opinions..

[Mikeb123]

Just having a little read of a Jeremy Evans book and it insists on matchsticks over winter for ventilation does anyone do this?

also inspection board open or closed?

 

[Heather]

No, old method.
With open mesh floors.. which are good to monitor varroa, no need.
Do you sleep with windows open in mid winter? Warmth is better for bees than fresh air. The OMF stops condensation IMO.

 

[blackcavebees]

Wait for it .........

 

[hiveabee]

OMF should be all the ventilation they need

 

[BILL.HEARD]

I'm pregnant with anticipation!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Whose Jeremy Evans?, maybe you could strike one of the matchsticks and set light to his books?
And inspection boards are just that - boards for inspection not 'closing down for winter boards'

 

[drstitson]

most people here tend to be on OMFs and use insulation above a closed crownboard.
no matchsticks

and a crownboard should be solid - feeder and clearer boards have holes.

 

[Heather]

And I use roof insulation on top of sealed crown boards. I so spoil them..

 

[davnig]

Do you sleep with windows open in mid winter? Warmth is better for bees than fresh air. The OMF stops condensation IMO.

yes, but I wouldn't enforce it on the bees, no sticks for me

 

[mbc]

Most people on here scoff at the idea, but the bees used to do just fine with a bit of a crack for ventilation. If you ever find your outer frames get a little moldy, try it, you might find your bees dont mind and the extra ventilation clears the damp.
A warm, dry roof does make more sense though.

 

[psafloyd]

Can we have a #FFS thread for all the old and largely obsolete info? ;-)

 

[pargyle]

Can we have a #FFS thread for all the old and largely obsolete info? ;-)

Well ... I wouldn't top ventilate a hive under any circumstances but I would not be surprised if there aren't a few beeks lurking in the shadows muttering ....

Some people take an awful lot to change ... "What was good for my mentor 40 years ago ... is good enough for me" ....

Probably still call the radio a Wireless as well ...

 

[RosieMc]

So what am I doing wrong? I have previously put fondant on top of the crown board covering the feeder holes. Also fondant on top of the super frames

Bees have OMF but I still get problems with mould.

 

[pargyle]

So what am I doing wrong? I have previously put fondant on top of the crown board covering the feeder holes. Also fondant on top of the super frames

Bees have OMF but I still get problems with mould.

Well, you are in one of the wettest areas in the UK for a start ... do you insulate above the frames ?

 

[user 6228]

Just having a little read of a Jeremy Evans book and it insists on matchsticks over winter for ventilation does anyone do this?

also inspection board open or closed?

ask mr evans for his experimental data, including experiment conditions and control group size

 

[RosieMc]

Well, you are in one of the wettest areas in the UK for a start ... do you insulate above the frames ?

Wettest area in the UK? I'm fed up of it. Every time I look at the weather forecast of the UK there is ALWAYS a rain cloud right over where my house is!
No wonder we had so many cotton mills yonks ago

And yes, I do insulate above the crown board with old towels.

 

[Little John]

No, old method.
With open mesh floors.. which are good to monitor varroa, no need.
Do you sleep with windows open in mid winter? Warmth is better for bees than fresh air. The OMF stops condensation IMO.

Personally, I think it's a mistake to use 'either/or thinking', when extremes of either can be unhealthy.

There's a fairly balanced article on this subject over at:
http://www.greatnorthernprepper.com/wintering-bees-in-alaska/
albeit targeted at an audience living in a much harsher environment than anything we are ever likely to encounter.

I sometimes use 'matchsticks' (usually slices of cut-up credit cards) under crown boards to vent the hives for a day or two if conditions are suitable - but then, I also open and close my OMF's depending on the weather.

LJ

[from the flat Fenlands, where in winter it's very very damp, and bl##dy windy.]

 

[user 6228]

Personally, I think it's a mistake to use 'either/or thinking', when extremes of either can be unhealthy.

There's a fairly balanced article on this subject over at:
http://www.greatnorthernprepper.com/wintering-bees-in-alaska/
albeit targeted at an audience living in a much harsher environment than anything we are ever likely to encounter.

I sometimes use 'matchsticks' (usually slices of cut-up credit cards) under crown boards to vent the hives for a day or two if conditions are suitable - but then, I also open and close my OMF's depending on the weather.

LJ

[from the flat Fenlands, where in winter it's very very damp, and bl##dy windy.]

not it isnt balanced . It propagates a false interpretation of the conlclusions of a flawed experiment. i.e. "The bees only attempt to warm a discrete cluster of individuals within the hive. ".

This comes from the paper The Thermology of Wintering Honey Bee Colonies
By CHARLES D. OWENS, Agricultural Engineering Research Division, Agricultural Research Service.

If you wish me to dissect in minute detail why this statement is misleading one I will give you chapter and verse.

 

[sandysman]

Wettest area in the UK? I'm fed up of it. Every time I look at the weather forecast of the UK there is ALWAYS a rain cloud right over where my house is!
No wonder we had so many cotton mills yonks ago

And yes, I do insulate above the crown board with old towels.

RosieMc,
The problem with using old towels, or any kind of absorbent material is that they will soak up the damp. If you think about it, you use towels to dry yourself because they are absorbent. All that will happen is that your towels will draw in damp from the atmosphere and hold it.When it gets very cold you could in fact have a situation where the towels are even frozen. I would say use something like Kingspan or Rockwool even old carpet or underlay will not be so absorbent as toweling imho.
Andy

 

[pargyle]

Wettest area in the UK? I'm fed up of it. Every time I look at the weather forecast of the UK there is ALWAYS a rain cloud right over where my house is!
No wonder we had so many cotton mills yonks ago

And yes, I do insulate above the crown board with old towels.

That might be your problem ... cloth absorbs water - get rid of the towels and buy, beg or skip hunt some Kingspan insulation. It is a superb insulator and does not absorb moisture, put 50mm thickness above your crown board.

Failing that fill a polythene bag with straw or wood chips or polystyrene - anything that will retain heat - even dry towels would do. Seal the bag up and put that under your roof. Might even consider putting an eke or a super on top filled with insulation.

Much more modern thinking than matchtsticks and ventilation ... particularly with your sodden climate.

Ha ... Sandysman beat me to it ... dead right though !!