Ventilation

[BoBee]

In "Beekeeping for Dummies" the author suggests using popsicle sticks as spacers on the bottom side of the inner cover so as to provide a gap of about 1/16" all around for ventilation. My local beekeeping guru thinks that the spacers might better be placed on the upper side of the inner cover. What do you all think? A gap around the underside of the inner cover or around the upper side?

[clintonbemrose]

I have tried both ways. when the gap is between the hive body and the inner top the bees seem to fill the gap with propolis glueing the inner down. when the gap is at the top between the inner and the telescoping top they seem to leave it alone. I use the popsicle sticks on all my hives between the inner and the telescoping cover. I know that it provides ventlation because when I fog the hives with FGMO I watch for the fog to start comming out the top.
Clint

------------------
Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[Michael Bush]

Unless you have a market for propolis I would put them above.

[Dave W]

Greetings BoBee,

Welcome to beesource.com

I read and followed the same info in BFD. I also added #12x1/2 sheet metal screw in each corner of my top-cover (heads used as spacer). I have ventilation above and below my inner-cover. When the bees REALLY started bring in propolis, they tried to fill (close-off) the gap created between the IC and super. Maybe they dont want extra ventilation, I dont know.

Maybe if I placed the IC (w/ gap below) on later..., sometime early winter or so, it might work well. What do you think?

Dave W

------------------
A NewBEE with 1 hive.
First package installed
April, 2003.

[This message has been edited by Dave W (edited November 01, 2003).]

[BEEn Stung]

Another good idea I get from this site.
Thank you all.

[Barry]

My suggestion is to watch what the bees do in response to OUR actions and see if they think it was the right thing to do or not. If they start in on propolizing the ventilation gap you give them, I would suggest they are telling you they don't want it. Don't try to out smart the bees with timing. It could cause them to suffer more. Give them plenty of time to respond to your manipulations. This is a dangerous time of year to be doing much change to a hive.

Regards,
Barry

[BWrangler]

Greetings Everyone,

For my experiences with winter ventilation check out:
http://wind.prohosting.com/tbhguy/bee/plex.htm

What I have observed completely contradicts the universal recommendation for upper ventilation during the winter.

Regards
Dennis

[This message has been edited by BWrangler (edited August 07, 2004).]

[Barry]

Also, don't forget this thread: http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000050.html

[dickm]

Dennis,
Thanks for the info. It makes me rethink my attitude toward wintering. Somewhere, I read that water accumulates under the spherical cappings on the honey... in that little space; that the cappings are part of their system for water supplies. It's not stored there but is absorbed from the hive under certain conditions. Can anyone embellish this?

Dickm

[Michael Bush]

I beleive some of us were speculating that it probably does in honey capped by the darker races because they tend to leave a bit of space and that's whey the cappings look whiter.