A question about condensation / water in hive.

[Scammell]

Hi everyone...
My new bees all seem to have settled in very nicely and upon inspection the brood box is filling nicely with lots of activity going on during the warmer days which is giving me great pleasure I can assure you.
However I guess I feel somewhat like a new mother of a first born and am probably worrying about everything way to much but....
Has a few problems with black ants getting into the hive and clearing up the debris on the bottom board, pull out type under veroa mesh floor.
Took advice mostly found here, greased the bottoms of the legs and recent checks have shown no further intruders which is great.
However what I did find yesterday, after a particularly rainy day was quite a good quantity of water on the bottom board along with the usual debris.
Took the lid off the super, which has seen no activity as far as drawing cells is concerned, and could find no sign of water ingress from the top. I did find some very small amounts of blue mould looking substance around the edges of the super and a little on the outer parts of the frames....

Am I doing something wrong? Is the water on the floor normal? What is this mould telling me?

My first thoughts are on ventilation and possibly not enough of it but would like to get the thoughts of the more experienced guys and gals here.

I didn't take a picture but will try and get one this evening...

Thanks in advance for any help / Info / advice
Nigel

 

[beeno]

Hi Scammell,
You have just demonstrated to everyone who keeps their inspection board in all the time why they shouldn't. First, it collects debris from the hive which encourages wax moth which is a pest that breeds and destroys comb in the hive and other scavengers. Second, water collects on it instead of dropping to the ground from bees fanning the water of nectar making it more difficult for the bees to regulate the humidity in the hive. If the super is getting moldy then it suggests that there isn't enough bees in the hive to warrant having one on yet. Surplus honey only appears when the colony is large enough to produce it. How many frames of brood and bees have you got?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The 'bottom board' you refer to is an inspection board and should only be put in under the open mesh floor (it's not a varroa floor - was around long before they turned up) when you need to check the natural mite drop in the colony - a week here and there over the year.
get it out and keep it out you'll find the problem will go away

 

[Quis Custodiet]

.......... (it's not a varroa floor - was around long before they turned up) ..................

Correct, I have seen a hive made before The Great War which had a mesh floor.

 

[Chriszog]

Agree with above, where are you in Beds Nigel? PM if don't want to post on here?

 

[theeggman]

Agree with above, where are you in Beds Nigel? PM if don't want to post on here?

To the forum Scammel,

You may not have enough posts to PM yet.
Maybe Chriszog can PM you with an email add.

 

[Scammell]

Thank you for the replies... I feel such a dummy!
Board will be out as soon as I get home.
As for Frames of brood and bees. 11 in the brood box all of which are well drawn out and on inspection a week ago all being worked on by the bees.
Thank you for all your input
Nigel

 

[Scammell]

Agree with above, where are you in Beds Nigel? PM if don't want to post on here?

Just on the Herts / Beds border, near to a little place called Caddington.....

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Just on the Herts / Beds border, near to a little place called Caddington.....

Welcome to the forum.
Is that where the airship hangers are,or am I confusing it with somewhere else?

 

[Scammell]

No, That's cardington.... Close but no cigar!!
Further south for me...

 

[madasafish]

Thank you for the replies... I feel such a dummy!

We've all been there and pulled our hair out when beginners...

 

[Scammell]

We've all been there and pulled our hair out when beginners...

Thank you.... Its a steep learning curve but getting there hopefully!

 

[user 6228]

then someone moves the hill the curve is on

“Student: Dr. Einstein, Aren't these the same questions as last year's [physics] final exam?

Dr. Einstein: Yes; But this year the answers are different.”

 

[madasafish]

then someone moves the hill the curve is on

“Student: Dr. Einstein, Aren't these the same questions as last year's [physics] final exam?

Dr. Einstein: Yes; But this year the answers are different.”

And the reason they are different is that space is curved so every ball is a curved ball and every question has multiple answers depending upon which universe/timeframe you are in ...

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Thank you for the replies... I feel such a dummy!
Board will be out as soon as I get home.
As for Frames of brood and bees. 11 in the brood box all of which are well drawn out and on inspection a week ago all being worked on by the bees.
Thank you for all your input
Nigel

The consensus seems to be that you add the super when 3/4 of the frames in the brood box are full of brood, not just drawn - so you'd be looking for 7 or 8 frames of brood. The idea is that you have enough bees to keep the enlarged volume of the hive enclosure WARM. If you put the super on too soon, you'll set the colony back because the bees will have to work double tides to keep the brood and super warm.

Furthermore, if we have some coolish weather, like now down here in Cornwall, the walls of the super will be cooled from the outside (unless you have a polyhive) and the humidity in the hive will mean that some moisture will condense on anything cool - could be a hive wall or a frame or super foundation. This could lead to mould in these places.

It may therefore be that your colony is not quite ready for the super just yet.

CVB

 

[BeeJayBee]

It may therefore be that your colony is not quite ready for the super just yet.

If you're determined to leave the super on, then try placing it above a feeder board - that's a board with a hole in it - so the bees can use the super if they need to, but also have a warmish roof above their heads instead of a big empty box.