Fabric Inner Covers Anyone?

[Ranger Cody]

Please forgive a novice asking more questions on the issue, but I was thinking about starting with burlap myself, so I'm glad that someone asked the question To further expand on the issue, I have been concerned about proper ventilation during the winter, as it's something that I'm not that educated about. What are all of your thoughts on developing a top box for langstroths similar to what they do in a Warre Hive? The box filled with cedar dust/leaves/ saw dust/etc... that has the burlap bottom? Just something I have been curious about. Do you think that will help with ventilation while at the same time preventing the bees from struggling to maintain temperature? Thanks for all the help.

[windfall]

I should have been more clear about the crushed bees. It was not worries about damaging the population. It was mote a concern of making my already too frequent disturbances more disturbing by filling the hive with crushed bee/alarm scent at the end of each look see.

[timgoodin]

I used woven plastic feed sacks this fall on some divided 10 frame deeps where the frame feeder made two 5 frame nucs on each side of the deep. I wanted something so I could work one side and not disturb the other. I turned the side exposed to goat pellets up so outside of bag had contact with the bees. There is a considerable amount of mositure condensed on the cold plastic and it does not breath as much as I would have liked. Lost one nuc to excessive mositure. In another case I had an actual burlap bag and used it the same way and it is perfectly dry inside those nucs. I plan on using either burlap or landscape fabric next year. I would not recommend the plastic stuff over winter. It worked fine in the warm weather over nucs but the cold will condense moisture on your bees.

Tim

[lakebilly]

I use feedbags on nucs in summer, hemming the edges w/duct tape or sewing them may help in fraying aggravation.

I am not sure where or who (maybe MP, KW) uses woodchips for insulation around a super w/a feeder.
I have been working on a top/inside winter cover that is woodchips, rigid foam & has a feeder/escape hole through the inner cover. The woodchips absorb moisture & insulate.

Anybody doing something like this?

[sqkcrk]

I should have been more clear about the crushed bees. It was not worries about damaging the population. It was mote a concern of making my already too frequent disturbances more disturbing by filling the hive with crushed bee/alarm scent at the end of each look see.

Don't worry about it. It ain't that bad.

[spunky]

Lakebilly:
No, I do have one of Tim's covers on my hives from Honeyrun aparies. I have thought about just making my own with mediums , but not using wood chips just the hard foam. Had one bunch of bees that completely propolised the inner wire feed hole during the summmer months

[Joseph Clemens]

A couple of years ago we were Christmas gifted a very large assortment of new bath linen (towels, etc.), so I decided to use the old ones as inner covers on my nucs. I use pieces of polystyrene foam (styrofoam) as bottom boards and covers. For the most part it worked well, but once it rained I had a different problem. The towels became wet, wicking rain from their edges until some even began dripping water into the nucs - fortunately only one became so moist inside that all those bees developed mold on their body hairs - it looked crazy. I removed all those wet towels, many of which began to mold. Now, to keep the towels from getting wet, I cover the towels with pieces of 3 mil black plastic garbage bags, then their polystyrene outer covers. That has kept the towels dry and the bees dry, too. I have found that if I wait a minute or two after placing the towel, before adding the plastic and polystyrene covers, that very few bees are crushed. When the towels wear out, I'll see what works best as a replacement, I'll probably try canvas.

During the Winter most of my nucs are on five frames in the bottom of two boxes, the top box is empty, and their entrance is between the two boxes (where the top box is slid back enough for an entrance slot in front). The space is used for pollen sub patties and jars of sugar syrup. This has been working quite well. In the Summer I place an additional five frames in the upper box, where the nucs quickly expand into them. Then it becomes rather easy to split them to make more nucs or install them in full-size hives, for increase or replacement.

[David LaFerney]

similar to what they do in a Warre Hive? The box filled with cedar dust/leaves/ saw dust/etc... that has the burlap bottom?

I've done this before just for curiosity, and it works fine. But it doesn't really work any better than having lots of top ventilation. In my climate anyway.

I've also tried both cloth and poly-cloth inner covers, which also work fine except as Mark mentioned they create a nice SHB space. You don't want any places that beetles can hide, but don't let bees in. They also take longer to work on and off when you get more than a few hives.

[sqkcrk]

How often are mice found nesting snuggly in such a thing?

[David LaFerney]

Hah! That would be a Kodak (YouTube now I guess) moment, but they would have to climb all the way to the top of the hive - which of course they could do. I only did it one winter when I only had 2 hives, and there weren't really any problems like that. The wood shavings I used got moist with condensation when it was really cold, but then they dried out when the weather changed. I figured that was water that did not drip on my bees - none of which died - but then again propping the lid up with a 1x1 seems to work just as well. And being naturally lazy I prefer the easier yet still effective way. Which just so happens to be a variation of the tried and true. Imagine that?

[DonShackelford]

I was given a partial roll of Tyvek building wrap yesterday. I'm going to give it a try on a few hives. It allows moisture out but not in, is pretty strong, impervious to weather, and economical by the roll. 3'x100' about $50 at Menards.