Hives from Epps - pros and cons

New materials, which have long been in the world they rule the construction of houses for the people, and gradually penetrate into the world of homes for domestic animals, birds and insects. So, many beekeepers are moving with wooden beehives on the light and heat from expanded polystyrene. But many fear this material, believing that the best trees for bees there can be nothing. On the experience of users FORUMHOUSE look at the advantages and disadvantages of hives Epps.

In our portal beekeepers really great experience with hives from Epps - many have tried to do at least one pilot. This Japanese beehiveKiperBlade - extruded polystyrene 30 mm. Of the clear advantages: it is much easier to wooden and warmer for the winter outdoors.

Here are hives of polystyrene, which made bizon97.

Large experience with hives from Epps a participant FORUMHOUSE I.K.. He made an interesting observation, partly refutes the conventional wisdom that the bees "bite" such hives.

I.K. (Member FORUMHOUSE):

Essential Zastavna 20 Epps. Nibble, crunch only worth it. Then he noticed that Epps is different.

It turned out that the bees "gnaw" only material with a rough surface and a smooth, glossy, not even touched.

By the way, the bees do not "nibbling" notches, it is enough to insert a piece of polypropylene pipes. A "intercase gryzatelstvo" easily removed if denser connecting housings.

Perhaps the greatest adept polystyrene hives, Dimitrij13It notes the following benefits:

• such hives are easy to make"Without dirt and suffering one office knife";
• they are light, and carrying it is not necessary to attract mates - every beekeeper together with his wife can move to any place in the hive;
• bee colonies in such previously developed hives in the spring;
• it is not necessary to use a chisel: in such hives bees never glued frames and housings.

The only thing that draws attention Dimitrij13: Window for ventilation with mesh in the bottom of the hive shown in the drawings is not in vain. For the experiment, he closed it and opened the bottom instead of more notches. Three days later, in the midst of the honey harvest bee colonies entered the swarming state.

Dimitrij13 (Member FORUMHOUSE):

I clutched at his head! Tore the queen cells, he opened a window to the bottom of the back, and she calmed down a family and did not have to do cuttings.

An important point - the hole for ventilation is better to cut the size of the ventilation grille, which you can find. But the plastic grid in the grid will need to change the metal construction of the store to a cell in 3 millimeters.

ZabruS Epps made from the hive-lounger for 30 frames and experiment I leave it to hibernate "A dubious little family." In the Novosibirsk region, where winter -30 - is not uncommon, bees wintered well, but although the beekeeper did not close the door in the bottom of the roof gnawed.

Most likely, it was because of bee colonies has been relocated from a wooden beehive in the fall. A year later, in the same hives of bees settled in the spring, they settled down in these hives and "do not gnawed through." What is interesting, is not touched by these hives and mouse.

ZabruS(Member FORUMHOUSE):

In the beehives of Epps climbs wax mol. A bee mite, which shook off the bee falls to the ground through a hole in the bottom through the mesh and is not likely to return, and in a wooden fall to the bottom and then find a bee.

Another fat plus: in the heat when a wooden beehive bees busy cooling wax in the hive of Epps is not hot, and bees continue intensive departures to honey. Also in these hives do not start fungus, mold and other harmful organics.

It seems that Epps is made for the construction of hives. But let's see what confuses beekeepers?

Member FORUMHOUSE buh07 - beekeeper with experience in nearly 45 years, and in recent years he has made of polystyrene hives. Unfortunately, we had to give up this material.

buh07 (Member FORUMHOUSE):

It does not apply to migrations from the low density. Woodpeckers, when you stand in the woods, make a hole in which he zalezesh.

A lot of talk about the fact that polystyrene is not safe, as opposed to environmentally friendly wood. Most of this, these conversations are insolvent: extruded polystyrene deprived of phenolic component (not for nothing that his gnawing mice), but, nevertheless, it is believed that at production of beehives from it can not be used cutting Nichrome wire and other thermal interference, since a long time has undergone melting Epps saves toxicity.

In general, if the toxicity Styrofoam - the myth, its fragility is confirmed by numerous tests. therefore buh07For example, switched to polyurethane foam (density 90-100).

buh07:

For migrations suitable, mice do not eat, and why woodpeckers do not try.

Dimitrij13 keeps an apiary in the garden, do not roam and have long been making hives from expanded polystyrene: paints over rubber paint to protect mice against an attack, and everything is going well. These hives he moved after such stories.

One day after a heavy winter one of bee colonies in the wooden hive she was very frail, only two frames. And, as usual, it worked Murphy's Law: As soon pulled out of the hives omshanika, on the street got much colder. And now - zero temperature degrees, the bees in the hive "skukozhilas poor."

Dimitrij13:

Well, I think if you do not warm, you Khan. Took them quickly with his wife in a polystyrene beehive transplanted, the lid closed, and all.

Half an hour later a beekeeper remembered that the bees did not give medical candy, opened hive and saw striped warmed, spread to the framework.

Dimitrij13:

It is evident that dragged. Here you have a figure.

Well, I decided beekeeper, once the bees like to live in such hives, something I like to do them. And since then, he is faithful to his choice. Especially because the hives have to do in the winter in the kitchen, another room for that. And if earlier, in the era of wooden hives, kitchen resembled a carpenter's workshop, now in one night, without the noise and dust Dimitrij13 It makes a pair of a three hives, and no mud.

Publish to help you organize FORUMHOUSE bee mini-farm, our a selection of videos about beekeeping would be useful to see all beekeepers and novices, we recommend that a section of our portal, designed specifically to help novice beekeepers.

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