Plastic sheet as crown board

[user 6228]

Clear as mud Derek.given madasfish says he doesn't ventilate.

Then go read the article in American Bee journal that has pretty pictures that will help you understand

 

[coffindodger]

Clear as mud Derek.given madasfish says he doesn't ventilate.

Maybe this will help:
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/ventilation.html

 

[ShinySideUp]

Last summer I used ventilated hives as that's what came from the bee supplier and when winter came I made a new roof which had no ventilation holes and I blocked the holes in the crown board too all of which seemed to work as all my colonies came through the winter ok. Now this summer I bought a new hive and have not yet got around to insulating the roof and this roof has mesh vents in it. Well it did, but now the bees have propolised the lot and closed it all off which is probably just as well as there was a large colony of earwigs living in the roof space -- another reason for getting rid of the mesh vents.

I shall be closing off all my roof vents permanently before winter and insulating accordingly.

 

[Finman]

Thats a little cruel given the amount of unfounded promotion ventilation has been given to the extent of becoming an article of faith. The reality is quite complicated, where if you have a conventional thin walled wooden hive then ventilation does not lose much in extra heat (not much left to lose). But if you insulate, then ventilation can cause major heat loss and dehydration. Thus if you insulate dont ventilate, not just because its harmful, but that the insulation takes away the rationale for ventilation

Insulated houses must be ventilated. So do hives.

In houses people need oxygen. Fart gases must be ventilated away. Moisture from life must be ventilated.

In beehives insulation and ventilation things are simple.

All hives in Finland are insulated during Winter and all have ventilation.
There are different kind of ventilations. Beekeepers are ready to die for their systems, even if they do not understand how it works. But works.
.

 

[Podilia]

I keep seeing it being used on YouTube videos on Eastern European Hives (Russian and Ukrainian) and from what I can gather the beekeepers claim that they have no more condensation forming on them than they do with just wooden crown boards; I suppose with a good layer of insulation above it you wouldn't get condensation as the dew point wouldn't be reached.

I found an interesting video about insulation and ventilation. It's from Russia where winter weather is much colder than in Europe. You can undertand it without translation. Overinsulated hives, thick pillows,small entrances and holes sentenced 12 colonies out of 20 to death. Even in cold russian winter bees need fresh air.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otwZgoOWJeM

 

[Finman]

.
And what is the role of varroa on those hives.
.

 

[Podilia]

.
And what is the role of varroa on those hives.
.

The role of varroa in those hives is the same as in any other hives. He didn't say anything about varroa. I think they didn't survive

 

[Gwr]

I’ve moved from OMF to solids a few years ago and since then have found my hives brood production has gone up, and now brood and cells goes all the way to the bottom of the frame, plus my honey production has gone from very little to good amounts.

I live in a very damp and windy area on the side of a Welsh mountain, so my hives stands are 18 inches high to get them up above the damp ground and the legs are concreted in the ground, to stop my strapped and tethered hives from blowing over, and even this high off the ground still caused damp issues so going with solid floors stops these constant winds blowing up under the hives and reduced the ingress of damp.

I have old wooden national hives inherited from my grandfather and I have tried ventilation and no ventilation and in these wooden hives I’ve found the ventilated versions have less moisture in them and thus less mold. I understand insulation will stop condensation but my attempts at insulated outter covers simply lead to massive mold inside and outside the hives after winter so I now stick to insulation above only.

So winter I insulated the roof and don’t ventilate, all other times I open the feeder holes in the cover board. Works well for me for the last 10+ years.