From: [log in to unmask] (Gunnar Thygesen)
 
26-Dec-96, From: Roy Nettlebeck <[log in to unmask]>
 r> Subject: Re: Ventilation: How much is enough?
 
 r> On Mon, 23 Dec 1996, Mark D. Egloff wrote:
 
>>      Gentlepeople:
>>   >      As I was looking at all the miscellaneous holes and other areas
>>      which provide both emergency exits and ventilation, I
>>      remembered reading, I believe in one of Brother Adams books, an
>>      admonition about having "draughts".  I began to wonder if there
>>      was any real data regarding the size and quantity of air that
>>      the bees move through the hive during the winter.
 r> >
>>      Have there been any studies published regarding how much
>>      "ventilation" should one try use without causing the hive to
>>      become drafty?  (Do the Bees really care?  Or Does it really
>>      matter?)  I know that there is a whole body of literature
>>      regarding ventilation of indoor wintering quarters, but that is
>>      not what I am interested in.
 r> >
>>      In several of my hives I have modified the innercovers to allow
>>      more ventilation which seems to help keep them dry, but when is
>>      "to much of a good thing"?
 r> >
 r>       Hi David, I'm glad your back. Don't worry about the sharks, they
 r> have no teeth.They wont be doing the judging anyway.
 r>        This year I'm trying some new intercovers with isulation (r 5) over
 r> them,with a miratory top. I'm in the R & D phase. They do get the moisture
 r> out with a 1 1/2 inch slot at the front and back of the intercover. I put
 r> baffles in the intercover to slow down the air flow. The intercover has
 r> two 3 inch holes in the middle or the cover to let the heat and moisture a
 r> place to go.The trick is keeping in some of the heat. I have read many
 r> times, the bees do NOT try to keep the inside of the hive warm. I will go
 r> with that, but we need to make it easy for them to move around in the hive
 r> to get to the honey.
 r>   I have another model with a condensing chamber , that will run the water
 r> out and keep the heat in. Remmember that the water will condense in the
 r> coolest part of the cover. The mfr. of this unit is not easy enough so
 r> far.
 r>  We have new snow on the ground this morning and about 30 F.We may get a
 r> little winter after all. I do think that it is about our turn for a
 r> winter.Here in Washington State ( western part ) we do not get extreemly
 r> cold. We do get wet. So moisture is our real problem.
 
 r>  Have a Happy New Year
 r>  Roy
 
 
Dear all of you,
 
I believe that the climate in Washington State (western part) is rather close
to our climate in Denmark i.e. costal clima, windy, high humidity and
temperature around freezing point during most of the winter and then
sometimes we get easterly wind bringing us temperatures down to minus 10 -15
degrees centigrade and lower.
And how do my bees survive in my bottomless hives. Bottomless, yes seen from
a climatic point of view. Actually very well.
The bottom is frame of our standard lath 56 * 38 mm. The front one cut
to 56 * 30 mm in order to make the flight entrance. Underneath the frame is
nailed wire mesh with openings around 3 * 3 mm in order to keep the mice out
and the bees in. Underneath the front and the back part is nailed in the full
width the same type of wood i.e. 56 * 38 mm. That all. The hives are dry, and
the bees are not suffocated if the flight entrance is blocked by snow as
there is air enough through the snow and up through the wire mesh. No upper
ventilation but a cover with 25 mm insulation of rock wool. In the summer time
you will see no bees ventilating in the flight entrance, and if you are a
migrating beekeeper then close the flight entrance and move. When you after a
minute or so after the transportation open up the flight entrance you will
see a bee maybe two come out then a few more, and then of course more and
more, but there is no boiling up.
But what about colder climate? The same type of bottoms are used in Sweden
and Norway in the mountains. In our cold winter with temperatures down to
minus 25 degrees centigrade for weeks my bees were in fine shape in the spring.
 
Kinds regards Gunnar
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