WBC Porch - drip on top?

[o.stjohn]

I bought a WBC from Maisemores at the NHS - the porch has a groove that runs along the front edge of the wood on the top surface. Google 'maisemore wbc porch' to see an image showing the groove on top.

The Victorians worked out that having a drip (a groove along the underside of the cill) on their timber windows stopped water running back into the house making the wall damp. Even modern uPVC windows mimic this with a hockey stick shape to stop the water running back.

So the groove on the top is actually acting as a gutter but not a very effective one as the water will soak into the wood and cause it to decay eventually.

I suspect that this is not a feature used by other manufacturers - are Maisemores the only ones to do it?

 

[itma]

Maisemore's assembly instructions state

Place porch roof with drip groove uppermost and outwards onto porch base and nail with 3 x 25 mm pins

- and yes, I think you are correct that they have the wrong idea, the groove (if it is there) surely ought to be, as with a window cill, underneath.

 

[Brian Bush]

I think your porch may be upside down. The groove should be below.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think your porch may be upside down. The groove should be below.

Or maybe it's the hive that's upside down?

 

[Norfolk]

I think your porch may be upside down. The groove should be below.

That's what I thought

 

[itma]

Sorry, should have linked to Maisemore's erroneous WBC assembly instruction ...
http://www.bees-online.co.uk/downloads/WBCINSTRUCTIONS-individual.pdf
and scroll way way down to get to the porch.

 

[o.stjohn]

Paynes think it's the wrong way up too (the porch, not the hive) but I guess Maisemores have done it this way for ever which is why it features in their instructions.

Not built a WBC before so I'm keen to get it right. I'm glad the varroa floor came pre-assembled as that looks fiddly.

Of course the next job, after adjusting the porch to be drip-side down, is to start painting the wretched thing - is it a beekeeping law that all WBCs must be gloss white?!

 

[Luminos]

Mine are yellow, blue, green and lavender, as well as white, and wood colour.

 

[Skyhook]

There is a logic to this. On a windowsill the drips can fall from the edge- in a beehive porch there would be an advantage to this not happening, so it's not dripping on bees enterering (or indeed leaving, if it is light rain). I suspect it's intended to act as a gutter, though not a very good one. If placed groove side upwards it would actualy be better to have it not level- this would be the simplest way to stop it rotting the wood, and discharge the water to the side rather than have it run around the ends of the wood.

The downside is that your hive may look a bit like hitler.

 

[Skyhook]

There is a logic to this. On a windowsill the drips can fall from the edge- in a beehive porch there would be an advantage to this not happening, so it's not dripping on bees enterering (or indeed leaving, if it is light rain). I suspect it's intended to act as a gutter, though not a very good one. If placed groove side upwards it would actualy be better to have it not level- this would be the simplest way to stop it rotting the wood, and discharge the water to the side rather than have it run around the ends of the wood.

The downside is that your hive may look a bit like hitler.

Is the back of the porch square? I'm assuming it's angled to counteract the angle of the lift, therefore if you turn it over it will leave a gap or run back towards the hive. I would make sure it has a reasonable fall to the front.

 

[Queens59]

I have 3 WBCs and all were made prior to my owning them - all the porches have the dripper gulley uppermost...

 

[drstitson]

as above - i imagine the idea is it acts as a gutter rather than a drip doobry.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

as above - i imagine the idea is it acts as a gutter rather than a drip doobry.

I concur. The porch roof slopes, making a drip groove pointless. A gulley to divert water off the side rather than in the bees path is more useful.

 

[itma]

Its good to see that Winter has properly arrived!

FWIW, I reckon that because the slot is so narrow, it will actually hold water (due to surface tension) rather than aid its passage to the side.

What we need to do is send all the WBC owners out into the rain to take lots of comparative photos of their different (WBC? Standard?) porches, while remembering the number of hive designs that manage perfectly well without a porch.

Roasted chestnuts! Lovely idea!

 

[o.stjohn]

As fitted, the porch is almost flat (ie. parallel to the ground) so I guess the groove is to minimise the water shedding from the front edge, bearing in mind the water from the lifts above will slide down until it hits the porch at its back edge. What it needs is a cricket! A cricket is sometimes seen on roofs, diverting water to either side of, say, a chimney, half way down the slope.

I need to go and observe a WBC in the pouring rain to see how it sheds the water - there's one standing empty outside Paynes. Bring on the rain...

I'm not keeping this hive so I might just paint it ensuring the groove is well protected.

 

[Itchy]

Those porches make the WBC look ugly, so I left mine off.

 

[o.stjohn]

That would be an option but mine came pre-drilled and the centre hole is very off-centre ergo the porch will cover that up!

 

[Tom Bick]

Those porches make the WBC look ugly, so I left mine off.

How do you reduce the entrance with the porch removed

 

[Skyhook]

How do you reduce the entrance with the porch removed

If you look at the pic of the one in question, it has the bit you're talking about, then a sort of carport over the top which is what is being discussed here.

 

[Tom Bick]

If you look at the pic of the one in question, it has the bit you're talking about, then a sort of carport over the top which is what is being discussed here.

Yes thanks but both pieces of timber make up the porch and would look similar to the full porch if only one piece fitted.