Many beekeepers believe the process of warming of beehives meaningless. That is why they leave the wards to hibernate in the wild. It's not so scary, because the bees are left to themselves. Respectively, can carry out the last flyby before cooling and the first spring, feeling conspicuous warming. In most cases, the owners are trying to warm the hive for winter. And how to do it, what are the most common mistakes novice beekeepers - let's look further.
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Why do I need insulation?
Sometimes you can earn, saving, and warm - reducing losses. This works fine in our case. After all, the fact of the hive heat source are themselves bees, but that's how it is hopeless not to waste - it is not an easy task. In order not to suffer the manufacture insulated hive, you can buy ready-made, but it is so not interesting.
There are several reasons for warming:
1. The amount of honey. This is the main reason for the fact that, in most cases, people and bred bees. The relationship is clear: if the hive cool, the little hard workers trying on their own to heat it, wasting extra energy. Accordingly, they need to eat well and for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they have honey.
2. Strong family. Yet this argument is pertinent, if warm hive correctly.
3. The life expectancy of bees. This reason is a consequence of the previous one.
How to insulate hive for the winter. Short manual
This information will be especially useful for those who are waiting for the first wintering. In this case, the beginners are very scary, I want everything to go perfectly. It happens that there is no garage or basement on the site. It does not mean at all that you should not breed bees. Remember, they are more afraid of strong wind gusts than persistent frosts. With all this in the hive there should be ventilation, otherwise the insects simply suffocate.
How to insulate hive?
For this task, it is not necessary to be particularly sophisticated, - use any suitable material. Often, beekeepers prefer polyethylene, polyurethane foam, other fibrous insulation. No less popular foam and straw. With the last in the villages there are no problems at all.
In emergency cases (for example, unexpected snowfall in April) pillows are stuffed with sch, moss, dried fern leaves. In the city, such "exotic" is difficult to find, therefore, as insulating materials use tree fiber plates. Such two or three layers replace the semisantimeter straw mat.
Step-by-step instruction of insulation hives for the winter
1. Together, more fun and warmer, so it is desirable to build all the hives alongside to reduce the number of walls of the walls. It is advisable to do if you have nowhere to move the houses for the bees for the time of cold (such a room is called Overschik).
2. During insulation, not only the top of the hives and sides, but also the bottom is taken into account. Therefore, put them on the concrete slab, boxes stuffed with straw, and felt mats are suitable.
3. Foamed polyethylene (4-10 mm thick) are attached to wooden walls with ordinary small carnations. For personal amenities, use a furniture stapler. This material has another advantage - resistance to ultraviolet rays. You can also use a foam 4-5 cm thick, which is sled to ordinary universal glue.
4. The issue of ventilation is almost the most important. Even if the bees winter in Overschik, the humidity of the room must be controlled. Lack of ventilation and, as a result, high temperature in the hive in winter will lead to the death of insects. Mostly air exchange in the hives is carried out through the pilots. But as soon as the temperature begins to drop up to -15 ° C and below, they are covered with incident. Therefore, make some small holes (about 5 mm) in the ceiling and expand the flyer slightly.
5. There is another option to ensure ventilation: beekeepers to equip the hive at once with two pilots - from below. In this way, it is easy to get rid of excess moisture and carbon dioxide. However, many are afraid that the problem of drafts will arise. But there is an answer to this - make a valve for the pillar, so you can adjust not only the air flow, but also install protection against rodents, which is also not averse to the honey.
Errors of beginner beekeepers when insulation
1. Too instended hive. In general, according to experienced beekeepers, there is no such thing. If there is an overabundance of heat, this is a host error. Most likely, the solution lies in insufficient ventilation.
2. Excess ventilation. There is a checked rule here: the higher the temperature around the hive, the greater the diameter of the hole you choose. The bees will live well only when the proportion between reliable insulation and optimal ventilation will be observed.
3. Often beginners for insulation are used instead of straw, tree-fiber plates, not knowing that it is precisely to this material. So that the bees do not bite them, soak the slabs with oil.
4. Do not underestimate rodents. They are capable of hard to spoil your nerves and honey "harvest". The bees do not endure the mouse smell, the uterus do not lay eggs in the cells of the frames where their traces remain. Damaged cells insects are not completed.
In the worst case, in the spring of the bees may not be returned if they had the opportunity to winter with rodents. Many sobs are delivered to people, having blurred insulating material, destroying honeycombs. Consequently, to fight them necessarily by all existing methods.
"Too instended hive. In general, according to experienced beekeepers, there is no such thing. If there is an overabundance of heat, this is a host error. Most likely, the rampant lies in insufficient ventilation. "The place of heat has no place. The club produces heat smooth as much as it is consumed.
The unparthadle is in insufficient ventilation, the troubles from which - dampness, mold, elevated submors, will be filled with reheated.
"Excess ventilation. There is a checked rule here: the higher the temperature around the hive, the greater the diameter of the hole you choose. The bees will live well only when the proportion between reliable insulation and optimal ventilation will be observed.
Ventilation, except for the case of strangling winds in the pilots, does not excessively. She has two gradations - sufficient and insufficient.
Before the start of the egg laying, the role of insulation is small, and the ventilation is constantly needed. And it must be sufficient, without proportion.