When to stop feeding ?

[beekeepershens]

If I put fondant on I usually tuck it under the sheep's wool fleece and ontop of the crown board, that way I dont let any heat out when I put it on and the bees can access it whilst still under their warm duvet ... oh yes and I put the wool in an old pillowcase so they dont get their claws caught in the wool scales

 

[Moobee]

A few years ago I had the tiniest wee est colony to go into winter, we get very strong winds that suck the heat out of everything, although rarely now and little frost, (recently) so I put kingspan round the outside of the hive ... it was not as sophisticated as the above picture. To my surprise the colony came through the winter, So although 'they say' its the damp that kills bees not the cold, I think it just means that the bees do not have to work quite so hard to keep warm, particularly if you have these cold heat sucking winds ..the OMF gives them ventilation ... we do not have varroa but find the bees do better on OMF than on solid floors. ( I also put a fleece (sheep, not manmade fibre) ontop of the hive but then I have lots of wool! )

I’ve used celotex in the roof but have loads of wool that’s used to insulate packages in the post. Would that be ok to use?

 

[Sibutcher]

Just putting it out there as a building surveyor beekeeper, but why not just stick a slab of celotex on top of the roof? It’s called ‘warm deck’ which is a current flat roof specification. No issues with condensation as the ventilation of the roof space is maintained.

 

[Swarm]

If that space is ventilated, doesn't that ventilation remove the warm air above the crown board, thereby sucking the heat from the hive?

 

[ericbeaumont]

In the olden days I'm sure that beehive roofs were mouldy on the underside with warm, moist air condensing above the crownboard and under the roof.

In the olden days solid floors were in standard use and top ventilation was the normal method (rightly or wrongly) of dealing with condensation.

OMFs were a 1990s response to varroa (a % are said to fall through the mesh) but because beekeeper habits die hard, the switch to OMFs was combined with the old practice of top ventilation.

I've run bees with unvented roofs and solid floors, unvented roofs and OMFs, and vented roofs and OMFs. The first two (best when insulated) work fine; the last is a disaster that creates a chimney of lost nest heat, increased work by bees to compensate and extra stores consumption to do that work.

Top insulation wins.

 

[fiat500bee]

If that space is ventilated, doesn't that ventilation remove the warm air above the crown board, thereby sucking the heat from the hive?

You're right....it would. In building terms a "warm roof" is as most people here are already doing it, with insulation, incorporating a vapour-barrier, immediately above the crownboard. Building standards require that in the wall or roof of a house which is done in that way, the cold underside of a roof decking or the cold outer timbers of a wall should be vented to the outside air.

If the roof of a behive is completely filled with insulation, particularly if that is PIR or polystyrene, there is nowhere for condensation to form, But there is a theoretical risk that the cold underside timber of the roof, which can't breathe because of the steel sheet above, will get mouldy.

Building Control in Scotland even specifies that you should have ventilation to the void between the roof-decking and the underside of the slates on a pitched-roof. Methinks bees are not so fussy thank goodness.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

No issues with condensation as the ventilation of the roof space is maintained.

Why on earth would you want to ventilate a hive roof - not one of mine are ventilated - never had issues with condensation

If that space is ventilated, doesn't that ventilation remove the warm air above the crown board, thereby sucking the heat from the hive?

 

[Nannysbees]

Why on earth would you want to ventilate a hive roof - not one of mine are ventilated - never had issues with condensation

I'm sold, no top ventilation for me

 

[thorn]

Swarm has explained. I take the roof off and put the cosies onto the crown board. It's best to paint them as UV degrades the foil

Where do the matchsticks go?

 

[madasafish]

Does anyone cover the outside of the hive body?

Yes cosies on. All year.

Live in a frost pocket 150 meters above sea level.. Edge of Peak District , Moorlands 150 meters above us...cold air streams down hill, through our gates and into or round the greenhouse and hives

 

[Nige.Coll]

I have never understood the feed until they won't take anymore advice given out. It is both harmful and lazy beekeeping.
Frames full of stores is the best natural insulator they can have.
As far as ventilation if it's needed they do it. No point turning the hive into a chimney.