on 7/14/03 23:00, Dr. Edwin Geels wrote:

> wondering if this will cause too much buildup of moisture in the inside
> of the hive during the winter?

That might be the case if you had poor air circulation in the hive.  I'm not
sure where you are located so will give you my experience of years ago.  I
ran about ten hives just north of Indianapolis, Indiana for about four
years.  At that time we had not even envisioned screened bottom boards so
had the traditional setup.  I slightly modified that by inserting 3/4"
blocks at the four corners of the inner cover so as to lift up the outer
cover by that 3/4".  In the four years that I ran those hives I never lost a
colony, let alone lost one during winter.  Granted, the weather was not the
severe cold that you get up in Michigan, Wisconsin, or Minnesota, but we did
have some spells of pretty cold weather and the increased ventilation didn't
seem to hurt the colonies at all.  I think with increased ventilation, even
in winter, you won't have to worry about the buildup of moisture within the
hive.

Mike
Located 1/2 way between Montgomery and Mobile.

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