The first high density widened polystyrene beehives were manufactured by beekeepers in mainland Europe about 30 years ago, ever since then their use has spread and they today symbolize a substantial ratio of the hives obsessed about the continent.

Their use and acceptance in the UK has been confined mainly due the truth that until really lately these were maybe not obtainable in British National sizes. As a result of high cost of the initial tooling,

no organizations were willing to commit to the price of full-scale production. A couple of businesses tried unsuccessfully to produce polystyrene hives from sheet substance, but they were too delicate,

the bees chewed them and they rarely survived more than a several seasons. Polystyrene hives must be created from 100 grammes per litre polystyrene, which is around 10 to 20 times the fat and occurrence of appearance and insulation.

The high thickness of the product, combined with larger walls makes these hives equivalent in weight to a wooden hive, really secure and no more likely when compared to a wooden hive to blow around in high winds.

With the release of English National style beehives, it is much easier and cheaper for the beekeeper to change to or add polystyrene hives to their current colonies of their apiaries.

Since they are made on a production line they are significantly cheaper than a top quality wooden hive. Unlike a wooden hive they are also absolutely water-resistant, shedding rain externally and condensation internally supporting to keep the bees considerably drier.

Wooden hives can fill from the exterior in large water, absorb condensation into the walls or draw up moisture from the bottom promoting a wet inner environment, which can be harmful to the bees, that does not occur with a polystyrene beehive.

To provide similar strength, polystyrene hives have considerably heavier surfaces than their wooden beehive equivalents (over 60mm or 2½") with a heavy insulated top and deep floor that helps to keep the hives warmer in cold weather and cooler in summer,

indicating the bees need to expend less energy sustaining the proper temperature inside the hive. That makes high thickness polystyrene hives preferably suited to beekeeping in the damp, rainy and variable temperatures of the maritime English climate.

Polystyrene hives are simple to wash and sterilise by the beekeeper, they could be drenched and scrubbed with an answer of washing soft drink or salt hydroxide to remove propolis and feel, then sterilised with home bleach.

Unlike wooden hives they're inert and non-porous this isn't absorbed in to the substance since it would be with a wooden hive and may be rinsed down absolutely leaving the hive clear, sterile and ready for the beekeeper to return bees to it.

Environmentally polystyrene is really a sustainable substance, it's 100% recyclable, applying less assets than recycling paper. In the UK more extended polystyrene (EPS) is recycled than glass or aluminium and in 2009 33% of all EPS made was recycled far in surplus of the government's 25.5% target for several plastics.

The main problem is use of recycling features as councils do not repeatedly acquire it. But, Guernsey has just set up a highly successful scheme to collect spend EPS from domiciles and companies, ideally mainland councils will begin similar schemes shortly.

In the interim you https://www.ebeehq.com/getting-started-beekeeping/how-does-a-beehive-work/ find recycling factors throughout the country wherever EPS may be studied for recycling. Instead EPS could be burnt in a power from spend place which a few are being integrated the UK. It burns up easily providing only CO2, water and a trace of ash and features a higher calorific price than coal overall creating the place more efficient.