ModularinsulatedWarréhiveTheAim:ToinsulateaWarréhivetotheequivalentthermalresistanceofaWarré-sizedcavityinacedartreewhosetrunkisapproximately30inchesindiameter,whichwoulddeterminecavity“walls”thatare8inchesthick.ThePlan:ToinsulateeachWarréhiveboxindividuallysoboxescanbeadded,removedormanipulatedwithoutdisruptingtheinsulationoftheirneighbours,overtheannualcycleofgrowthandreductionofthenumberofhiveboxes.Weatherproofingwouldhavetooverlaptheboxestomaketheinsulationwaterproof,but“disconnecting”aboxfromtheweatherproofingsystemshouldtakelessthanaminute,and“reconnecting”similar.Theweatherproofingmaterialsandinsulationshouldremainattachedduringtheprocess.TheAttempt:Itwascalculatedthatathicknessof2.75inchesofsheepswoolwouldbeadequatetoraisethethermalresistanceofthe1inchthickwallsofaWarréhiveboxfromR1.4toR11–theequivalentof8inchesofcedar.[seeNote1]SheepswoolwassourcedintheUKfromWoolcool,https://www.woolcool.comacompanythatmakeswoolleninsulatingpackagingusedbyorganicfoodsupplierstokeeptheirproductsfreshintransit.It’salsousedtokeephumanorgansandvaccineschilledintransit.Woolcoolthoroughlycleantheirwool!Itcameonarollwhosewidthturnedouttobeexactly6timestheheightofaWarrébox.Adoublethicknessofthewoolwas2.75inches.ThreestripswerecutlongenoughtocomfortablywraparoundaWarrébox,andfoldedovertomakedoublethickness.Cheapnon-wovenpolyesterfabricwascuttomakeacover,likeapillowslip,forthestrips

Whenthefabricwassewnintoasleeve,thehemwasstitchedtoallowasisaldrawstringtobeinserted,andmovefreely,thelengthofthesleeve:

Anidenticallengthofsisalwasplacedinsidethefoldofthestripofwoolwhenitwasfoldedoverdouble,andthewoolwasinsertedintothesleeve.Theendswerethensewnclosed,ensuringthatbothlengthsofsisalcouldslidefreelyandactasdrawstrings:

Breathableroofingmembranewasattachedasweatherproofer.http://www.protectmembranes.com/uploads/ddd45e1cb3584a908c2ffb62079b4bb1.pdfStripswerecut13incheswide(toallowanoverhang)and10incheslongerthanthewoollensleeves.Usinganeedlestrongenoughfordenim,themembranewassewntothehemofthesleevewith5inchesextendingeitherend:

Thestitchingstoppedshortoftheendsofthesleeveby3inchestoallowformoreconvenienttyingofthedrawstrings:

(Endofwoollensleeveopeninthisphotoforillustrativepurposes)

StationerywasusedtohelpattachthesheepswoolsleevetoaWarrébox,andsealtheroofingmembrane:

Eachhiveboxneeds2largepaperclipsandoneplasticslidebinder.Trimtheslidebinderwithahacksawsoit’salittleshorterthantheheightofahivebox–andpreservetheendwiththecurvedguide.Thebulldoggripisanessentialthirdhand!Thewoollensleevewastiedinplacewiththetwodrawstrings:

Thebulldoggripwasusedtoholdoneendofthewoollensleeveontothecornerofaboxwhilethesleevewastightlywrappedaround.Thedrawstringsweretiedtogether:

Thetopdrawstringneedstobeasneartothetopofthehiveboxaspossible.Agoodwaytoachievethisistotieittightlyinplacewithonecorneroftheboxslightlycovered-andthenuseyourthumbstoprisethedrawstringbackdownontotheverticalcorneredge:it’shardwork,butthedrawstringbecomesverytightindeed,allowsforprecisemanipulation,andwillstaywhereyouputit!

Thebottomdrawstringshouldsimilarlybeasnearaspossibletothebottomofthehivebox.Sealingtheroofingmembrane:Thetwoendsofthemembranewerealignedandcarefullyheldwiththebulldoggrip:

Andthentheslidebinderwassliddownthroughthebulldogtogriptheendstogether:

Theslidebinderwasthenwoundtowardsthehiveboxmakingatightrollofmembrane:

Andtherollwasheldinplacebypaperclips–atthetopofthemembranethesmallloopofapaperclipwasinsertedinsidetheslidebinderinthemiddleoftheroll,thelargeloopbetweentherollandthewoollensleeve:

Makingsuretherollatthebottomwasastightaspossible(it’sbeyondthefullinfluenceoftheslidebinderwhichistooshorttoreachthebottom),thelargeloopofapaperclipwasinsertedintothecentreoftherollandthesmallloopbetweenthemembraneandthehivebox:

Thishiveboxisnowinsulated,andthesealedroofingmembranewhichoverhangstheboxbelowcankeeptheinsulationwindandwaterproof.

Toremovethisboxfromthehive,simplyextractthebottompaperclip,loosentherollofoverhang,andfolditup(paperclipinphotoisjustmakingsureitdoesn’tgetlost!).Theslidebinderensuresthattheroofingmembranecoveringtheinsulationstaysinplace,andonlytheoverhangingmembraneisflippedup:

Theinsulationdrawstringscanbenudgedupanddownatthecornerstoexposethebottomofthehivebox:

Thefirsttimeyouperformthistaskitmighttakeallofaminute,butsubsequentlyit’sdifficulttomakeitlastmorethan30seconds!

Thehiveboxcannowbetreatedintheconventionalway,andliftedbythehandlesgrippedthroughtheinsulation.Thetopandthebottomsurfacesoftheboxareunencumberedbytheinsulatingprocess:

Afterreplacingthebox,theinsulationdrawstringsareedgedupanddowntowherethehiveboxesmeet,andtheoverhangmembraneisfoldeddown.Thebottomoftherolledjoininthemembraneisreconfiguredandtightenedtomatchwiththerollstillfirmlyheldbytheslidebinder,andthepaperclipreinserted.Theprocesswillcometotakelessthanaminutewithpractice.Theinsulatingcomponentofthishiveboxcouldnowbeconsideredasintegraltoitasitstopbars:putinplacebeforethatboxisnadiredintothehive,andthenhopefullyleftaloneuntiltheboxrisestobeharvestedsomeyearslater,whenanyneedformaintenancecouldbeassessed.Theinsulation,membraneandpaperclipfasteningonmyboxeshavesurvived3wintersandstillgoingstrong.ThequiltboxInanattempttoemulatethethermalresistanceofwhatmightbeasmuchas20feetoftreetrunkabovetheferalcolonylivingintheWarrésizedcavityinourhypotheticalcedartree,theheightofthequiltboxwasdoubledfrom4to8inches–thesizeofahivebox.20feetofcedarhasathermalresistanceofR336.8inchesofwoolisR28–theequivalentof20inchesofcedaraboveourferalcavity.Notaflagrantlyexcessiveamountoftreetobeemulating.Sowhilesomemightfeel8inchesofwoolinthequiltboxisonlyneededduringthekindofwintersbeesencounterinSiberia,it’sworthnotingthateveninthe

temperateSoftSouthoftheUK,currentbuildingregulationsstipulateaminimumof8inchesloftinsulationforhumandwellings-insuburbanhomescladwithwisteria,8inchesisnotthermalhysteria!They’dwantmoreinSiberia!Here’showthe8inchquiltboxconnectstheWarrérooftothetophivebox:ahessianbottomandfoursimpleswivelstaysareaddedtoahiveboxthat’sfilledwithsheepswool:

Thestaysdonotneedtowaterproofthejoinbetweenquiltandhivebox,they’rejuststoppingitslidingoff.

Backtothesewingmachineforaslightlydifferentwoollensleeve:samelengthasbefore,butthistimethewoolisasinglethicknessandonly4incheswide:

There’saverywidehemofagoodhalfinch,butnodrawstrings.

Theroofingmembranewaterproofingisthesamelengthasbeforebutnarrower–about10inches–andthistimethesleeveisstitchedrightuptoitsends,butabouthalfaninchfromthetopofthemembrane:

FittheWarréroofontothe8inchquiltboxanddrawalinearounditsbottomedge,thendrawanotherline1.5inchesaboveit:

Withathumbtack,pinthemiddleofthequiltwoollensleevetothemiddleofthefrontofthequiltbox,sothetopofthemembranefollowsthetopline:

Moveontoasideandpullthemembraneastightasyoucanwhilststillfollowingthelinewiththetopedge:becauseofthethicknessoftheinsulation,thiswill

createapleat/foldinthemembraneatthecorner.Thisisfine,justkeepittoaminimum.Pinthemembraneinplaceonthelineinthemiddleoftheside.Repeatwiththeotherside,andattheback:

Pindownthepleats/foldsandcheckthatthetwoendsofthemembranealign:

Onceyou’resatisfiedit’stightandfollowingyourline,rollthetwoendsofthemembranetogetherastightlyasyoucantowardsthequiltboxandstapletherolltothequiltbox.Thenstapletherestofthetopofthemembranetothelineandremovethethumbtacks:

Makethebottomofthemembranerollastightaspossibleandfixwithapaperclipasbefore:

Theroofoverhangsthetopofthequilt’sroofingmembrane:

Toremovethequiltboxthebottompaperclipistakenoutandthemembraneandinsulationfoldedup.Thestayscanthenberotatedtotheunlockedpositionandthequiltboxliftedaway:

Whenreplacingthequiltbox,afterlockingthestays,folddownthewoollensleevefirstandmakesureit’sproperlyinplacewiththetwoendsmeetingsquarely,beforefoldingdownthemembrane,reinstatingtherollandreinsertingthepaperclip–itwon’ttakeaminute:

ThehivebaseInpursuitofthermalequivalence,averymodest4inchesofsheepswoolhavebeenincorporatedintothehivebase–emulatingamere14inchesofcedartreebeneathourWarrésizedferalcavity,butofsomethermalsignificanceonthemanywindlessdaysandnightsinbothwinterandsummer.Thebaseisdesignedaroundusing4x2inchtimberinawaythatmaximisestheaccuracyofthespecificationprovidedbythesawmill:

The8piecesofwoodintheabovephotowithhorizontalgrainallhavethesame4x2crosssectionasprovidedbythesawmill:parallelandperpendicular.Sorestingthemonaflatsurfacenexttoaverticalwallallowsforreasonablypreciseassembly,withoutclampsorjigs:screwsaremoreexpensivethannails,butminimiseplasterdamagetothewallfrombanging!

Beforefittingthelegstothemainbase,breathableroofingmembraneispositionedonthebottom:

Andthenbreathablycladinanattempttokeepoutinsectsandhibernators:

Woolisaddedinsidethemainbasewhichiscoveredwithastandardhivefloor:

(Thishivebaseisamodificationofanattemptatamoreventilated“eco”versionIcannolongerconvincemyselfistree-like[seeNote2])Topreventanypossibilityoftheinsulationonthebottomboxsaggingandblockingthehiveentrance,two“tentpoles”areaddedatthesidesofthelandingboard:

These“tentpoles”onlyneedtobetallenoughtobeflushwiththesurfaceofthehivefloor,butslightlytallercouldbeusefulwhennadiring–actingasguidestoalignthefrontofthebottomhivebox.Thepotentialvalueofthis,setagainstareductioninmanoeuvrabilityofthebottomhivebox,remainstobeseen.Spaceisstillavailableeithersideoftheentranceforfixingamouseguard.

Theoverhangatthefrontofthebottomboxmustbetuckedupunderthewoollensleeve:

SideviewThewallsofthisWarréhivenowemulatethethermalresistanceofourhypotheticalcedartree,butthey’renotidentical:thelayerofwoolcannotcarrythethermalmassof8inchesofcedar.Butthecedarnevernaturallyevolvedtobeaninsulator.Whereasthewoolspentaround8millionyearsevolvingtohelpkeepanorganismaliveataconstanttemperatureof39C.Wearenowdiscoveringallsortsofcleverwayswooldoesthis-muchofthesignificanceofthebreathabilityofthematerialscoveringthewoolinthishiveinsulationsystemistoallowthewooltoproactivelyrespondtothechangingatmospherichumidityAndwhile39Cisn'tperfectforthe35Cthebeesneedtomaintainfortheiryoung,it’sprettyclose…

Note1:CedarhasaThermalResistanceofR1.4perinchhttp://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/energy-efficiency-log-homesWool’sisR3.5perinchhttp://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/insulation-materials ProfessorTomSeeleyfoundferalhives’ThermalResistanceintherangeR5–R15 Two35mmlayersofwool=70mm=2.75inchesxR3.5=R9.6(InadditiontoR1.4of1inchcedar)TotalThermalResistanceofwool-cladbox=R11.2(SlightlyaboveSeeley’smedianR10)ToachievetheR9.6addedbythewool,9.6dividedby1.4inchesofadditionalcedarwouldberequired=7inches.SotoachievethesameThermalresistanceofR11.2thesolidcedarhivewallswouldneedtobe8inchesthick.

WeightofR11.2HiveBox:Cross-sectionalareaof1inchthickbox=14x14–12x12=52Cross-sectionalareaof8inchthickbox=28x28–12x12=640The8inchthickcedarboxisheavierbyafactorof12.3-25kgempty–potentially50kgfullofhoneyThethermallyequivalent1inchthickcedarboxwrappedinwoolweighs2kg.

Note2:Anearlierversionofthehivebasewasdesignedtoincorporateinsulation,allowcondensationtodrainfromthehive,andprovideamore“eco”hivefloorforthebees.Inolongerthinkdrainingcondensationfromthehiveemulatesatreecavity,andthehivesonmyroofareseparatedfromthesoilby4storeysofbricksandmortar–toogreatan“eco”disconnectIfear.Adoublelayerofstainlesssteelmeshwasfixedtothebottomtokeepouthibernators:

Woolwasaddedinsidethebaseandtoppedwithalayerforshreddedtreefromabee-friendlylocaltreesurgeon:

Initiallycedarshavingswereusedinsteadoftheshreddedtree,buttheywerelightenoughforthebeestocarry,andtheyassiduouslyremovedthemfromthehive!https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bw5eG71kwvhZMmxnNVNCWjhmNU0