[Fogducker]

I was going to make a Warre quilt to put on my Langstroth for the winter. Its just a short hive box with a bottom of coarse cloth, burlap, filled with sawdust or packing peanuts for insulation and then a ventilated cover on top. The popsicle sticks or even thicker sound just right. Its supposed to keep the hive warmer but let the moisture pass through. I'm going to put a piece of 16 x 20 metal screen on first to keep the bees from "gluing" the quilt box down with propolis.

Fog

 

[Trithemius]

Langstroth/Warré Hybrid Hive

http://www.warrebeek.com/hhhive.html

 

[Fogducker]

Trits, Thanks for the Langstroth/Warre' link, that looks like something I'm planning.

Fog

 

[Omie]

I bought these ventilated covers, and am very happy with them so far:
http://www.honeyrunapiaries.com/store/all-season-inner-cover-p-232.html
They seem to me to have similar function as the Warre quilt box described.
I also have full open screen bottoms on my two hives and I plan to leave them open all this winter.
Lost my hive last year...I suspect I closed it up too much and got condensation, among other possible causes.

 

[Capricorn]

I built a cover like the one linked just above last fall / winter. My hive was having moisture problems, so I put together a box, with mesh on the bottom and covering 1" holes on the sides. Then I filled it with some straw. Seemed to clear up the moisture issue that I had just fine.

For a nuc that I currently have that is having moisture issues, I built a few shims that have holes in them. I covered the holes with screen on both sides and set the shims under my top cover. We'll see how that goes, I just added it this morning.

 

[flatfootflukey]

thanks for the link. i have started trying to build a Warre quilt box. that looks like a good way to go.
for now i have put a round head screw in all 4 corners of my inner cover instead of gluing the Popsicle sticks. i thought this would be easier to fix if it did not work.
checked them today and all seemed well. they are not bearding up near as much in the evenings anymore either but i did notice that they were all hanging on to one another like chain when i would try to pull the frames apart. i don't know if this is from more air circulation in the hive or what they are up to now. i have seen them do this a little bit before but not like this. every time i think i might know what is going on they prove me wrong.