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PPU hives are slowly but surely spreading throughout domestic apiaries. Experienced beekeepers even try to make them themselves. However, this option is beneficial if the beekeeper plans to expand his business. To cast hives from polyurethane foam, a special matrix is required, and it is profitable to buy it only in mass production.
What qualities do polyurethane foam hives have?
Before purchasing molds for polyurethane foam hives and starting their mass production to expand your apiary, you need to know what qualities such a home for bees has. Experienced experts advise first to buy a couple of polyurethane foam hives for wooden houses, test them in practice, and get used to them.
The main positive quality of PU hives is heat retention and resistance to moisture. Polyurethane foam houses are warm and do not require necessarily being brought into the winter omshanik. PU foam will not change its parameters in the rain compared to wood. Polyurethane foam is not chewed by mice or bees. The hives consist of compact, interchangeable polyurethane foam elements.
In summer, the interior of the polyurethane foam house remains cool.The design is increased or decreased due to removable sections. Lightweight polyurethane foam hives are easy to carry and take out to the field. The weight of the polyurethane foam three-hull house reaches 17 kg.
As for negative qualities, they also exist. Despite quality control by SES services, polyurethane foam remains a chemical material. In case of counterfeit or self-production in violation of technology, the hive can emit odors that affect the bees and the taste of honey. PPU houses have a short service life. It is recommended to change them every 5 years. A damaged section of a polyurethane foam hive cannot be repaired, but it can easily be replaced with a new element. Polyurethane foam is fire resistant and melts when exposed to high temperatures.
The polyurethane foam hive is easy to clean. The material does not absorb moisture. Sections of the polyurethane foam hive can be washed well with hot water and laundry soap.
How does polyurethane foam affect the quality of honey?
The composition of polyurethane foam includes polyol and polyisocyanate. Individually, each substance is dangerous to humans. However, when interacting with each other, toxic substances are neutralized. The resulting polyurethane foam is completely safe. The material is even used in medicine. PPU does not have any negative effects on the life activity of bees and their waste products.During production, polyurethane hives undergo quality control and are checked by SES services.
In case of violation of technology or purchase of low-quality materials, the beekeeper risks spoiling the honey and even destroying bee colonies.
Penoplex hives: disadvantages and advantages
In general terms, beehives made of polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam and even polystyrene foam have the same pros and cons. Benefits include:
- Good thermal insulation. In winter, the inside of the hive is warm, and in summer it is cool.
- Reliable sound insulation. Bee colonies are protected from extraneous noise.
- The versatility of hives. All parts of the house are interchangeable. A broken section can be easily replaced with a new element of a similar model.
- Light weight. One person can lift the hive.
- Easy to transport. Hives are convenient for nomadic apiaries. During transportation, the sections are simply tied together with straps to prevent them from being scattered by the wind.
- Environmental Safety. Certified hives do not emit toxic odors. The houses are safe for bees, humans, and beekeeping products.
- Resistance to natural phenomena. Compared to their wooden counterparts, the new generation of hives are not afraid of rain, frost, or heat. They only need to be protected with paint from direct exposure to sunlight.
To summarize, it is worth noting that PPU hives have more advantages. Polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam are chewed by bees, mice, and birds peck at them. Both materials are resistant to aggressive solvents. Polyurethane foam hives are more reliable and are gradually pushing competitors out of the market.
Among the disadvantages of modern hives, the first place is increased flammability.Damaged sections cannot be repaired. They just need to be changed. The downside is that it doesn't allow air to pass through. If effective ventilation is not provided, high humidity will form inside the hive.
How to assemble beehives from polyurethane foam with your own hands
It is not profitable to buy molds for casting hives if you plan to assemble a couple of polyurethane foam houses. The easiest way is to use ready-made polyurethane foam blanks. The most popular PPU hive according to reviews is the “ComboPro-2018” model. The process of assembling a polyurethane foam structure consists of the following steps:
- Using a sharp utility knife, cut off the excess hardened polyurethane foam that protrudes beyond the boundaries of the part.
- The ends of the connecting bars are painted with water-based paint with the addition of green color.
- From the prepared parts, a section of a polyurethane foam hive is folded onto a flat surface. The blanks are tightened with self-tapping screws 60-70 mm long. First, the polyurethane foam sheets are bonded to the bars that form the frame of the polyurethane foam house.
- When the body of the polyurethane foam hive is completely pulled together on the bars, the joints of the polyurethane foam sheets at the corners of the structure are additionally fastened with self-tapping screws.
- A stapler with staples 14 mm long is used to fix a plastic corner that protects the edges of the PU foam sheet from abrasion. Next, frames with honeycombs are placed on the corner.
- Legs are installed at the bottom of the polyurethane foam hive. The stands are cut from pieces of bars. Holes are drilled at the fixation points.
- The blanks are screwed with self-tapping screws to the frame of the polyurethane foam hive.
- At the final stage of assembling the polyurethane foam hive, a tap hole is installed. The bar is placed with the hole down, pressed with plastic corners, which are fixed with stapler staples 6 mm long.
- When it is necessary to transport the PPU hive, the bar with the entrance is turned over with the hole facing up. For reliability, it is fixed with a self-tapping screw 20 mm long.
According to reviews, polyurethane foam hives are easy to assemble. However, the folded PPU house is not yet ready to receive bees. It needs to be painted.
The process begins with sanding all elements of the body. Particular care is taken with sandpaper along the joints of polyurethane foam and wooden slats. The surface of the PPU boards itself should not be rubbed too hard, so as not to damage the durable surface layer of polyurethane foam.
After sanding is completed, the polyurethane foam hive is painted. You can use a spray bottle or a regular brush. It is optimal to choose a natural paint color for a polyurethane foam hive, for example, green. It is optimal to use odorless paints. Acrylic-based compositions have proven themselves well. Rubber paint is considered the best for polyurethane foam hives. After hardening, it forms an elastic, durable film that is resistant even to impacts.
Making beehives from polyurethane foam using a casting mold
To independently cast polyurethane foam houses, you will need a metal beehive mold. It's expensive. It is not profitable to buy a mold for casting several polyurethane foam houses. A beehive mold will pay for itself in a large apiary.
Sometimes craftsman beekeepers make molds for casting a polyurethane foam hive on their own. Usually they are made in the form of a tin trough. In such matrices, simple rectangular sheets of polyurethane foam are obtained, from which hive bodies are then assembled. When making your own mold, you need to pay attention to the height of the sides. They are made over 8 mm.In a matrix with smaller sides, thin polyurethane foam sheets will be obtained. They will not withstand the pressure from inside the polyurethane foam hive and will sag.
The process of using a mold to make a hive consists of the following steps:
- Before filling with foam, the inner surface of the matrix is lubricated with a special compound that prevents the hardened polyurethane foam from sticking to the metal.
- The mold is not completely filled with polyurethane foam. The foam will increase in volume as it hardens.
- After pouring the polyurethane foam, wait at least 30 minutes. During this time, the foam will have time to harden and the part can be removed from the mold. If the frozen polyurethane foam blank does not fall out, lightly tap the matrix with a hammer.
- The extracted polyurethane foam blank is subjected to grinding. The next step is degreasing and painting.
The mold is cleaned of adhering foam residues and prepared for the next pouring of a new polyurethane foam part.
Keeping bees in hives made of polyurethane foam
For hives made of polyurethane foam, traditional technology is acceptable beekeeping. However, there are a number of nuances. Here are the advantages of a PU hive highlighted by the famous Czech beekeeper Petr Havlicek:
- Inside the polyurethane foam hive, heat is retained, creating an ideal microclimate. Intensive development of the nest begins in early spring.
- In each polyurethane foam house, at least 1 foundation shell is built.
- During the season, up to 90 kg of honey can be obtained from a multi-body polyurethane foam system with 5 extensions.
- The ease of caring for a polyurethane foam hive lies in the absence of the need to reduce nests for the winter.
- In order to prevent swarming in the PPU hive, from about May 15 it is necessary to unite separated families, creating new layers.
- You can increase the quality of the performance characteristics of a polyurethane foam house by covering the inner and outer sides of the walls with aluminum foil.
The problem of polyurethane foam remains low hygroscopicity. To avoid the formation of high humidity, it is important to maintain good air exchange.
Conclusion
PPU hives are superior in their performance characteristics to their analogues made from expanded polystyrene and polystyrene foam. When compared with wooden houses, the opinions of beekeepers are divided. Some prefer natural materials, others like modern technologies.
