Damp

[Jack Straw]

Following advice picked up from here, last year I overwintered my two colonies with
Solid Floor
14x12 brood box
Solid crown board (and no matchsticks!)

I made a 5 sided celotex bonnet covered with a waterproof plastic skin which I placed over the hive, it came down close to the bottom of the brood box

The bonnet was on from early Nov 15 to mid Mar 16

The bees overwintered well

However on both colonies there was a fair amount of damp and some mildew on the rearmost frames furthest from the front entrance, the frames hanging side to side.

What should I do differently this year to help prevent this - OMF, remove the bonnet earlier or something else

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Following advice picked up from here, last year I overwintered my two colonies with
Solid Floor
14x12 brood box
Solid crown board (and no matchsticks!)

I made a 5 sided celotex bonnet covered with a waterproof plastic skin which I placed over the hive, it came down close to the bottom of the brood box

The bonnet was on from early Nov 15 to mid Mar 16

The bees overwintered well

However on both colonies there was a fair amount of damp and some mildew on the rearmost frames furthest from the front entrance, the frames hanging side to side.

What should I do differently this year to help prevent this - OMF, remove the bonnet earlier or something else

RAB advised using an omf or if you must use solid floor put matchsticks UNDER the BROOD box. Seems logical to me.

 

[Finman]

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1) When you arrange the hive for winter, reduce the wintering room as small as you can before feeding. Interrior will be warmer and it keeps the hive dry.

2) winter cluster will be about same size as the brood area 2 weeks before feeding.

3) put white combs against the walls or foundations . Pollen frames will be ruined most.

4) put the hive slant a little bit that condensation and even rain water drills out via entrance.

5) make a 15 mm upper entrance hole to upper part of front wall at the hight of 1:2.

6) floor is moist most in back part, but if you make a 5 mm hole in the back bar of the floor, it ventilates back part enough that the floor will stay dry.

.

 

[Finman]

solid floor put matchsticks UNDER the BROOD box. Seems logical to me.

With my 50 years experience with solid floors I can only say: Good heavens!

Many use nails too under brood box, but it makes a gap, where rainwater goes in onto floor, when water drills down the hive wall.

.

.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Following advice picked up from here, last year I overwintered my two colonies with
Solid Floor
14x12 brood box
Solid crown board (and no matchsticks!)

I made a 5 sided celotex bonnet covered with a waterproof plastic skin which I placed over the hive, it came down close to the bottom of the brood box

The bonnet was on from early Nov 15 to mid Mar 16

The bees overwintered well

However on both colonies there was a fair amount of damp and some mildew on the rearmost frames furthest from the front entrance, the frames hanging side to side.

What should I do differently this year to help prevent this - OMF, remove the bonnet earlier or something else

I have a similar set-up - 14x12 with 5-sided bonnet but I have open mesh floors (generally with monitoring board in position but this still leaves a 25mm gap under the floor at the back) and I have an underfloor entrance at the front with no mouse-guards or width restrictions. My frames are set "cold way" i.e. at right angles to the entrance.

I have not had any problems with damp or mildew and it's pretty damp in Cornwall in the winter. It's clearly a ventilation problem (rain unlikely to get through hive and bonnet) so maybe the matchsticks will work with the solid floor.

CVB

 

[user 6228]

Following advice picked up from here, last year I overwintered my two colonies with
Solid Floor
14x12 brood box
Solid crown board (and no matchsticks!)

I made a 5 sided celotex bonnet covered with a waterproof plastic skin which I placed over the hive, it came down close to the bottom of the brood box

The bonnet was on from early Nov 15 to mid Mar 16

The bees overwintered well

However on both colonies there was a fair amount of damp and some mildew on the rearmost frames furthest from the front entrance, the frames hanging side to side.

What should I do differently this year to help prevent this - OMF, remove the bonnet earlier or something else

1) Why do assume mold is bad? - bees in trees live in a world of mold havent found a study associating mold (without high bee stress) with bee disease.
2)Removing the bonnet will cause more heat loss = more fuel consumption = more condensation.
3)Putting matches under the brood causes heat loss = more condensation.

Your bonnet seems short you should make it cover as much as possible

increase the insulated height from the brood to the entrance. Add a dartington style entrance to make the distance even bigger. make the varroa tray slot lower down and seal it make the bonnet go all the way down to entrance.

your hives look exposed you will be getting mixing through and under the mesh floor due to wind.
Either have a insulated solid floor or wind and light baffle under the mesh.

 

[Finman]

I made a 5 sided celotex bonnet covered with a waterproof plastic skin which I placed over the hive, it came down close to the bottom of

Bees generate water from their food. Your waterproof plastic perhaps keep too long moisture inside wrappings..
I live here in 60 latitude, and I have noticed that bees do better in fresh air than under snow heap. But I use geotextile as wind protection. It is water permeable. .

That celotex is one reason to moisture. I bet that.
.

 

[madasafish]

Insulate the floor... My solid floors are all insulated. Mold? What is that?

 

[Millet]

1) Why do assume mold is bad? - bees in trees live in a world of mold havent found a study associating mold (without high bee stress) with bee disease.
2)Removing the bonnet will cause more heat loss = more fuel consumption = more condensation.
3)Putting matches under the brood causes heat loss = more condensation.

Your bonnet seems short you should make it cover as much as possible

increase the insulated height from the brood to the entrance. Add a dartington style entrance to make the distance even bigger. make the varroa tray slot lower down and seal it make the bonnet go all the way down to entrance.

your hives look exposed you will be getting mixing through and under the mesh floor due to wind.
Either have a insulated solid floor or wind and light baffle under the mesh.

I use two layers of this debri netting on my aviaries to slow the wind down, maybe some of this wrapped around the legs on the hive stand would help to stop drafts.

http://www.tarpaulinsuk.uk/size/hea...=b7e4b654cca5aeba5301034c042cc81c&fo_s=gplauk

 

[Finman]

Insulate the floor... My solid floors are all insulated. Mold? What is that?

Insulation does not help when door is open.

What I have insulated, ants have made nest into insulation.

 

[Madge]

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1) ...
5) make a 15 mm upper entrance hole to upper part of front wall at the hight of 1:2.

6) floor is moist most in back part, but if you make a 5 mm hole in the back bar of the floor, it ventilates back part enough that the floor will stay dry.

Insulation does not help when door is open.

What I have insulated, ants have made nest into insulation.

Don't you have an 'open door' in the top of the box, as well as another in the floor?

And what about drafts moving from the hole in the floor to the hole in the top box?

I sometimes struggle to follow, or understand, your advice - sorry!

 

[MartinL]

The bonnet was on from early Nov 15 to mid Mar 16

The bees overwintered well

Because there was no Real-Winter weather to worry about!

What should I do differently this year to help prevent this - OMF, remove the bonnet earlier or something else

Wait until it gets persistently cold? . . .Finman?

 

[Finman]

Don't you have an 'open door' in the top of the box, as well as another in the floor?

And what about drafts moving from the hole in the floor to the hole in the top box?

I sometimes struggle to follow, or understand, your advice - sorry!

Well, I understand English, but I do not understand Englishmen in their complicated hive keeping.

Open door = main entrance. If you keep at home the out door open, it does not help, how much you have insulation under the floor. Try it.

I have no hole in the inner cover, because I ventilate the box throught the boxe's front wall. Mice like to do the nest above inner cover's hole where they get warm air from hive. So I left away all those feeding/ventilation holes. Mice stopped nest making when I closed the inner cover.

15 mm upper entrance (hole II) is meant to make some draft. It cannot be smaller because forager traffic will be jammed. So in summer I use
1 cm x 10 cm entrance door open. Or in smaller hive 5 x 1 cm.


.

 

[Millet]

Because there was no Real-Winter weather to worry about!



Wait until it gets persistently cold? . . .Finman?

You are not wrong there last winter was really mild, cold at times but nothing persistent like weeks of snow.

 

[Finman]

You are not wrong there last winter was really mild, cold at times but nothing persistent like weeks of snow.

.
I had here in last February even -36C, and no snow. But the whole winter was mild.

Sometimes winter is hard but I am not going to wait it.
.
Persistently cold... Somebody help! Please!
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[MartinL]

You are not wrong there last winter was really mild, cold at times but nothing persistent like weeks of snow.

I can see numerous, newish beeks (who have been patting themselves on the back the last couple of Springs), coming a bit of a cropper if we have a long cold winter.

 

[Finman]

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What Jack said at first, the problems are easy to correct. I had those same problems 40 years ago.

 

[user 6228]

heat loss is not all about temperature. wet and wind carry away heat. You can die of hypothermia on a summers day.

 

[Finman]

heat loss is not all about temperature. wet and wind carry away heat. You can die of hypothermia on a summers day.

I go to home if I am going to die hypotermia.

In old good days people did not die directly for cold. First they become sick and got diseases.

A human must have a good dosage alcohol if he dies to hypotermia.
.

 

[user 6228]

I go to home if I am going to die hypotermia.

In old good days people did not die directly for cold. First they become sick and got diseases.

A human must have a good dosage alcohol if he dies to hypotermia.
.

I put you on Snowdon or the Brecons without a waterproof jacket in a 80 kph wind in torrential rain at 10C make you stay overnight and you will die.