Do you cover or leave open your crown board holes

[Walrus]

Here is the follow up work which looks at air flows when there is a cavity in the bottom of the hive. It looks at the changes resulting from different cavity depths. They still haven't done an OMF one yet.
http://www.uoguelph.ca/canpolin/Publications/ThompsonCody_MSc2011_edited.pdf

The flow of air through the entrance is greatest when the temperature difference is greatest (between inside & outside the hive), and increases as the depth of the cavity increases. With a very shallow cavity, or no cavity, a lot more air from outside penetrates the upper parts of the hive, but as the cavity depth increases a vortex is created which buffers most of the hive from the outside air flow (it enters, hits the back wall and bounces back out).

I would have thought that a bottom cavity might result in burr comb, but apparently colonies in tree holes leave a space below comb that is a lot bigger than bee space.

 

[Chris Luck]

I would have thought that a bottom cavity might result in burr comb, but apparently colonies in tree holes leave a space below comb that is a lot bigger than bee space.

That's my experience as well, and in other deep cavities, but not in shallow cavities where the entrance is from above when the comb almost touches "the base" and the combs are often semi circular.

Chris

 

[user 6228]

Where is Pamber Heath? Just wondered as you have got serious insulation, which may do some good, but I wondered what prompted you - do you have extreme weather?

pamber heath is Hampshire...
What prompted me? - A mixture of tightfistedness, scientific curiousity and bees jumping the gun.

SWMBO wanted bees I thought beehives were expensive looked at cheap alternatives, Plywood was far too heavy and expensive. I had some kingspan left over from building the home workshop ... that start me thinking...

At first a bit worried that it might fry the bees,so i did the research and calculations and it looked like exactly the opposite. That led to the PIR hives. in which the bees
behaved a bit differently in winter, but seemed fine.
The solid floors came about cos year later they started swarming (as they do) and i didnt have kit ready either for mesh floors or my ideas as mesh alternative. So they got solid floors which were roughly cut out in a rush with a bread knife! and sealed up with foil insulation tape.All of which in this hot weather has troubled them not (which shouldnt surprise me but did a bit) Did a bit more research found out "closed mesh" floors are good as well. So i might go the closed mesh/solid insulated floor route and observe what the bees do next

 

[victor meldrew]

Bees behave in all sorts of ways . I had a colony that I placed on a mesh floor when they came into vogue ! Admittedly this particular colony used propolis to the excess ! As it was well past the height of the swarming season I didn't inspect for 3/4 weeks . I couldn't get the first frame out , in fact any frame out . I lifted the brood box from the new fangled floor only to find that the bees had created their own solid floor by joining the bases of each frame together with propolis .
Only today I was watching the bees working a large stand of balsam, very close by thistle was in flower , honeybees were leaving the balsam with stripey backs and visiting the thistle . So much for flower fidelity
The longer I live the more oddities I see in bee behaviour (Maybe not oddities but outside the teachings of learned tomes !!)
VM

 

[Chris Luck]

(Maybe not oddities but outside the teachings of learned tomes !!)

Hallelujah.

Chris

 

[Jordy]

Voted 'Other' because like some others, I cover mine with a small piece of glass which they sometimes stick down, sometimes not. It gives me a small but instant view of activity before the full opening up if the hives.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

This poll has nearly 3 months more before it's closed.

For sure we've heard enough by now?

Dusty

 

[Elaine]

No Crown boards

 

[oliver90owner]

No Crown boards

We can take it that the real issue of gaping holes at the 'hive ceiling' means you are with the majority.

The poll would have been better conceived if all users with any formats were included. The 'no holes' brigade would really then have totally overwhelmed the 'open holes' platoon (likely so much so that there would have been desertions from the platoon to the Brigade).

 

[MandF]

I think the next poll should be about gaping holes at the front door.

Not only not what the bees want, not only lots of air flooding in and out, but a huge space for the guard bees to cover and prevent robbing. Which spreads disease. shocking.

Squad, tennnshunn!!

 

[victor meldrew]

Quince honey farm ' Devon , keep bees in wonderful structures for the amusement /education of the public .
The owner expressed the opinion that some of the exhibits taught him that bees were more than capable of defending completely exposed combs !
If you all insist on keeping this plus other exhausted threads going ! I may as well throw my twopennuth into the cauldron
Now there's a thought , lets have a poll on' cauldron beekeeping' I sure the nutters will show their usual enthusiasm for the ridiculous
VM

 

[Luminos]

Nothing wrong with cauldron beekeeping

 

[Chris Luck]

Been doing it for years, big old French cast iron pig feeder things.

Chris

 

[MandF]

Nothing wrong with cauldron beekeeping

Depends witch type...


... I'll get my coat

 

[dpearce4]

Just got back from a lovely trip to turkey, near marmaris, while there i had the opportunity of meeting and doing a few hours of beekeeping with him (pics to follow).

The temprature in the shade was 47c and in the sun 58c his bee boxes as he called them have crownboards that have an area that is meshed but is also covered so there is no gaps, the bees were in wood but we was also trialing a poly hive. he also used hessian sacks ontop of the crown boards for insulation which is always on. the one thing he did do to protect the hives from the heat was they had a layer of cardboard ontop of all 350 colonies. Other hives i saw while going around on the dolmus had things like beer garden umbrellas covering them to keep the midday sun off them and others had reed shades.

 

[bees4u]

Just got back from a lovely trip to turkey, near marmaris, while there i had the opportunity of meeting and doing a few hours of beekeeping with him (pics to follow).

The temprature in the shade was 47c and in the sun 58c his bee boxes as he called them have crownboards that have an area that is meshed but is also covered so there is no gaps, the bees were in wood but we was also trialing a poly hive. he also used hessian sacks ontop of the crown boards for insulation which is always on. the one thing he did do to protect the hives from the heat was they had a layer of cardboard ontop of all 350 colonies. Other hives i saw while going around on the dolmus had things like beer garden umbrellas covering them to keep the midday sun off them and others had reed shades.

its great seeing bee keeping in Turkey, that's how I learn't how to extract honey on site, they do it in tents, save's lot of money moving super to & fro and keeps them all on one site so less chance of spreading disease. Looking forward to the pictures J xx

 

[Eric knockalt]

Holes left open during summer and mesh covered in winter ,still allows through ventilation ,well thats my thinking .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Holes left open during summer and mesh covered in winter ,still allows through ventilation ,well thats my thinking .

yup - I often leave both the back and front doors open in winter, you get a lovely flow of air through the house

 

[VEG]

yep you cant beat fresh air

 

[oxnatbees]

"Other"...

...TBH's don't have crown boards