MOULDY roof

[Finman]

So if we are not letting the vapour vent out through the roof where does it go?

"Cold don't kill damp does" as often quoted on here.

Colin

First thing: Do you Have cold enough in Britain, that it kills the hive? Plus 5 to 10C in the middle of Winter?

We repeat that same sentence too, even if it is false, and not alternatives: Take cold or damp, but you cannot get boath. That is old tautology which never ends.

Another tautology is that warm winter consumes more food than cold winter. It is against all facts and all experience, but it continues. And very experienced beekeepers love to repeat it. It makes drama! Actually after warm winter we have problem, where to put the rest of winter food when summer is coming.

We have in South Finland periods, that -10C weather continues along January and especially in February. Often it goes to 0C and temps fluctuates.

But the worst periods are long cold, like under
-20 C during 4-6 weeks. The cluster is separated into slices between combs. If food is finish in one slice, bees cannot move and that slice gang will starve dead. During very cold bees cannot move and cluster cannot reform inside the hive. When it comes warm enough, cluster reforms and find its place on food.

Big cluster can move easily and there is no "small gang isolation starving"

During bad periods 3 slices may die in the cluster and the rest of cluster is OK.

Damp hive get easily Nosema. It starts allready in autumn before frost period and permanent snow.

During frost period I can see snow and ice sticks inside the polyhive. Solid bottom has often thick ice kayer.

In balance hive we can see that in -15C period weight loss stops on balance and reason is that respiration water freeze inside the hive. When it comes warm, snow and ice melts and drills out from hive.