Keeping Winter Bees Dry

[WesternWilson]

I stumbled across these two links yesterday...great ideas and that gabled roof in the second link could be fitted with a landscape cloth bottom then filled with wood chips:

http://strathconabeekeepers.blogspot...ive-cover.html

http://www.honeybeesuite.com/the-bes...#comment-26668

[Mr.Beeman]

Is some moisture a bad thing? I would think the bees would like a chance to sip a bit of water during the winter.

[Ian]

Ya I think it is very important to have some moisture available. But wet bees are not good either

[mudlake]

Dry is better. We get cold here, wet is dead. Tony

[psfred]

Condensation dripping on bees is deadly. Condensation on hive parts or outer walls is a water supply.

A "garden hive" roof is fine, filled with wood chips (not fine sawdust) is fine. Plastic covers that drip water on the inner cover is NOT fine.

Peter

[Ravenseye]

The bees do benefit from some condensation in the hive although, as mentioned, not the kind that rains down on them. Keeping a hive very dry with significant ventilation has not worked out for me. In fact, when I go into the fall with a lot of air movement (meaning a wide open bottom entrance and a gaping hole for a top entrance), the bees start to propolis the top entrance smaller and, in some cases, close it completely. I'm only guessing that they're doing that for a reason and the only one I can think of is to reduce the amount of airflow through the colony in the cold weather.

[seyc]

I think the location/climate of the original poster should be taken into consideration. It does not get that cold there because of the proximity of the ocean. Tsawwassen is on a peninsula, surrounded by salt water. Rain forest is the concept that most people understand (if they are not in the rain shadow of Vancouver Island).

Keeping the bees dry would be the biggest issue.

[JohnBeeMan]

I just read a article yesterday that states that adding a top ventilation hole is one of the two best winterization options for increased changes of winter survival.

[PAHunter62]

I made up some of these last winter. Provides insulation and top vent/entrance. I tape down #8 hardware cloth to keep the bees out of the top box. Leave them on all year round. Good venting/air circulation in the summer. Plug the side vent holes in the winter, add some wool/chips/whatever in the winter ... I have also removed the harware cloth and placed yogurt container feeders inside the hive as needed.

http://www.beebehavior.com/THSC_Unit.php