Who sells poly dummy boards

I want to buy some poly dummy boards but I can't find a supplier.
Yes, of course I could make one up out of Celotex or Knauf board but time is short this month.
Does any one know of a reputable seller
Thanks

Nobody (to my knowledge sells dummy boards made of the same "poly" (expanded polystyrene) as used for hives.

Thorne sell heavy 'solid' brown plastic National (but AFAIK still not yet 14x12) size dummy boards.

It is pretty simple to make them out of ply (like Thornes 14x12s).
14x8 pieces of 9mm outdoor ply. (B&Q will cut for free) And some 9mm (or as close as you can get) square strip wood (again B&Q), cut to frame topbar length. Secure with wood glue and some frame nails.
Hey, I can do it. It isn't hard.



/// ADDED - Celotex (easily cut with a breadknife) is well suited for a divider board, wedging tightly against the hive walls. Try Wickes for 50mm thick sheets small enough to go on a car back seat. AFAIK, nobody sells anything like that ready made.

itma said:

Nobody (to my knowledge sells dummy boards made of the same "poly" (expanded polystyrene) as used for hives.



/// ADDED - Celotex (easily cut with a breadknife) is well suited for a divider board, wedging tightly against the hive walls. Try Wickes for 50mm thick sheets small enough to go on a car back seat. AFAIK, nobody sells anything like that ready made.

Click to expand...

agree, i just cut it slighly deeper than a frame and use parcel tape on the soft foam edge, an alternatives is scrunged up bubble wrap being a normal dummy board

i take two 100ml celotex slabs and put one either side, makes a brood box into a five frame nuc

Correx is very versatile, cut some to size and insert in a frame as you would foundation. Two sheets if you want something thicker.

Makes a good dummy board, cheap too.

sipa said:

Correx is very versatile, cut some to size and insert in a frame as you would foundation. Two sheets if you want something thicker.

Makes a good dummy board, cheap too.

Click to expand...

A frame with dummy foundation is NOT a dummy board.

A dummy board is absolutely flat (it is faking the presence of the hive end wall as far as the bees are concerned).
So that last frame can snug up against the hive wall equally well as against the dummy board. That is why it is used!
If it isn't flat, the bees will build a comb bulge into the hollow. And the bulge will stop that frame fitting against the wall (or another well drawn frame).
To get the end frame equally drawn, the dummy board needs to be flat.

And a dummy board needs to be THINNER than a frame.
If there is space in the hive for another frame, put in another frame!
The dummy board is thinner so it can fit where a frame can't easily fit.



This one is pretty simple, really.

Agree, that's why I plane the sides down !

sipa said:

Agree, that's why I plane the sides down !

Click to expand...

In that case it is a lot of faffing

sipa said:

Agree, that's why I plane the sides down !

Click to expand...

Aaaah, I must have missed that essential point in your earlier post!

sipa said:

Correx is very versatile, cut some to size and insert in a frame as you would foundation. Two sheets if you want something thicker.

Makes a good dummy board, cheap too.

Click to expand...

jackstraw said:

I want to buy some poly dummy boards but I can't find a supplier.
Yes, of course I could make one up out of Celotex or Knauf board but time is short this month.
Does any one know of a reputable seller
Thanks

Click to expand...

So short of time you cant find half an hour in the whole month? You need to slow down

"half an hour"

half an hour!!!! how many is OP intending to knock up?

Itma, why the sarcasm ?

Are you insecure

I was always taught that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

drstitson said:

"half an hour"

half an hour!!!! how many is OP intending to knock up?

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He mentioned one in the first post. Allow for getting stuff out, making etc and putting tools away. Plus a cup of tea and honey sandwich

Gilberdyke John said:

Plus a cup of tea and honey sandwich

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So far, a honey sandwich has taken me nine months and counting :- (

assuming that might as well make insulated divider rather than dummy we're talking a couple of cuts to produce 6 from a standard small sheet of kingspan.
whack on tape round the edges and you're done.

itma said:

A frame with dummy foundation is NOT a dummy board.

A dummy board is absolutely flat (it is faking the presence of the hive end wall as far as the bees are concerned).
So that last frame can snug up against the hive wall equally well as against the dummy board. That is why it is used!
If it isn't flat, the bees will build a comb bulge into the hollow. And the bulge will stop that frame fitting against the wall (or another well drawn frame).
To get the end frame equally drawn, the dummy board needs to be flat.

And a dummy board needs to be THINNER than a frame.
If there is space in the hive for another frame, put in another frame!
The dummy board is thinner so it can fit where a frame can't easily fit.



This one is pretty simple, really.

Click to expand...

Not quite as simple as it would seem, my bees drew out the comb and welded it to the dummy, the only way to remove it was by lifting the dummy and frame together. It was quite useful as a drone culling exercise though, trying to seperate the two tore the entire face off the comb so nowadays I leave a small gap. Also had good results with a piece of ply nailed to a narrow top bar where the wedge comes off.

sipa said:

Agree, that's why I plane the sides down !

Click to expand...

Ely said:

In that case it is a lot of faffing

Click to expand...

And a waste of a good frame, especially when cutting a piece of scrap plywood and tacking a strip of wood on top takes next to no time.

Takes me more time to remember where I put one of the hammers than it does to make a handful of them!

Thanks

What? Spend time in a man-cave cutting up bits of insulation rather than spending a few quid and being able to go out in the world enjoying living.

I guess I’m either not that old or perhaps not that sad.

Thanks for those who made a positive suggestion, your replies were appreciated