condensation in the poly hive

[cinnamon]

Hi,
I've had my bees for a few weeks now but it seems every time I open the hive, there's quite a bit of moisture. I use a Maisemore national poly hive. So the set up is as follows:
Brood box - all drawn and full of pollen, larvae, stores
Super - all new foundation, no combs are drawn (awful weather)
Another super - no frames but a rapid feeder.

Now due to awful weather since I got my bees, they haven't been able to forage much so I felt the need to keep feeding them. Roughly about 1.5:1 (sugar:water), with the hopes that it gives them enough calories to survive and maybe even draw the combs on the foundations supplied in the first super. I thought 1:1 may be too dilute.

So the question is, is it normal/ok to have moisture in the plastic (clear) crown board and inside the roof? Would it cause mold to grow?

I also have tray under the mesh floor for varroa count. Could this be blocking the air flow and causing condensation?

 

[simoncav]

Condensation happens when warm wet air meets a cold surface. So what is the cold surface? In my poly hives, the clear plastic cover is directly under the roof which is directly over the super.

In your case you appear to have a relatively big empty space above the warm bees (your undrawn and feeder containing supers) that allows the warm air to condense.

Do your bees a favour and either remove the unused super or possibly pack out the space around the feeder with newspaper or straw etc to make it much more insulated.

 

[Poly Hive]

I have never seen condensation in my polys over the last donkeys years.

I use plywood crown boards.

Pretty obvious to me what the problem is and again they have managed to design in a fault.

PH

 

[Erichalfbee]

In my opinion there is far too much space above their heads to keep warm. If there are capped stores in the brood box they don't need feeding. They won't be putting anything into the super this year so take it away?

 

[Swarm]

entirely. If that super is full of foundation, take it away.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The last two have it.

 

[Poly Hive]

I supered a colony on Sunday and the bees are up in there working today. Seems from the dusty coats they are wearing now that the HB two fields away on the river bank is producing.

All depends on location people.

PH

 

[cinnamon]

I don't doubt anyone's expertise. I'm asking because I don't know. If I remove the super with the foundation frames, would they not be tempted to swarm due to lack of space? The brood box is full of larvae and pollen and stores. There's no room left in there at all. So I put the shallow super so they can expand if they so desire. I only put the second empty super to feed them due to awful weather recently.
I'll check them this weekend to see if they've drawn any frames in the super with frames. If not, I may be tempted to remove the super and leave the feeder super in place...

 

[domino]

If they aren't moving into the super it is unlikely lack of space will cause them to swarm - you'd be unlucky this time o year.

 

[Poly Hive]

When you say the BB is full of IAS and stores how many frames of stores do they have? If more than one say 7 of BIAS and 4 of stores you could usefully remove three and give foundation for them to expand on.

PH

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don't doubt anyone's expertise. I'm asking because I don't know. If I remove the super with the foundation frames, would they not be tempted to swarm due to lack of space? The brood box is full of larvae and pollen and stores. There's no room left in there at all. So I put the shallow super so they can expand if they so desire. I only put the second empty super to feed them due to awful weather recently.
I'll check them this weekend to see if they've drawn any frames in the super with frames. If not, I may be tempted to remove the super and leave the feeder super in place...

But if they are full of stores in the brood box you don't need that feeder on.

 

[Swarm]

But if they are full of stores in the brood box you don't need that feeder on.

entirely, again. As OP says, the weather has been awful and now we are well into August, I wouldn't be asking my bees to waste their energy drawing foundation, leave that for a good early Spring flow.

 

[Millet]

When you say the BB is full of IAS and stores how many frames of stores do they have? If more than one say 7 of BIAS and 4 of stores you could usefully remove three and give foundation for them to expand on.

PH

The way my hives have been going through stores with this carp weather the last thing i want to do is take any stores away from them, sometimes i can not get to the apiary when planned which could mean ten days from the last inspection, if the OP is worried could she not stick another brood box or super underneath the full brood box, that way they can keep the top space warm and use the bottom space if needed.

 

[Erichalfbee]

if the OP is worried could she not stick another brood box or super underneath the full brood box, that way they can keep the top space warm and use the bottom space if needed.

That does work but not likely at this time of year when the nest is contracting and they do not need the extra room.

 

[Millet]

That does work but not likely at this time of year when the nest is contracting and they do not need the extra room.

I know where you are coming form Erica with established colonies but i have two Nuc colonies on 11 frames that are still building up and now the Queens are laying quite a lot, however the OP may well have an established colony that got going earlier on in the year, it was just a thought rather than robbing them of stores...

 

[cinnamon]

I got my nuc on July 17. So not even a month ago. There were only 6 frames in the nuc at the time. I transferred them to a poly hive and added 6 frames with foundation. Hindsight and after reading from a fellow beek, I should have put 5 frames and a dummy to make up the 12 frames but nvm. So those new 6 frames were nicely drawn and filled in no time. So I thought I should add a shallow super with a queen excluder so they can start filling those up, seeing how fast they were filling the first 6 deep frames, despite the awful weather.

Anyway, I thought I'd give a bit more background.

I will remove the super with frames this weekend, I think.

Or more creative part of me thinks of putting a super on top of the BB with a few frames (4?) so they can fill them in with stores for winter, then putting a dummy board to separate the space and add a feeder next to the dummy board. So 4 frames | dummy board | feeder all in that super.

I'm thinking they might create a bit of a mess by trying to draw combs in the empty space around the circular shape of the feeder. But I don't mind that too much as it's not going to be used for harvesting honey. It's more for them to have enough stores through the winter and have space for a feeder so I can feed throughout the winter without compromising warmth - whether that's a circular rapid feeder, or fondant.

Anyway - I will have a look this weekend and see how they've been doing. Then reconsider my unorthodox ideas... This week has been amazing, almost scorching hot where I live. Weird or what! The bees have been very active so yay for them. Hoping the weather keeps ok for a bit.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I should imagin one full brood box will be enough stores for them. Lots of beekeepers, even in the balmy south overwinter thus. The general rul of thumb is 7 frames of brood (that's full not just a little) before you add a super.

 

[cinnamon]

I like numbers. That gives me a point of reference. I'll aim to inspect closely this weekend and go from there, but most likely like you said they are probably not going to grow from this point onwards so best take away the super.

I should imagin one full brood box will be enough stores for them. Lots of beekeepers, even in the balmy south overwinter thus. The general rul of thumb is 7 frames of brood (that's full not just a little) before you add a super.

 

[Poly Hive]

Super on 8 and not before please. Even on 8 they somtimes need a further week or even two before they are fit for a super.

If you had given this background from the off I know my advice would have been different.

I hope you have a mentor as well this kind of mix up is avoidable.

PH

 

[Swarm]

Splitting hairs a bit, seven or eight no big deal.