Winter wraping

[phil c]

I wrap my hives for winter using 30 lb roofing felt (tarpaper) it seems to work out pretty well with the exception that no matter how well I try to un wrap and roll it back up in the spring it gets to torn and beat up to use more than twice at most. I was thinking about the commercially avaiable isulated wraps, do they hold up any better?
Has anyone ever tried using Tyvek or any other brand of wraps designed to go under siding on houses? its supposed to let moisture pass through, but does it have any insulating value?
The tarpaper seems to have an added bonus of the dark color to absorb a little heat on bright winter days.

[waynesgarden]

Tyvek would not be a good choice for wrapping a hive. Like many plastics, it does not hold up well when exposed to sunlight. It might last a winter, but I've seen it disintegrate on houses that went unfinished for too long a period of time.

I'd stick with the building paper for the heat absorbancy quality that you mentioned.

Wayne

[BEES4U]

Here's a good source with photos provided by two well knoen researchers:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/Honeybe...rap%208x11.pdf
Regards,
Ernie

[Michael Palmer]

Originally Posted by phil c

I wrap my hives for winter using 30 lb roofing felt (tarpaper) it seems to work out pretty well with the exception that no matter how well I try to un wrap and roll it back up in the spring it gets to torn and beat up to use more than twice at most.

I think you're making your wraps wrong, and from the wrong material. When you remove them from the hives in the spring, you should fold them not roll them.

Use 15 pound felt paper, not 30. 30 is too stiff, and too expensive. Cut a piece about 78" long...long enough to wrap around the hive and overlap about 6" in the back. Lay it out flat, and fold the top back about 8" and crease...helps to do this on a warm day in the sun.



The list of materials for wrapping a hive.



Prepare hive for wrapper. 1/2" hardware cloth in entrance for mouse protection. Inner cover reverses with entrance notch open. Tape escape hole closed...prevents bees from chewing holes in foam...and place 16x20" foam on inner cover. Wide open bottom entrance, upper entrance, and insulation on the inner cover will take care of any moisture problems.



Place your wrapper around hive...about 1/2" below top of foan. Snug up tight around hive. Staple 3 or 4 times aling seam in back. Cut hole at upper entrance and staple paper. Fit outer cover on top around paper...tuck paper up under cover rim. Tie cover down and add brick.



To remove wrap, cut off string, remove cover, pop staples out with corner of hive tool...wrap will fall off. Fold wrap flat using creases created by 2 corners of hive. Put away in dry place. These wraps last for many years, and many will fade to grey before they fall apart.

[Jeff McGuire]

Has anyone used "The Bee Cozy" from NOD Apiary products
http://www.miteaway.com/html/bee_cozy.php There is also a youtube video of them.

They seem a bit pricey but could save a lot of time and would last several years.

[pcelar]

Originally Posted by Jeff McGuire

Has anyone used "The Bee Cozy"

I am using them, they are okay. My experience has been that they are not fitting very well. I had a problem with snow melting and seeping between the wrap and the hive and forming ice. (Maybe this is my fault, I like to use an empty medium on the top with styrofoam for insulation. I see on their pics that the wraps are squished by the outer cover.)

Also I didn't like the fact that you are supposed to use an entrance reducer which has an opening at the center. My openings are at the sides (left or right), so I had to improvise.

[NDnewbeek]

This winter, I am trying the Bee Cozy wrap on some of my hives. I really liked the way they go on the hive. MY other hives have traditional, thin, black insulation. I will let you know if about 5 months how they did! I don't know if ice on the outside of the hive (between the hive and the wrap) is that big a deal - perhaps others with more experience can weigh in on that. I am also using the 'All-season inner cover' from honeyrunapiaries.com - I cut my own 2" foam insulation for the top part. That should help too.

[Michael Palmer]

How much do Bee Cozy wraps cost? You can cut about 20 wraps from a roll of 15 pound felt paper.

[Jeffzhear]

Just curious, but does stapling the felt to the hive and subsequent removal of the staples cause problems to the woodenware over time?

[Jeff McGuire]

Here's the website pricing page link. http://www.miteaway.com/html/price_list.php
I have 20-25 hives usually and am lookng at them as a labor savor and hope they last a few years too. The video made it seem like it could save me a lot of installing. http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...3303526029620#