LYSON Multi-frame Polystyrene Langstroth Beehive

01 · PAINTING IT IS NOT COSMETIC

The first thing to do

It comes unpainted, in white. The recommended paint is water-based acrylic, and it does not go on to make it look nice: EPS degrades under ultraviolet, and an unpainted hive out in the open ages on the outside before its time.

Paint it before you stock it and you save doing it with bees inside. And take the chance to mark your own colour: in white polystyrene every hive looks alike.

02 · WHERE THE «SIX TIMES» COMES FROM

The insulation, explained

It is said to insulate up to six times better than wood, and it is worth understanding where that comes from, because the material alone does not get there: polystyrene conducts heat some three or four times less than pine, and on top of that the wall is thicker. The product of the two is what gives the figure.

In practice it means less thermoregulation work for the colony: fewer bees fanning in summer and less honey burned on heating in winter. It is a real advantage; what we will not do is attach a savings percentage we cannot back up.

03 · THE RAILS SAVE THE POLYSTYRENE

The weak point, solved at the factory

The Achilles heel of an EPS hive is the frame rest: that is where the hive tool goes in every time you prise a frame loose, and bare polystyrene eats away fast.

This one comes with integrated ABS plastic rails right at that rest, plus reinforcement on every edge. It is the difference between a hive that still closes properly after five years and one with the rebates chewed away.

04 · THE TRAY IS FOR COUNTING MITES

The screened floor and what it is for

The ventilated floor with a removable tray does two things. First, continuous ventilation, which matters in EPS because the box breathes less than wood.

The second is the one that gets under-used: the tray collects the natural varroa drop, so you can follow the infestation without opening the hive. It is a different counting method from a bee sample, and as with any other, what informs you is the series — always use the same one and compare against yourself.

05 · WHAT THE SET INCLUDES

Before ordering what is missing

The configuration includes two boxes for 10 Langstroth frames (Hoffman-compatible), the 7.5-litre top feeder in food-grade plastic and the screened floor. The parts fit together with a dovetail joint, no tools needed.

The feeder sits on top, uses the heat rising from the colony and has four corner compartments that warm faster — which is what stops cold syrup being refused. And it is the piece that creates the roof air space.

It is certified for food contact under European regulation. It is compatible with the rest of the LYSON Multi-frame system, so Langstroth and Dadant elements can be combined.

06 · BEFORE YOU BUY

This is the polystyrene set: