Wooden Hives vs. BeeMax Polystyrene

Wooden Hives versus BeeMax Polystyrene

Does anyone have experience with polystyrene hives? I spoke at length with a customer service rep at Betterbee who uses them and one of the biggest features is that the bees survive the winter better. From their web site (http://www.betterbee.com/) they are: ultra-insulating polystyrene hive equipment to give honeybee colonies a better chance at overwintering in extreme Northern temperatures, while also helping to keep your colony cool in the hot summer months due to the material from which it's made.

Another plus is that they are lighter, so shipping costs would be reduced. However, they do come only with Pierco Frames which are plastic and substitutions are not allowed. When I mentioned that the general sentiment with the class leaders and mentors is that bees prefer wood, the representative said that she uses the Pierco ones and has had better output. She said that she dips them in the sugar water and the bees just take to the frame.

Comments?

~ Roxie Pin

A great question for discussion, everyone please leave you comments below, let's see if we can help Roxie out.