additional holes for keeping cool?

[Martin Bee]

A hive kept here with no upper ventilation is usually a dead hive. I prefer my hives alive and queens laying come spring.

On a larger scale my grandfather in 1930's built a house in South India ( Dry season temps. 45-55 C ) with a second roof 2ft. above the lower flat roof. This was to reduce the heat inside as well as to protect the local mud bricks used for construction in the monsoon season. The space between was occupied by the house python which kept the rats etc. down. The house is still standing today. I don't know if he kept bees.

 

[user 6228]

Hot and humid is different from cool and humid, hot and dry, or cool and dry. I've found that a hole 20 mm wide by 10 mm high at the top of the hive vented under the cover works pretty well. If the bees don't like the air flow, they block off the hole with propolis. Instead of me telling the bees what to do, I let them tell me what they want. Most of the time, they leave the hole open at least large enough for a drone to pass through.

A piece of corrugated metal on the roof with air able to flow between the metal and the top of the hive will protect the woodenware and add years to the wood's lifespan. Hot and humid tends to rot pine wood in about 7 years even if it is thoroughly sealed with paint. That is one reason to use a rot resistant wood like cypress or cedar. Adding the metal cover can keep the wood in good condition for up to 40 years.

Be specific about the conditions especially Rh. are you talking about temperatures above 34 c and with 100%RH for extended periods ?

 

[user 6228]

A hive kept here with no upper ventilation is usually a dead hive. I prefer my hives alive and queens laying come spring.

I could go into the physics about the faults in the above statement and how it may appear to be correct in one set of circumstances it not does purtain to others. However I will just ask you ... do bees (Apis mellifera) get on fine in tree cavities near you ?
if so ask your self why.

 

[birdsandbees]

And Britain is not difficult over wintering country. It puts the hive into danger if the colony continues its brooding. Then it consumes fast food stores.

- ventilation is not danger factor in Britain in wintering and
- ventilation is not danger factor in summer . You do not have hot summers out there.
- 20C is not hot to bees. They have eveloped in Africa.
.
.

I completely agree, I'm not a fan of the leave them alone for six months over winter idea having nearly lost a colony to starvation when I started, I noticed particularly last winter that at no point were my bees broodless.

And I'll have you know that we summer starved Brits had temperatures up near 30c this summer

 

[Fusion_power]

Sustained temperatures of 41C for 3 weeks at a time in mid-summer are typical for this area. We usually have about 50 days above 35C between June 15th and Sept 15th. We get about 65 nights below freezing and 4 or 5 nights down to -15C. Bees are typically confined to the hive for about 40 days before temps get high enough for a cleansing flight.

The problem with ventilation is during winter when we have heavy rainfall. Temperatures of 3C with drizzling rain for up to a week are the highest risk time. With humidity at 100% and falling temperatures driving it even higher, and with bees building up for spring by consuming fairly large amounts of honey, humidity rises so high that the bees get dysentery. Since they can't fly, they soil the inside of the hive. I tried sealed covers several times over the years and consistently had dysentery. I've never had this happen so long as a small upper entrance is in place.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm not a fan of the leave them alone for six months over winter idea having nearly lost a colony to starvation when I started,

The answer is simple and with no disturbance to the bees.
Ample feeding in the autumn (none of this piddling around with a pint or two now and then)
Monitor stores level by regular hefting.
Addition of fondant if hives feel light later on.

 

[Finman]

And I'll have you know that we summer starved Brits had temperatures up near 30c this summer

I have followed your temperatures several years. I know what you have had there.

30C is not much to bees. Very common temperature in Europe.
.

 

[Finman]

The problem with ventilation is during winter when we have heavy rainfall. Temperatures of 3C with drizzling rain for up to a week are the highest risk time. With humidity at 100% and falling temperatures driving it even higher, and with bees building up for spring by consuming fairly large amounts of honey, .

Most of our winter is moist and temps above zero. We have only 3 snow months.
During last 20 years Winter have been very warm.

If you could have polyhives, their interior's temp is higher. Relative moisture keeps moisture down. And keep Winter cluster in small space. They need do not have empty cold corners.

Buy some polyboxes and try how they looks like.