marsh site - help needed

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beefaye

New Bee
Joined
Sep 1, 2012
Messages
20
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0
Location
central scotland
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
3
hiya

my hive site holding 2 hives is secured on raised posts on decking at the bottom of an acre of grass field

the weather has been so bad lately that the ground under my decking and to the back has started to get sodden and marshy...the farmer who owns the land thinks the change is due to part of the field drainage system collapsing but will be too costly to repair (isn't flooding my hive site, just puddles of water & marsh & won't get any worse)

I have limited access underneath the hive decking and it is all too secure to move.

The ground to the front of the hives is raised and dry but should I still be worried about the wet land underneath? Would this be an issue now or in winter with regards frost pockets?

I will try and get under the decking a little and hoe out small trenches to try and reroute the water. Any other tips to dry out the area i.e. sand, woodchip?

In winter, would it help to tuck insulated wood under the decking to ensure no frost penetrates upwards or am I worrying too much considering the decked area is raised sufficiently?
 
Not much you can do if the drain has collapsed. If you put wood chip down it will get just as wet. Is there another area in the field you can move them to?
 
Not much you can do if the drain has collapsed. If you put wood chip down it will get just as wet. Is there another area in the field you can move them to?

:iagree:
I thing the wisest thing would be to move them to someplace a little drier
 
If they are above water all year around and you are not paddling in water/mud to inspect I would leave them alone. The bees control the humidity inside the hive.
Is it a good site in terms of forage and wind shelter?

The perfect site rarely exists. It takes 5 years to fully evaluate a site.
 
thanks for replying everyone as I was starting to obsess over it

moving the site isnt an option as it is all posted into the ground and I dont have anyone to help with that type of work

black comb...thanks for replying about leaving them if the site is raised....it is well raised and the ground around is dry in most places

the main location is perfect for the bees, field after field for forraging with no residential areas near by...all fully sheltered by woodland and south facing with plenty of sun & dappled shade. I will just shove my spare wood under the decking to prevent any water settling there..problem will be solved if i can divert any build up just a few feet away behind my platform...i think the water was just settling there because i had levelled the ground for my site...who would have known we would have had the wettest summer/winter on record

if it was my land, i would just build a new site on a drier area but i can only be based where the farmer allows...can't rock the boat when someone is doing you a favour for free
 
hiya

my hive site holding 2 hives is secured on raised posts on decking at the bottom of an acre of grass field

the weather has been so bad lately that the ground under my decking and to the back has started to get sodden and marshy...the farmer who owns the land thinks the change is due to part of the field drainage system collapsing but will be too costly to repair (isn't flooding my hive site, just puddles of water & marsh & won't get any worse)

I have limited access underneath the hive decking and it is all too secure to move.

The ground to the front of the hives is raised and dry but should I still be worried about the wet land underneath? Would this be an issue now or in winter with regards frost pockets?

I will try and get under the decking a little and hoe out small trenches to try and reroute the water. Any other tips to dry out the area i.e. sand, woodchip?

In winter, would it help to tuck insulated wood under the decking to ensure no frost penetrates upwards or am I worrying too much considering the decked area is raised sufficiently?

How high above the ground are your hives?

I'm asking because our hives are in our garden, which was waterlogged most of last year. They were okay, but we ended up digging moats round them, with a channel leading away and downhill in an effort to drain away the water.

Packing something in the space will block air movement, and you want the air to move - to shift the damp air
 
beejoyful - thanks for the warning about air circulation

the platform is raised just over a foot

good idea about the trench as the site goes downhill slightly so hopefully i can reroute a little...my site is just on the border of the marshy area so just a couple of feet of wet land that is making me worry

glad to hear your bees were ok though....I dont care about getting mucky but want my bee babies to stay happy

it will just need to be a work in progress as water has a mind of its own especially when Scottish weather is added in
 

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