observation hive ventilation;how much?

[allrawpaul]

My observation hive is going to be outside full time. I know that I will have to adjust my venting to prevent condensation, but I am wondering how much ventilation I should start with, and if I should vent from the top of just the sides. I allready drilled several 3/4" holes in the front and back, thinking I could cork most of them and screen just what is neccessary, instead of haveing to drill holes when the hive is occupied. To start, I was going to leave open one 3/4" hole thats 1/2" up from the bottom and one 1" hole thats 6" up from the bottom as entrances, and have one 3/4 inch hole open 5" down from the top in back. Is that reasonable? e How is your hive vented? How does your venting change throughout the season? Thanks, Paul.

[allrawpaul]

Oh, forgot to mention the hive is 6, 5 and 1/2" frames (about 3 feet) tall and one frame wide. The cover doors will hinge out and will have 1" thick foam insulation inside.

[drobbins]

mine

http://www.drobbins.net/bee's/oh/dsc01232.jpg

has 4 1" holes in the bottom and a similar arrangement at the top
it's in a basement so the temp doesn't change to much
put in lots of vents, they're easy to close off
outside huh?
I've thought about the idea of an outside one with no frames, just one big comb
maybe next year

Dave

[size="1"][ January 02, 2007, 07:48 PM: Message edited by: drobbins ][/size]

[Michael Bush]

I've had to do all mine by trial and error. Outside all the time? What are your winters like?

[allrawpaul]

Nice looking hive Drobbins! Mine will be stationary, no swivel, darn. I like the idea of movable frames so I can adjust colony strength easily, though one big comb would be very cool. Michael, the winters here are damp but mind. Snow is rare, get maybe 20 days a year below freezing, and never below 15degrees f. I will leave all my vents screened but covered, and open them up one by one until the condensantion clears. Thanks for the input! Paul. Hey, how do you keep the frames from swinging when you move the hive around?

[drobbins]

Paul,

those pics are of one I built last year from scrap wood laying around
it was kind of a test
it indeed had a problem with keeping the frames centered and not moving around (although once they're in there a while propolis fixes them)
now I'm building a new one from nice wood using what I've learned
It will have the frames pinched between two strips of wood so they have to be centered between the glass and can't move

Dave

[edit] doh, I forgot this link
you'll like this

http://outdoorplace.org/beekeeping/obs1.htm

[size="1"][ January 04, 2007, 07:25 PM: Message edited by: drobbins ][/size]

[Aspera]

[size="1"][ January 07, 2007, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: Aspera ][/size]