Crackling noise from hive?

[biglongdarren]

hey all....was just up putting the insulation in my hives and after i had finished i took 10 minutes and sat beside one hive watching what was going on...bee's were still flying like mad and bringing in lots of pollen, but what really drew my attention was a very load crackling noise around the front of the hive door where i had broaded up with wood a while ago to stop the mice getting in...any ideas what the crackling was??

 

[drstitson]

crackling

could be the bees trying to enlarge the entrance - see previous thread:

www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1999&highlight=crackling

 

[simon kerr]

As a matter of interest, how did you do it?? and with what etc.

 

[biglongdarren]

how did i insulate the hive simon?....i just used 1inch polystyrene in the roof and put matches between the crownboard and broodbox to let give good ventilation in the hives.

 

[richardbees]

Darren, presumably you haven't got an open varroa floor?
Only asking because we had a similar debate on another thread about ventilation....
Richard

 

[biglongdarren]

i have 3 hives and one has an open mesh floor....all 3 have had a 1 inch thick piece of polystyrene placed under the roof and the crown broad raised slightly by matches.......this is my first year and first winter as a bee keeper and at the minute am only doing what ive been told to do by the local bee experts...i guess time will tell if i have done right!!

 

[Heather]

Open mesh floor doesnt need matches in the roof area. Chimney effect of a draught through - brrrr

 

[richardbees]

Darren, your hive with the open mesh floor shouldn't have matchsticks under the cover board.

My Guru is Ted Hooper who always advised providing top ventilation but he was writing when hives had solid floors, before varroa and the (almost) universal adoption of varroa 'open mesh floors'.
Richard

 

[biglongdarren]

i only put the matches in the hive today with the open mesh floor,will remove them the next day that the weather suits to do so.....thanks for the help.

 

[Hombre]

It was a little windy, wet and cold today, but some of the bees were due a second Apiguard dose, on the top bar with and empty poly feeder upturned under the roof to give the Apiguard a bit of space.

It only took about three seconds to swap the treatments, but the bubble of warm air trapped under the feeder was very inviting, despite the overnight frost which arrived fairly early yesterday evening.

 

[jezd]

I am sure its not this but I had a nuc crackling very oddly the other day and it turned out to be queenless, apigaurd causing me pain and grief

 

[Hombre]

Pain and grief Jezd? Do I take it that your bees seem to be ODing on it or what?

We've just put in last treatments and the mite drops say that it's working OK, but then the bees are cozy in poly Langstroths.

You haven't choked nucs with a whole dose I guess? I also assume that you are in a better, more comfortable, shape than at this time last year?

Personally I have done OK, but "Next year will be different", an improved version of this year, without quite as much expansion - maybe.

 

[clare p]

In July we caught a swarm, it moved straight into a brood box (elevated outside my neighbours front door) we closed it up that evening, stored it in the shed and then moved it up to my parents garden, with the intention of moving it back a few weeks later (it is still there and my mum has become an obsessive new beek! so there it will stay)
We went to check on it in the shed, to make sure it was closed up properly etc. and heard an amazing crackling noise, it sounded like it was raining inside the box. I checked again next morning and the noise continued.
I thought perhaps it was them making comb because when we opened up the box they had made four beautiful combs from the roof!
Clare

 

[Hebeegeebee]

If you insulate the roof and then leave a gap between the crown board and hive the insulation won't do anything and with an OMF you'll get a gale going through - no need for a hive, just give them an umbrella!

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