Condensation problems.

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

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

simon kerr

New Bee
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
Messages
84
Reaction score
0
Location
Holbeach, Lincs.
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
2
I was unpacking a product today and I found a teabag style packet of silica gel obviously to stop any moisture.
Knowing that in our climate moisture and condensation could cause some reel issues with a colony.
So my question is has anyone tried using silica gel in a hive over the winter months to stop any condensation problems, or is it toxic and not advisable.
I have OMF's so hopefully condensation wont be a problem!!!

Just a thought!
 
Problem with using something like that is that you would have to be constantly changing the bag/crystals. You take the damp out of the wood but it will only be replaced by more damp. You need to eliminate the cause of the damp.
 
Simon, i know the sachets you mean but they're much too small to be of any use.

You're best advised to stay with recognised ventilation procedures - i.e. in your case with an OMF just cover the feed holes in your crown board.

Richard
 
These are the small packs you find with your new leather shoes, right.
I don't think you will be able to buy them on the open market in any quantity, because it has been used in the past to kill off your un-wanted other half and leaves only a small trace,....
 
.
15 kg winterfood produces 10 litre respiration water. You cannot use any tricks. A proper ventilation keeps the hive warm and relative moisture keeps the hive dry. Condensation happens onto coldest surfaces.

Keep a good insulation on the top and condensation happend somewhere else.

Reducing winter room is important too keep the interrior warm and dry.
 
Last edited:
Bee-Key-Pur

Where on earth are you buying your shoes from? (maybe those are packs of insecticide)

I bought a carton of Silica Gel by special order from Boots, and they don't go in for poisons, as it reduces their customere base!

Richard
 
Lets hope that whatever it was he bought, the anti damp packet didnt contain the same stuff as was supplied with the leather sofas, and caused severe problems for some people..
 
dishmop

Yes! I remember reading about about those itchy sofas! di9d they ever pin* down the cause?

Richard

*in a manner of speaking
 
dishmop

Yes! I remember reading about about those itchy sofas! di9d they ever pin* down the cause?

Richard

*in a manner of speaking
Yes it was the stuff in the packets. Something lethal from China I believe.. They had been told to stop using it. The suppliers of the sofas got fined a quite considerable sum.......
Sofa King Low Prices.:willy_nilly:
 
just googled it, I know I'm sad. You can buy it in satchets if you wanted to for other purposes, various suppliers came up on google.

Despite warnings on packets it is not poisonous, guess it wouldnt do you much good if you ate it though, very porous, and for kids, oops!:.(
 
What should I do if Silica Gel has been ingested?

We recommend contacting your local Poison Control Center or seek medical advice/attention. You can contact the National Poison Control help line at 1-800-222-1222 and they should be able to give you advice based on who or what ingested the Silica Gel and how much of it. Based on this information they should be able to give you advice based on your situation.

Is Silica Gel safe?

Some types of Silica Gel, which they consider Indicating Silica Gel, have been impregnated with cobalt chloride, which is blue when it is dry and turns to pink when it is saturated. There have been some significant health and environmental risks attributed to the use of cobalt chloride within the Silica Gel including possibly causing cancer, along with skin and respiratory irritation. We, along with several other retailers, offer a safer alternative which is Indicating Silica Gel that goes from orange to green and does not contain cobalt chloride.

Not something that I would want to ingest....
 
Chinese might have been using much cheaper copper sulphhte as the tell-tale? I would not be surprised, but I would think they wouldn't even bother with tell-tales unless recycling. It has been used in schools and scientific establisments for decades. Back then, there were very few who would be stupid enough to eat the stuff!!

Regards, RAB
 
I can't remember all the details, but there was a case a number of years ago were a wife had been feeding it on the quiet to here husband because he had been cheating on her.
I remember that by the time it all went to court, he was a very sick man, but don't know what happened to him...
 
COSHH guidelines

Take a look at what you should do if you get water in your eyes - "wash out with liberal quantities of water"!!!!
 
Take a look at what you should do if you get water in your eyes - "wash out with liberal quantities of water"!!!!

sadly tis a fact, in my lab I have an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for de-ionised water, which states exactly as above....

:banghead:
 
Sounds like police manuals for rescuing drowning people..

First do a risk assessment. That takes 10 minutes.

Ooops they have drowned...
 

Latest posts

Back
Top