If the Homasote were the only sink for moisture in the hive during the entire winter, then I would agree with your analysis that the absorptive power of the Homasote is irrelevant.  If, on the other hand, the Homasote acts as a buffer, somehow moving the moisture in time or location such that it is less harmful, it's value could still be significant.

It reminds me of the energy analysis of my Prius.  For all the talk about electric cars, the batteries on a standard Prius hybrid hold the energy equivalent of about 2 oz of gasoline (about 0.05 liters).  The value is in the management of that energy.  The batteries always supply the most expensive incremental 2 oz.

By the same token, water in the hive is not all bad - it's only the water that drips back onto the cluster that kills.  Perhaps the Homasote holds just one day's worth of respiration moisture until conditions change and evaporation empties it out.  More likely, it distributes the moisture in such a way that more dripping tends to occur at the edges of the box and away from the top of the cluster.  That, by the way, is one of the stronger hypotheses about the value of the polystyrene hives.  Their total insulation value is also not all that high but the theory goes that they change the circulation pattern within the hive such that more of the condensation occurs on walls or in corners - places safer for the bees.

Mike Rossander



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