Thank you for sharing your wonderful design. I have built one here in Western Australia where we have very hot summers and wet winters. My bees are very happy and producing lots of honey. I actually used a modification where I don’t have a floor, like Philip chandler’s pagoda hive.
@williamsummers6438
5 жыл бұрын
Jane, You cannot leave it hanging like that. How about some pictures then. Bill
@janemorrow6672
5 жыл бұрын
Oh, yes. I should explain. It is directly on the ground with leaf litter in the bottom.
@williamsummers6438
5 жыл бұрын
@@janemorrow6672 If the walls sit straight down on the ground do they not settle unevenly? Do termites and other insects move in? Are the walls insulating aerated concrete ones or heavy concrete? A photo or 2 would go a long way for me. The ZEST was designed for cold and damp winters not a hot and wet climate so I am really interested in how it serves. The external envelope may keep the brood cool rather than warm. Some data logging of temperature and humidity in the ZEST against ambient would be positively thrilling if you can do it.
@janemorrow6672
5 жыл бұрын
Hello Bill, yes they are AAC blocks, called Hebel here in Australia, and the same size as yours. I have had no problems with rodents or termites and I have both of them in my area. I’m on extremely sandy soil which doesn’t really move so there has not been a problem with settling. I can take some photos, how do I send them to you? I have been reading your book and the data logger information is fabulous. I have used data loggers at work but don’t have access to one at home but will have to try and get hold of one because now I really want to know what’s happening inside my hive in terms of temperature and humidity. PS our honey here is from jarrah and marri along with some cottage garden plants and I just had my first harvest last week. I’m so happy! 😊
@williamsummers6438
5 жыл бұрын
@@janemorrow6672 This is interesting stuff. What is your job that needs data loggers? To send photographs to me you can do so as an attachment to an e-mail sent to williamfsummers@btinternet.com
@francinekeane9900
6 ай бұрын
Hi Bill just came across your channel very interested in the Zest hive as we now have Varroa over here in Australia (very sad). The conconsensus over here is to go straight to chemical miticides which I don't want to do. Have been watching all the videos I can on treatment free BK when I came to your comment. Do you think it would work in Sydney? Lowest temp in winter 6C highest in summer 39C. Do you need to glue the blocks together ? Francine
@williamsummers6438
6 ай бұрын
The ZEST reduces varroa. Treatment is not neccessary Counting varroa mites is interesting, but it does not rid you of them. That can be done if the hive design is both humid and well insulated as the ZEST is. If you change the hive environment by changing its design features you can be varroa treatment free. You just need to make an environment that reduces the varroa replacement value over each generation. This is not so hard. Forget chemicals. Honey bees in Cuba and South America have apparently learned to deal with it. The reason is likely to be that the climate is hot and humid. The question is how far north it will go in Australia where it is now resident. The propensity for varroa to die away in a humid hive was found out by accident when a laboratory hive was accidentally left at a higher humidity than others and that one lost its varroa. The precise mechanism of varroa destruction by high humidity remains a mystery. A standard bee hive entrance at the floor level with ventilation at the top causes a cooling stack (or flue) effect internally. This cools the hive in winter and takes away its humidity all year. The temperature difference in winter between inside and out is greater as is the ventilation, when it is not needed, but less so in the summer when it is. Trickle top cross bee entry and ventilation in a beehive rather than bottom entry causes it to be more humid allowing a bucket of humidity to form and which also appears to be controllable by the bees, because when the outside ambient temperature falls at night the humidity rises by up to 20% points in a top entry hive. I invite you to try this. The only thing you have to lose is your varroa. The propensity for varroa to die away in a warm hive is probably due to the time that a bee pupa takes to hatch which varies between 10 days (35C.) and 15 days (31C.) This depends on where it is in the brood nest. A highly insulated external hive envelope serves to keep the brood temperature up throughout the hive and over time, allowing the bees to hatch quicker and therefore the varroa to not have enough time to mature in the cells. Winter in the UK is varroa breeding heaven, but insulation seems to confound them and reduces the winter stores consumption to about half, as a bonus. The DIY ZEST hive is made from aerated concrete blocks which have 39 times more Resistance (R) to the passage of heat than a thin walled wood hive has and appears consequently to be functionally free of varroa. Drift of bees carrying varroa from hives nearby that are not ZEST hives has been noticed. The blocks are laid loose Bill
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