Just off to the Learning from the Bees conference in the Netherlands.- Hope
it goes well and Tom Seeley has some new and interesting stories /
evidence.
On 29 August 2018 at 13:19, Gareth John <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
do you simply have an inner layer of cork?
Yes, 20mm on the inside faces and floor of the hive. I have also used a
double layer instead of shavings in the quilt box.
do the bees treat it any differently from ordinary wood?
Yes: I had thought they might chew it all out, but they absolutely smother
it with propolis. It seems to encourage propolis use generally as even the
non cork surfaces get thickly coated.
Just off to the Learning from the Bees conference in the Netherlands.
Gareth
On 29 Aug 2018, at 10:07, Brian Fiddian <brian.fiddian@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This cork is a better price than several I have looked at; thanks for the
link.
When you say 'use inside' do you simply have an inner layer of cork? And
if so do the bees treat it any differently from ordinary wood?
Thanks Brian
On 26 August 2018 at 19:25, Gareth John <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
These guys supply cork sheets which are glued only with the natural
resins of the cork (via steam and pressure). I have used them inside my
hives: the bees love the stuff. Cork has about 3 times the insulation of
wood, so 20mm of cork is like adding 60mm of wood.
https://www.mikewye.co.uk/product/cork-board-insulation/
Gareth
On 26 Aug 2018, at 15:26, Will H <whanrott@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I'd like to try insulating at least one of my hives this winter. I would
appreciate your suggestions about what to use and how to apply it.
My assumption is that I take some sheet material and attach it to the
outside of the hive using straps or similar.
Materials:
- Wood as board or ply
- Wood as WBC style lifts
- Cork as floor tiles
- Celotex <https://www.celotex.co.uk/products> expanded foam sheet
- Bee Cosy <http://beecosy.com/purchase/> style synthetic material
and/or Gore-Tex
- something else
I don't favour wood. Very few woods are durable enough and they tend to
be expensive. The weatherproof ply which I've used didn't last lnog either.
Celotex will work and it's easy enough to get hold of. It probably does
give off chemical vapours but they'll be outside the hive. Cork may also
give off vapour from glue but it's much more sustainable than Celotex. I'm
interested in whether it's possible to make an insulated cover. I'm looking
at materials which follow the design used by the Bee Cosy.
Does anyone know of a good supplier of cork floor tiles? The width needs
to be at least 462mm (18.25") on one side. I've found an interesting
supplier <https://spduk.co.uk/t/cork-sheets> but I don't know whether
tiles are weatherproof.
Has anyone tried or seen a trial of the fabric cover?
Has anyone tried or seen a trial of Celotex?
Any other ideas?
Thanks
Will
