Moisture boards

[Brigsy]

Been chatting with a keeper in Iceland on facebook. (As you do!) Over there they combat moisture in the hives by using moisture boards. I've not seen them mentioned here so far.

It looks like a super lined underneath with canvas and filled with wood chip. (Plus other variants) Placed on top of the bees as a sort of vent and moisture filter. Anyone come across this before?

 

[Millet]

Hahhaahhaahhahahahaha, just stick the hive on a kiddies nappy .. lol

 

[Hivemaker.]

Placed on top of the bees as a sort of vent and moisture filter. Anyone come across this before?

Yes, in one of these....https://thebeespace.net/warre-hive/

 

[MerryBee]

Widely used in the USA, it seems. Several interesting posts about them on www.honeybeesuite.com

like this one http://honeybeesuite.com/how-to-make-a-moisture-quilt-for-a-langstroth-hive/

 

[MuswellMetro]

I learnt beekeeping in the late 1950's from my Grandfather and also at primary school as we lived in the school house and the caretaker kept bees ( didnt start again until 2000)

Beehives often had canvas crowns. In winter on the top of brood boxes you put a fresh canvas square then a super filled with wood shaving or carpet/ blanket squares or straw This method of "winter Packing" was favoured by most of the older bee keepers, or those newbies who did not like the then new modern methods of hive ventilation , as is now taught by most BKAs (matchstick and open crown boards) ,introduced in the second world war and proposed as good practice by wedmore in his 1947 book

I remember in winter checked the "packing" regularly to look for damp and removing blanket square and drying them on the range or replacing damp straw/wood shavings with dry

The rapid feeders where place direct on the frame tops in a super, that super was "packed" once the hives was heavy enough, I also remember trekking through deap snow drift to place a 1lb packet of tate and lye (weighed out from loose sugar boxes in the localshop )under the packing in February school half term

a bit similar to this 1930's film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=902k2HzCO4E

 

[user 6228]

The hessian plus a good 100mm of shavings and sawdust in a pillow case makes a surprisingly good insulator if packed down properly. The actual air flow resistance is very high. The density lowish and of course very thick compared to crown board
And if the bees propolise the hessian it becomes water vapour impermeable upto 90% Rh. Warre did something right but not necessarily for the right reasons. This configuration with the bees help is can be a quite sophisticated vapour retardant system.

However it's going to be difficult to get a consistent level of flow resistance and thermal conductance . And you are going to need a thick layer ( some of implementations on the web are ridiculously thin)

 

[Finman]

.
It is said " breathing inner cover" too. I use that system.
I have 9 mm raw wood board cover. Above that there is 7 cm foam plastic mattres. The moisture goes through the wood and insulation.

The inner cover is a box. It is very common in the world. I can use what ever insulation in the box.

It means that if moisture condensates onto surface, it goes throught the structure.

When I measure the temperature of inner cover under insulation, the temp is 23C above the wintering cluster, but only 14C near corners of the cover.

But if you have a mesh floor, you do not need any moisture systems or holes in upper parts of the hive.

 

[Finman]

.
Saw dust, like stone wool, makes fine dust, which combined to honey fingers is a dirty combination. Some mouse piss and poo in the system, and you notice how near nature can come.

 

[Finman]

.
Beekeeping in Iceland has started 1998. I think that it is not best place to pick advices. Recent bees are from Sweden.

 

[Brigsy]

Interesting.

Nothing wrong with chatting to people Finman.

 

[Finman]

Interesting.

Nothing wrong with chatting to people Finman.

Perhaps not

 

[maddydog]

Iceland eh? What are their yields like? Doesn't seem like the easiest of places to keep bees

 

[Brigsy]

Iceland eh? What are their yields like? Doesn't seem like the easiest of places to keep bees

I shall have to ask. Some of his pictures show him having colonies on heather. The Facebook page is " Beekeeping in Iceland"

 

[Finman]

.
Flowers of Iceland

https://www.google.fi/search?q=flow...ved=0ahUKEwiMqqb42s_PAhXIkSwKHarCBHQQ_AUIBigB

Willows
https://www.google.fi/search?q=flow...arCBHQQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=willows+of+iceland

Weather

http://www.foreca.com/Iceland/Reykjavik?lang=is

.

 

[Brigsy]

I learnt beekeeping in the late 1950's from my Grandfather and also at primary school as we lived in the school house and the caretaker kept bees ( didnt start again until 2000)

Beehives often had canvas crowns. In winter on the top of brood boxes you put a fresh canvas square then a super filled with wood shaving or carpet/ blanket squares or straw This method of "winter Packing" was favoured by most of the older bee keepers, or those newbies who did not like the then new modern methods of hive ventilation , as is now taught by most BKAs (matchstick and open crown boards) ,introduced in the second world war and proposed as good practice by wedmore in his 1947 book

I remember in winter checked the "packing" regularly to look for damp and removing blanket square and drying them on the range or replacing damp straw/wood shavings with dry

The rapid feeders where place direct on the frame tops in a super, that super was "packed" once the hives was heavy enough, I also remember trekking through deap snow drift to place a 1lb packet of tate and lye (weighed out from loose sugar boxes in the localshop )under the packing in February school half term

a bit similar to this 1930's film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=902k2HzCO4E

Good post thanks.

 

[Finman]

.
Annual temperature in Reykjavik . Practically not above 15C.

https://weatherspark.com/averages/27562/Reykjavik-Capital-Region-Iceland

"The warm season lasts from June 10 to September 6 with an average daily high temperature above 12°C. The hottest day of the year is July 26, with an average high of 14°C and low of 9°C. "

Queen mating not possible.

.

 

[alldigging]

I shall have to ask. Some of his pictures show him having colonies on heather. The Facebook page is " Beekeeping in Iceland"

https://www.facebook.com/1167971617...590214784890/1119585924785319/?type=3&theater

Photo with caption: a few twigs on top of the moister board is all it takes and the cluster will stay dry

 

[Brigsy]

That was what peaked my interest.

 

[alldigging]

That was what peaked my interest.

They look significantly bigger than matchsticks.

 

[Finman]

https://www.facebook.com/1167971617...590214784890/1119585924785319/?type=3&theater

Photo with caption: a few twigs on top of the moister board is all it takes and the cluster will stay dry

That is misunderstanding, how to use that polyhive.
But the owner have trusted to old solution, or something like that. Moisture moves across the wood fibre board.
Those twigs are to make a gap where air moves.

Never seen that kind of innovation.
.