If you’re new to beekeeping and have never heard of insulated beehives, you might want to stop what you’re doing and read this article.
If you are a beekeeper, you should know that bees are an important part of agriculture. Bees pollinate crops and flowers, which means that they help produce the majority of our food.
That’s why it’s so important for beekeepers to provide their bees with optimal living conditions. Since bees can’t survive temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, insulated beehives are essential for preserving hive health during cold weather months or hot summer days!
These specialized hives help keep the inside temperature at just the right level all year round so that your bees can thrive and produce honey without stress. Here’s everything you need to know about this important piece of beekeeping equipment.
What is an insulated beehive?
An insulated beehive is a structure that can be added to your existing beehives. It will help keep the bees warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Doing so will help increase your bee colony’s productivity and allow them to work more efficiently.
The main idea behind an insulated beehive is to provide insulation to your bees while they are outside during the winter months. The main advantage of this type of hive is that you do not have to worry about providing insulation for your bees as it comes with built-in insulation as part of the design.
This means that you will not have to worry about how much insulation you should add to your unit or how often you need to add more insulation once your bees start using it.
How does it work?
The way this works is simple: it provides a barrier between the outside environment and your bees. You can also insulate the inside of your existing hives if you wish by using a vapor barrier, or by using styrofoam insulation and duct tape. The idea behind all of these methods is that they keep air from getting through to your hives when it’s cold outside (or hot).
Why should I have one?
If you are an experienced beekeeper, you will be well aware of the importance of using insulated hives. However, if you are new to the trade and not sure what an insulated hive is, here are some benefits that you should know about.
Protects beehive from pests and predators
The most obvious benefit of using insulated beehives is that it protects your bees from pests and predators. Insulated hives keep the inside temperature at a more consistent level, which helps protect bees from extremes in temperature.
This can help them better adjust to changes in season, including when they’re trying to incubate eggs during winter or warm up for summer. It also helps keep them safe from predators like mice and skunks, who can destroy an unprotected hive if given the opportunity.
Better temperature control
The most important benefit of using insulated beehives is that they help control the temperature inside the hives. This is because they have thicker walls than regular beehives so they can keep the temperature inside at a constant level. As a result, your bees will not need to waste energy in order to maintain their internal environment; this means that they can concentrate on making honey for you!
Lower mortality rate
If you live in a cold climate,insulatedbeehives can help keep your bees warm and healthy. Insulated hives also help prevent freezing, which is one of the leading causes of bee deaths during winter months.
Better pollination results
Because insulated hives keep bees warmer, they’re able to fly more often during cool weather and pollinate crops better than uninsulated hives. This means better pollination results for farmers who use this type of hive!
Protection against extreme temperatures
As a beekeeper, you want to do what you can to keep your bees happy and healthy. While there are many factors that can affect the hive’s temperature, one thing that you have control over is the temperature inside the hive.
You can use insulated beehives to keep it cool in the extreme summer heat and warm on those cold winter nights. This allows you to monitor and control their environment so they’re comfortable all year round.
Less chance of escapees
Another benefit of using insulated beehives is that they prevent escapees from happening in a way that normal hives cannot do so easily. When there are fewer gaps between the frames in an insulated hive, there is less chance that bees will get out through these gaps when you remove them from their frames to check on them or when feeding them sugar syrup during winter months.
This also makes it easier for you to access all parts of your hive without having to worry about getting stung by angry bees who think that they’re being disturbed by an intruder!
Types of insulation
Although you can buy premade insulated beehives from the market, if you want to make your own you need insulation material. There are several types of insulation available that you can use for beehives. The most common types are:
Cotton batting
This is available at most craft stores and comes in a variety of thicknesses. It can be cut to fit any size frame and provides good insulation but it may be difficult to work with due to its fluffiness and tendency to shed.
Pine straw
Pine straw can be purchased at many garden centers or lumber yards. It was traditionally used as a kindling material because it burns quickly and easily with little smoke, but it makes excellent insulation as well. Pine straw is inexpensive, easy to find, and easy to work with because it doesn’t shed as cotton batting does.
Pine needles
Pine needles make an excellent insulator for your hives because they are made up of rigid cells which allow them to retain their shape even when wet (which is something that many other insulators cannot do). They are also biodegradable which means that they won’t harm the environment
Tips on how to insulate your beehive
Here are some tips on how to insulate your beehive:
Use the right kind of insulation
The first thing you need to know is what type of insulation you should use for your hive. You can use two types of insulation: natural or artificial.
Natural insulation includes straw or hay. Straw is an excellent choice because it is inexpensive and readily available at your local feed store or animal farm. Hay is also an excellent option because it’s free in most areas where people keep horses or cows for milk or meat production.
Artificial insulation includes bubble wrap and foam board panels with holes drilled in them for ventilation holes.
These materials might seem like a good idea at first glance because they’re cheap and easy to cut into shape with a utility knife or scissors, but they don’t hold up well over time in cold weather climates like Alaska or Canada where winter temperatures can drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit (below -18 degrees Celsius).
Make sure there is enough ventilation
Make sure that your hive has enough ventilation holes so that it doesn’t get too hot inside during summertime or too cold during wintertime! You can use wood shims (or any other material that allows air circulation) between each frame and across the top of your hive to create gaps between them.
Best insulated beehives on the market
If you don’t want to build your own insulated beehives and instead want to buy one, the market has some good options. Here are a couple of high-quality beehives available on Amazon.
Apimaye Ergo Insulated BeeHive Set
When you’re looking for an insulated beehive, it’s important to consider what kind of beekeeping you’re doing. If you want something that is easy to assemble and can be used in a variety of ways, then this set from Apimaye is a good choice.
The Apimaye Ergo Insulated Beehive is a great choice for beekeepers looking to get into beekeeping. It’s made with a high-quality, durable material that will not rust, rot or corrode over time. Moreover, it is already assembled and painted, so you won’t have to waste time reading through the assembly manual and painting the entire nightstand.
This beehive is insulated with a heavy-duty to withstand extreme weather and resist moisture, material. Aside from that, the Apimaye Ergo beehive has some useful features such as a screened bottom board with a pollen trap and drawer, an entrance reducer, a queen excluder, and a top feeder which will make your life easier as a hardworking beekeeper!
Key features
- Easy to open and inspect
- Heavy duty insulation
- Convenient beekeeping features
- Strong and sturdy design
- Easy assembly
Apimaye Insulated beehive with 7 plastic pro frame
The Apimaye Hive is the first in a series of hives designed to make beekeeping fun, easy and rewarding. This hive features a removable bottom board with an entrance reducer which helps keep the hive clean and healthy.
The box is made of durable plastic and will provide your bees with a safe haven for many seasons. The hive is insulated from all sides, which helps keep your bees warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Furthermore, this insulation also helps make sure that your bees have a perfect temperature the whole day.
What’s more is that it comes with a variety of convenient beekeeping features like a bottom vetted board, dual hive opening with an entrance limiter, and two top feeders for both sides of a split hive.
On top of that, it comes with 7 plastic pro frames that you can use with both foundations. You can use the division board at the center to convert the 7-frame hive into two 3-frame hives. Which is ideal if you want to sell your beehive later.
Key features
- Removable bottom board
- Comes with 7 plastic pro frames
- Made with durable plastic
- Split hive entrance
- Easy to work with
Final words
With all the benefits we’ve covered, it’s easy to see why insulated beehives are a great choice for beekeepers. Not only do they protect your bees from predators and pests, but they also help keep them warm during cold winters and dry during rainy seasons.
You can even control the temperature inside using an insulated lid that opens or closes based on how hot or cold it gets outside! These are just a few reasons why so many people choose this type of hive over others: because they offer better protection against external factors while still keeping everything inside nice!
