How NOT! to assemble a poly hive! 

If nothing else this was quite entertaining. Lol

I helped a friend with bees in 2 colonies, 2 stacked poly 6 frame boxes that he purchased from a local that was moving. Also a couple dozen 8 frame wood but those were empty. All were deeps. We purchased 4 nucs to get those installed in some wood. Bought 6 new poly last yr and did a Kamon but I am a sun worshipper and put them together out on a picnic table so the plastic was sun hot. No trouble snapping it in. Up here in Michigan I have to tell you that we did not have to worry about the poly boxes. Those still had a lot of winter storage left come spring. Last year we had to do splits early on because they were hatching and making queen cells before the wooden got numbers built back up. I love the smaller 6 & 8 frame because while the honey is good, not into it for production/sale yet and at our age, lighter boxes are prefered. Concentrating on building up and spitting for another year. 15 farm acres in town with a lot of resources. It is an active personal production farm that got absorbed/surrounded by the city when the borders were pushed out so it is grandfathered.

I respect the honesty. Nice

Hi Kaymon, been watching for a while and I thank you for your insights. I use these exact hives exclusively in my apiary... I live in Northern Australia where it is hot and humid all the time. I love these hives and do not use timber anymore. My tip for those plastic guides is slide them on before assembling the sides. You can use a second bottom board on the top under the lid with the mesh in them as a way for the bees to ventilate the hive. Since doing this I have not had any absconding. The issue I have had is that if your not removing dead outs quickly the wax moth will eat the EPS quicker than timber boxes. Keep it up always good to watch and entertaining as well!

Hahahaha! I love that you are human.... you are not alone!!!!!! I SHOULD know finish... half my family is from there! Then next time we should reed those instructions in finish..... would make it all so much more interesting ....

Respect! 👍

Hi Kamon, I want to share my experience with similar beehive PARADISE HONEY LANGSTROTH. These are excellent for keeping the bees warm. The entrance reducer provided is great and very useful to control traffic. The additional plastic strips adds support to the boxes and makes it easier to separate the with hive tool or without it. The problem I had is that the plastic runners from the inner side of the boxes on which you would rest the frames, protrude towards the inward of the box (does not flush with the box wall) which causes rolling of bees and "wiping" them every time I lift a frame up. Two weeks ago I have done a hive check, it was thriving but unfortunately I witness plenty of bees were knocked off the frames whenever I lift them up and likely I damaged the Queen then. I can confirm that yesterday I could not find the queen, no eggs and no larvae, just capped brood and plenty of queen cells, 4 of them are smaller typical for emergency queen cells which tells me they were not prepared for her loss. I know I could have tried to lift the frames in an oblique fashion rather lifting them up straight. It is too late now. I had to split the hive into 3 nucs yesterday and hope if the weather improves for the new virgin queens to emerge and mate. Just something to consider with the frame runners.

LMAO. I saw what you were doing and said out loud "where are the plastic inserts?" We are trying two of these this year and made a couple videos on them, one "first look" video and one "moving day" where we moved NUCs into them. The thermal regulation will help a lot. One thing I found is these have ZERO top space above the frames, that is when the frames are inserted, they are level with the top of the box unlike our wooden Landstroth boxes. I also ran into problems with the medium supers are 1/16" too short and the frames do not fit (tried 4 brands of frames) so a little Dremel work with a sanding drum on the plastic inserts fixed the box so I can use any frames I have. They have used poly boxes for over 30 years in Europe, closer to 40 years. Keep them high enough so animals can not chew on them (mice, possums, raccoons, skunks, etc.) We painted the inside of ours as we have experience using 2" polystyrene insulation boards in the winter under our covers and the bees will chew the polystyrene but if painted they seem to leave it alone. I will be doing a short video on that too. Any Queen excluder can be used with these, supers can be stacked on as the internal dimensions are the same but do not interlock like the poly boxes. Im looking forward to seeing how your results are compared to our results here in southern Ohio. Keep it up, love your videos guys!

Too funny...😂😂🐝🙂

"Where's the fun in that?" ~Kamon 2020. Lol

Quite interesting 🧐

these 10 frame and 6 frame polystyrene hives are pretty much all i use and have used for going on 9 years now, definitely my choice over wood. my recommendation for paint is ppg timeless in blank canvas tint, and don't paint the spots where the supers touch as they will stick there and tear off paint in hot weather. but with ppg timeless exterior latex as suggested to me by a career painter, i have hives that are 8 years old and look like new. but there is always a negative as with anything, bees cannot use beneficial propolis in these hives much because of the surface so I'm going to try to staple rough sandpaper or something similar to the inside of the brood chamber on one to see it they propolize it. as always great video and if you need any suggestions about the polystyrene hives feel free to reach out as I've definitely gotten familiar with them over the years. now if only the shipping from bluesky wasn't more expensive than the entire order most times lol

Your humility is attractive! Keep up the good work mate

rofl Laurel sounded like she was enjoying this one.....lol..." look everyone ...this is Kamon"...Roll Tide!!!!!

I'm infamous for assembling things out of order (instructions? I don't need no stinking instructions!) so I appreciate your superior teaching method of showing the wrong way to do things. This will stick with people far better as a lesson than if you'd have done it the right way. I went over to Blue Sky and looked at prices. I really don't understand why injected molded foam should cost a third more than wood. Since some southerners have cooked their hives with winter insulated wraps, I'll be interested in seeing how the bees handle this in summer. For testing the extreme, please make sure your test hive is on the upper end of bee density.

We am experimenting with the 8/9 frame variant I bought from Blue Sky along with the 6 frame they also sell. My neighbor Nate manages the 6 frame and likes it because of the boxes are so much lighter and we just add a few extra supers which makes it a tall hive. We are also experimenting with a 10 frame Superior Bee hive that is 2 inches thick and of the same design and assembly and manufactured in Ohio by the Amish. So far we have not seen any issues yet but we are just mere hobbyist bee keepers though and are doing this for the enjoyment.

Thanks !!

Kamon, if I have any questions about those hives I will ask Laurel! Y’all have a great Easter!

Every one know how to put on the hard plastic top and bottom rails and that was not in the instructions. We all thank you.😊

One of my favorite videos so far. Keep up the good work.

I work part time at a auto restoration shop. A couple of days ago it took 3 of us about 2 hrs to assemble a "Cozy Coupe" (An easter gift for one of the kids, not a hired job, but we WILL restore just about anything with wheels). We had it back apart a couple of times and the parts that we had left over turned out to be assembly tools (but we didn't "cheat" once by looking at the instructions). Extra points to you for not cheating until you had parts left over... the sign of a true master of the art.

Interested in the price range!!! Can't wait to see more but Laurel while tapping keep instructions by your side!!!! Lol but now on the side note shows how strong they are looks like muscle man with bearing down pretty hard!!!!💪💪👍👍

Lol I’ve been there!

This made me giggle. Thank you for all you do and share with us!

Don't break it Kamon, lol.

Yay! Blue Sky Bee Supply!!! Our hometown guys got on Kamon Reynolds!!

Thanks for the laughs!

Haha! Love you from Scotland!

Oh no Kamon, there is no hitting the pause button......

I was going to order a 10 frame hive, but the shipping was $80.

It's all *_Ian's Fault!_* (keep the cold weather coming Ian, I'm not complaining!)

Who reads directions anyway. I always have extra parts left over if I read the directions. Be safe and stay healthy. ❤🐝🐝👍

The best hives. You will see the behavior of swarms in summer, it works and it makes honey when the others just want to cool. Best regards from France

That was fantastic! I can see myself doing exactly that same thing!!! Thanks for sharing the rest of us will learn from your videos, as we always do, thanks Kamon!

How many times I've seen the wood panels put on upside down 😄 don't be too embarrassed!

I was really on my floor :-) - laughing out loud. Happy easter from Germany!

Mit gewalt geht alles😂. Habe gestern die beebox auch zusammengebaut. Wie kontnest du die plasitkteile vergessen😅 Grüsse aus der schweiz🇨🇭

We might have a name for that hive - Hot Water Hive

I love my polystyrene hives . But I switched to Superior Bee Co. for mine after Bluesky charged me a ton for the shipping . But good boxes in southern Florida .

I have 7 of these Bee Box hives in Provence, with summer temperatures up to 95 -100 degrees, and slight frosts in winter, the hives have shown no signs of deterioration at all, and the bees seem to thrive. Beware wax moth though, they can seriously damage the polystyrene if you get an infestation. The struggle you had in retro fitting the plastic frame supports gave a good illustration of how strong the polystyrene is!

Boy those boxes look interesting ! I live in the Central Manitoba Canada and winter my bees in a indoor wintering shed. I pull the bees out usually in the first week of April. We can get cold and snow in April and this could help keep the hives warm and more stable with our wild spring weather up here. I wounder how these boxes could fit into a conventional langstroth hive system. If it would work for just a brood chamber. Then us conventional langstroth onto for supering for honey. Interesting idea !

I wish I watched this 4 years ago and not make the same mistake this year 😂

Sure glad you didn't get your shirt clipped in there!! You would have had to explain to Jimmy why you Brought your work to dinner! Lol. :)

Yep, that’s about how most of our projects go. Hope you made out ok with all the rain and wind 💨

Laural must be so proud seeing your muscles hard at work!! Im not sold on these yet but curious how they hold up.

I'm so glad I read the instructions before I assembled mine....otherwise ....Ha Ha.I'm a big fan of these boxes .They are a lot lighter for one thing and suppose to produce 30 % more honey because there is less field bees bringing in water to cool the hive down.I've been extremely happy with my poly hives.

hahaahah love you guys

Вибокс лучший улей!

LOL

I have a few of those, 8 double deeps and the 12 - 6 frame nucs boxes. And no glue in the mortise, put the glue on the tenon.

Well you did it right we men don't read instructions LOL

Check out Beaver Plastics in Canada. They make a one piece styro box

Love your videos! I have 10 of those poly styrene hives from blue sky B supply I really love them. I’ve had them going on three years now.

Hilarious! 😁

Luckily my bee store installs those things before they stock them on the shelf. 😂😂

Just pause or whatever 😂

lol just like me hahaha

It'll last just fine, I made my own outta 1 inch silver backed cheap foam,4x8 sheet cost $8 ,that was 3 yrs ago and they still together.i made a deep timing box and a couple nucs , I even stacked two together and wintered a nuc..that's way tougher and I guarantee it's gonna be around for years

Nice to see how strong they are with you pounding and manipulating them 😂😂👍🏼👍🏼🐝🐝🐝

Kamon, Kamon...if you'd just hush and put it on before it gets cold....hehe!

Hy kamon if all else fails read the instructions. Last resort i did the self same thing. Real men dont need instructions. Keep you and yours sfe. Matt

Well take it like this, quite a few people won't make that mistake since you were honest enough to show it. I do have to be honest me and the wife had a good giggle watching you, and the wife was saying I would have lost it way before sundown lol. Has always great video thanks.

From your experience do bees use crimson clover? we have it everywhere

I would have probably did the something Kamon

Kamon, I dont use glue. works just fine without.

Thank you for posting your mistake, I have some poly hives being delivered this week and being someone who doesn't tend to read the instructions I may have made the same mistake! I Came across your channel a few weeks ago and have been binge watching your videos, lots of good info, thank you.

Is there a status update to this review. Wondering what your longer term impressions are.

Got all my floor fans blowing full speed your direction.

curious if they make more honey in them, some claim 25% more honey. will help a ton in summer and winter! think im going to order some

Hey, how is Paw Mellow? Haven’t seen the cats hanging around. Loved this video. Laughter is wonderful.

Hi Kamon instructions are for when you can't figure something out can t tell you how many times I've did that over the last 40 years glad to see I am not the only one that doesn't feed first keep those good video's coming

We added one to our apiary this year and have some major moisture and mold issues...any tips to help winterize and get the bees through the winter in this hive? I have major concerns

Happy Easter from the UK . Don’t worry mate I did the same thing and nearly destroyed my one I’m glad I had plenty of glue left to glue on the bits I’d broken getting those damn plastic pieces on , all is good now going to get my first packet of new bees inside this contraption in may , good luck with your hive mate .

whoops

Not sure what kind of paint you used but mason paint works great on those

I just buy my poly hives ready assembled, in fact there are no joints at the corners, the boxes are single pieces.

Too funny

wax moths eat the crap outa the poly, so never leave frames in them what ever you do.

Poly got a tube of hot water?

I actually like "your" way better. The boxes look easier to paint without the guides.

the harden Styrofoam is fantastic for the bees, thats the only thing i use in Norway, is that something that US dont use? because all the bee video i see from the US they all have the wodden hive, but the hive i have is regular Harden Styrofoam where i dont need to build them. its all in one piece, love your video by the way :) Grettings from Norway :)

You're a hoot!! Thanks for the best part of today Kamon. They are cool boxes the way they look, Are they lighter weight?

how will it stand up against wind? or even hurricane winds? I live in Florida. but sounds good for heat reduction

Welp..another lesson learned. Lauren should've told you it was going on wrong... LOL

This Summer, I'm going to be wishing they'd send us some cooler weather, I'm going to be soaking wet in my Ultra Breeze, lol.

I hope you were not affected by the tornado that hit Chattanooga.

you do not need that, if you move in AZ or Fl ,CA.Then you will do beekeeping year around.

😂😂 using a rubber mallet and pounding eider sides so it goes down together Would make it easier as well.

Any idea how it will do against mice in the winter?

Okay now that's just funny 😄 How are they working? I'm thinking of buying a few hives for zone 4

When all else fails, read the directions! LOL

At least the clips don't get painted this way

I got mine already assembled. HEE HEE.

Ha haaa ha haaa

That glue is not going to dry for MONTHS, literally months! Foam & wood glue don't work so great. Epoxy would dry. The problem with wood glue is that air doesn't get to the center of the joint. It will after a year or so...

First 😊

Kamon, who is more frugal? You or Laurel?

Did grunting at it make it go on easier, and what did we learn from this? If it was me I would have been looking at those after I had the frames in and asked myself, what are these for?

I don’t read instructions either.

I was wondering. Is there any way to 3D Print the parts and assemble the hive ??