> From:    Lloyd Spear <[log in to unmask]>

> 'Way back when', I did a fair amount of work with Bob Stevens (Owner of
> Betterbee) in developing the Bee Max styro hive.  Frankly, it was a pretty
> straight knock-off of one then being made in Finland.  I was very concerned
> about it being 'too tight' and therefore causing too much condensation
> during the winter.

Well they were actually first made in Germany, I think in end of the 70s.
Then copied in Sweden, the oldest I got is from 82. Finns then copied from us.
There has always been a large vent hole in the bottom board during
winter. Plastic hives need it. With wooden hives you get a movement of
water through the walls that helps move moisture out, plastic doesn't
allow any transport of water through it and thus need a better
ventilation system. We never use top vent, as it is much simpler to
have the bottom vent and never need to worry about it or use any extra
gear for winter. I personally never use inner covers either, just the
plastic hive lid and let bees propolis it tight. The fewer bits and
pieces you need to carry around, the better...

-- 
Regards

P-O Gustafsson
[log in to unmask]  http://beeman.se

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