Extraction Room Airflow

[danield]

I'm looking to solve a problem with bees getting into a shed. The extraction room shed has a design fault, it's almost air tight. Shed is roughly 3x4m. Fascia and soffit boards are mastic'd to the wall plate and plastic box profile roof. So in theory bees shouldn't get in. However when the door is closed, the air needs to escape and it blows the mastic seals and then the wasps and bees pile in. Door is quite large, made using a sheet of ply. I need to solve this with all the inspects looking for food at the moment. I'm wondering what other people have done. Would using a fine mesh - honey strainer size - that blocks insects but allows air to flow work? Or would that allow the scent of the honey buckets and wet supers stored in the shed to get out? Any other suggestions? I try to keep the shed clean but unfortunately other people keep spilling honey in it and I'm not always around to clean up after them so there is always a smell of honey in it.

 

[Angry_Mob]

https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-fixed-louvre-vent-with-flyscreen-white-229-x-229mm/8886d
Placed away from the door so that any opportunists aren't attracted?

 

[Hachi]

https://www.screwfix.com/p/map-vent-fixed-louvre-vent-with-flyscreen-white-229-x-229mm/8886d
Placed away from the door so that any opportunists aren't attracted?

Get two put in, one either end. I wouldn't worry about the honey odour, I've found bee's soon get bored if they can't get at it. The trouble starts when they can.

 

[understanding_bees]

I'm looking to solve a problem with bees getting into a shed.

There are a few similarities between your shed and mine. I built mine as a dedicated place to keep equipment related to honey and bees, and made it draught-proof by sealing between each of the walls, and between walls and roof. The door also fits fairly closely, well enough so that it is "insect proof". (Well, it seems to keep out flying insects, but not ants!) The basic reason why I sealed it in the first place was to eliminate “hidey-holes” for spiders, but I also realised the importance of providing ventilation, especially for times when the weather is hot. I installed a louvre-window, and fitted an insect screen.

This little shed has only been completed recently, and is smaller than yours, but the window and its placement seem to be effective. On one occasion a bee followed me into the shed, but after the door was closed the bee wanted to escape at the window. The insect screen can be slid aside from the window to allow easy access to the louvre control, and to allow bees to escape. On another occasion while I was crushing some old comb to strain honey and then salvage and clean the old wax I had a few bees wanting to investigate. They did not come to the door, but to the window.

My impression is that a window, situated well away from the door, can provide multiple benefits.

 

[Amari]

I'm looking to solve a problem with bees getting into a shed. The extraction room shed has a design fault, it's almost air tight. Shed is roughly 3x4m. Fascia and soffit boards are mastic'd to the wall plate and plastic box profile roof. So in theory bees shouldn't get in. However when the door is closed, the air needs to escape and it blows the mastic seals and then the wasps and bees pile in. Door is quite large, made using a sheet of ply. I need to solve this with all the inspects looking for food at the moment. I'm wondering what other people have done. Would using a fine mesh - honey strainer size - that blocks insects but allows air to flow work? Or would that allow the scent of the honey buckets and wet supers stored in the shed to get out? Any other suggestions? I try to keep the shed clean but unfortunately other people keep spilling honey in it and I'm not always around to clean up after them so there is always a smell of honey in it.

I keep my kit, but don’t extract, in wooden summer house with numerous gaps between the walls and roof. I bought 3m of fly-screen plastic mesh from amazon, cut it into strips, and tacked it on with a hand stapler. Works a treat.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I have a similar problem with a purpose built honey room that is about 2.3x3.5m. The sections are very tightly glued T&G sheets with resin coating and hence very air tight. The door is also, after some adjustments, extremely "bee tight."
My problem is that when working in this room in the hot weather we had during extraction it was like a sauna! I'm contemplating putting a couple of small bathroom type extractor fans into the side fitted with an insect screen but was worried that the extracted honey smell would encourage investigating robbers. I was looking to duct this away from the door to prevent hoards of bees entering if I had to leave the room during extraction.
Does this seem OTT?

 

[Malcolm Stamp]

A little bit of lateral thought here: create a way for the bees to get out but not in. Cut a window 10mm short at the top and then on the outside 10mm away from the window put a 50mm overlapping piece of glass. now you have ventilation and a bee escape.

 

[royaberarth]

My extractor shed is 8ft x 6ft with the door in one end. It can get warm when extracting.There is a four inch extractor fan high in the end wall away from the door and a 4" x 2" slot low down each side of the door. The slots and the fan are covered with varroa floor mesh on the out side. This has worked fine for ten years. Without the fan it can be unbearably hot.