Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/468283
I n North America, expanded polystyrene is often incorrectly known as 'Styrofoam' (a trademark name of The Dow Chemical Company for blue foam insulation board). In Europe, there are many inaccurate monikers for EPS. But a new effort by the European Manufacturers of EPS (EPS) is has put an end to this variety by adopting a common European name for EPS: airpop ® engineered air. The name airpop immediately brings to mind what EPS is made of: air. A lot of air. Around 95 % air, to be precise. Just a tiny fraction is made of raw material, which expands to 50 times its own volume. The airpop ® -campaign is a joint industry initiative of EUMEPS, European manufacturers and their respective National EPS Associations and European EPS raw material producers. Airpop ® represents an industry of approximately 600 mainly small and medium sized converters in Europe. They process about 1,300,000 tons of raw material into airpop ® products. The main applications are building and construction as well as packaging parts. EPS = ENGINEERED AIR | PaCkaging & innovation| 5 E xpanded polystyrene beehives have been used in Europe for at least 30 years, where they have proved both durable and effective, so much so that today in virtually 99% of all new hives sold in the EU are of made of polystyrene. EPS hives were initially used in colder regions such as Scandinavia where the significantly increased insulation of the EPS compared to cold damp wooden beehives offered enormous benefits in keeping colonies healthy throughout the winter. As these hives grew in popularity and their use more widespread it became apparent that the EPS hives provided a number of other significant advantages over keeping bees in wooden hives. The high-density polystyrene used to manufacture beehives is around 10 times denser than that used for packaging and up to 20 times denser than insulation. This makes the beehive material much harder, smoother and more durable than any foam the majority of consumers have encountered. Colonies in EPS hives start to build up 2-3 weeks earlier than those in wooden hives, and will start flying earlier in the day. This results in a significantly increased honey crop. Some reports have suggested that similar colonies in EPS hives can produce as much as 25% more honey than those in wooden hives. EPS hives also have significant advantages for breeding and production of new honey bee colonies. The earlier build up means there is a longer season to raise new queens. The insulation provided by the EPS keeps the internal hive temperature far more constant than with wood. It shields the bees from the worst of the heat during the summer, so the bees spend less time and energy keeping the hive cool, and more time collecting honey. It also keeps them warmer See How EpS Hives get ready for Bees Watch the film and check out information about airpop® visit www.airpop.com Boosting Honey Production With EPS throughout the winter so a colony will need less food to see it safely through the winter, and unlike wooden hives EPS colonies do not suffer from rot or woodworm, the treatments for which can have detrimental effects on the health of the bees. Polystyrene beehives can be easily cleaned and very effectively sterilized. They come in a variety of styles and can be painted to match the surrounding scenery.