co.uk/
products/optimal-sheep-wool-insulation-2 for 75mm thickness. The wool is
a good insulator, it breathes and they claim no chemicals have been added,
so I think it should be fine directly on top of the bars. It's worth
scrolling down the page to the video that shows the product being
unrolled. However, it's not possible to buy a sufficiently small quantity
for just two hives and I wondered whether anyone would be interested in
sharing an order with me. The minimum order of 570mm wide is for two 6m
rolls and costs £92, including shipping. This works out at about £8 per
metre length. I'll need 2m for my hives, leaving 10m available for other
people. I could bring the insulation to a future meeting, for anyone who'd
like it.
I'd be grateful for advice for or against this idea - and if it seems a
good idea, please let me know if you'd like to share an order. I should
say that I know no more than the information provided by the website - so
I can't be sure it will be successful/suitable...
Best wishes
Gilliane
--
The Map House
Vernon Avenue
Oxford
OX2 9AU
01865 721644
