Using a Warre quilt

[windfall]

Ulie's results could also likely be the result of the burlap wicking moisture out of the hive where it can dry...which I believe he mentions in an earlier post. In which case it would be a superior result allowing the quilt to retain greater r-value as well as a increased ability to buffer moisture. Screen wil not provide any wicking to the drier regions/outside when/if the area directly above the cluster develops condensation

[trentfysty]

Hello, I'm building a KTBH and struggling with the ventilation issue in Massachusetts USA, with moderate summers, cold winters. I understand Ueli cuts a 9mm gap between top bars. I'm wondering what others do for moisture flow through the bars. I was thinking of putting a quilt on only in winter, and just perhaps spacing out straight-cut top bars slightly (maybe with cardboard shims, about 1mm) after fall activity has stopped. I'm a novice beekeeper and have no clue if that will disturb them.

Ueli's result of moist filler with screening and dry filler with coated burlap intrigues me. I'd guess the screening allowed more air flow, and the coated burlap simply restricted air and moisture to where the filler didn't get visibly damp. The first question would be which is the preferred result- lots of moisture removed and wet filler, or less moisture removed and dry filler. The second is whether narrow gaps and screens would be a good, easy compromise.

I use the same melthod as Ueli in that using a route out a notch about 3/4 or the length of the bar on each side. That creates a good gap between bars and allows venting to the quilt. I use my quilt year round as it also helps to keep the hive cooler in the summer so that the bees don't beard and comb doesn't become soft. I switched my method on my Warres and will do the same to my TBH this spring. I use burlap on the quilt itself and overlap over the edge about one inch. I then use a piece of Aluminum window screen to cover the topbars. This keeps the bees from chewing the burlap but still allows for the wicking action that Ueli spoke about. It's also far less messy then the flour melthod.

[Buz Green]

I've found that the bees do indeed chew holes in the rye flour treated burlap during the summer months so that when I remove the quilt during fall harvest there are quite a few channels chewed out in the area between the bars. I simply put the panel back in place and the bees will close the holes in the panels back up as the weather gets colder. I replace the starched pads only when they are chewed and patched to the point that I can no longer get them fitted neatly back in the position I found them (they are usually heavily propolozed to the top bars and do not survive the removal process).
I buy my burlap at "Michaels", it comes 4' wide and I buy 8' length and I mix up Warre's recipe and schmear the whole piece on my worktable and let it sit overnight to dry, Then I iron it with a steam iron and then cut it to size. It yields 18 pads and the trimmings are rolled and used in the smoker.
I might also note that the bees have never chewed into the untreated burlap that is fastened to my quilt frame which leads me to believe that the only reason they are chewing through the starched and propolized pad is to increase ventilation and not for bee space.

[gjd]

I had been dismissing the lateral wicking; it seemed hard to imagine that drawing out enough. Or maybe that it could just as easily wick moisture in during rain or snow. I need to rethink this, obviously. That fits with the claims of fans of homasote as moisture-absorbing top insulation, also.

It seems like this would all be pretty easy to test with some empty hives, and identical heat and moisture sources in each hive simulating bee respiration. Light bulb, wet sponge, and temperature and humidity sensors in each hive. Never been done?

Edited much later: To be more precise, it finally sunk in that I completely missed almost the entire point of Ueli's post #4.

[laurelmtnlover]

I like to keep it simple. I put an old enameled steel table top on two of my hives and old corrugated. fiberglass roofing on the other one, then a bale of hay to prevent condensation in the hive, and bales on each side for windbreaks. I cover the hay bales with plastic garbage bags to keep them dry. My bees are not fed or treated, and seem to use less honey stores this way, and are very healthy, active, lots of honey from last fall, I mean alot, and their is lots of brood, pollen and bees. One is a split and one is a swarm, both from last year, and one is the mother hive. I have a source of free hay, so this really works for me and the bees.