Insulating hives

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alldigging

Drone Bee
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In the lovely 1930s film somene linked to earlier I noticed there was insulation under the roof at one point (as it in a super?) ..
Do people insulate their hives?

I have watched a modern video of somene cutting a hole in king span for a feeder too.
 
You bet!

Costs little and the pay-back is short. An alternative is the poly hive - insulation built in already.
 
Do people insulate their hives?

Yes, a thick slab of polystyrene or kingspan insulation above the crown board.

Our hives are polystyrene, so the walls are already well insulated.
 
All year round.

It keeps the heat in (cold out) on cold days and also keeps the heat out on hot days - same as with loft insulation in our houses.
 
A minor but important point with OMF floors is that they should be paired with top insulation. Said insulation stays on all year round. Bees love warmth above them.

And to the sides but that is another discussion.

PH
 
I always insulated my TBH roofs.. but have done the sides this year when I saw the area calcs and the potential heat loss - and the pattern of melted frost in the winter. All my TBHS have OMFs but I leave in a bottom board all year round..
 
I put a quilt (1" foam) on each crown board in the winter and when the cold really hits, I wrap the sides in bubble wrap being careful to leave the vents & entrance clear.

Also have offcuts of 75mm celotex board on top of the roofs. It overhangs and protects the landing board too.:smash::smash:
 
The hives are made out of insulation, 50mm all round top side and floor.

picture.php
 
I 'obtained' a roll of roof insulation. A wedge of that in a poly bin liner on top of every hive does the job. Really cheap too:rolleyes:
 

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