Modular insulated Warré hive The Aim: To insulate a Warré hive to the equivalent thermal resistance of a Warré-sized cavity in a cedar tree whose trunk is approximately 30 inches in diameter, which would determine cavity “walls” that are 8 inches thick. The Plan: To insulate each Warré hive box individually so boxes can be added, removed or manipulated without disrupting the insulation of their neighbours, over the annual cycle of growth and reduction of the number of hive boxes. Weather proofing would have to overlap the boxes to make the insulation waterproof, but “disconnecting” a box from the weather proofing system should take less than a minute, and “reconnecting” similar. The weather proofing materials and insulation should remain attached during the process. The Attempt: It was calculated that a thickness of 2.75 inches of sheepswool would be adequate to raise the thermal resistance of the 1 inch thick walls of a Warré hive box from R1.4 to R11 – the equivalent of 8 inches of cedar. [see Note 1] Sheepswool was sourced in the UK from Woolcool, https://www.woolcool.com a company that makes woollen insulating packaging used by organic food suppliers to keep their products fresh in transit. It’s also used to keep human organs and vaccines chilled in transit. Woolcool thoroughly clean their wool! It came on a roll whose width turned out to be exactly 6 times the height of a Warré box. A double thickness of the wool was 2.75 inches. Three strips were cut long enough to comfortably wrap around a Warré box, and folded over to make double thickness. Cheap non-woven polyester fabric was cut to make a cover, like a pillowslip, for the strips
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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
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