Brown liquid on inspection board

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Buzzo

House Bee
Joined
May 19, 2019
Messages
103
Reaction score
26
Location
Sussex England
Hive Type
National
hi
found brown liquid on inspection board -any ideas ? -saw it also 2 weeks ago.

thanks

B.LIQUID.jpg
 
nice one ,but the board was closed prior to inspection !

Oh sorry, you did say inspection board.

That's a strange one .... does a peek up through the open mesh floor (perhaps with your smartphone camera) reveal anything?
 
thanks .its at the rear so difficult even with my micro usb camera . not too worried as the bees are busy and dont seem concerned.
it didnt have any smell and was a very dark brown. never seen before.
 
It's just a bit of condensation that has dribbled through the debris on the mesh floor ... I see it now and again. Nothing to be concerned about.
I wanted to add, If the hive was leaning forwards a bit you probably won't get it.
 
with an OMF?
With mine it tends to be at the back of the inspection board...I think in my poly hives excess condensation collects on the rear (north facing) wall of the hive and it runs down, through the OMF at the rear of the hive where there is always a bit of hive debris and it leaves a little puddle of brown water on the board. Obviously with a solid floor you would not see it ... as I said originally...no big deal.
 
It's condensation which has probably run down the walls, picked up a bit of propolis/wax and rubbish on the way down.#

With winter cold and an wooden hive, that's normal.
When solid wood floors were the majority, beeks inclined the hive to tilt slightly forward so any condensation would run out of the entrance and rain water would not drift in. I still do as I have lots of solid floors and close OMFs in winter.

# in the winter of 2011-12 when we had a week of -16C nights, one of my top bars had a yellowish coloured approx 40mm long icicle under the entrance hole from condensation.
 
The inspection tray looks like painted ply to me, I agree, a lean would help stop the pooling but far easier would be to remove it.
True Steve.
I only use inspection boards very minimal now mainly to assess stores /brood there's no point trying to assess for varroa.
Even up here I've left them out all winter unless I do the above.
Oo tell a lie our pet colony on the common have had theres in all winter but cleaned very regularly.

When I started I had the hang up of them getting wind swept and chilled from the omf floor being open all winter.
We learn hopefully.
Painted ply worps and swells up corex is better for cleaning.
 
Back
Top