I just went out to briefly peek under the lid of my hive and discovered heavy condensation on the inside of the plastic telescoping lid.
My setup right now is this.:
I installed the package may 5th, and all seems to be progressing normally.
This past Monday I installed the second deep super ( of 8 foundation only frames and two brood frames from my lower super) above my bottom super which had 8 of ten frames drawn and filled/filling before I put two in the new super.
All along I've been using an empty deep super ( as a feed super) above the inner cover with a feeder pail on top of the inner cover hole, and the telescoping cover on top of this mostly empty super.
Today was not planned as an inspection but just a peek to see if there were lots of bees in te "feed super" as I've been expecting an increase in population with my brood hatching soon, if not already.
There were very few bees in the feed super and the bottom of the outer cover was covered with water droplets which had fallen onto the inner cover.
It's not particularly hot or humid here, and I've not encountered this problem before. Everything has been bone dry even early in the month when we had serious rainstorms.
Any thoughts on why this is happening, and how to ventilate or otherwise fix this?
I still have my entrance reducer in place, am wary of opening the hive before there numbers are strong enough.
Should I stop feeding up top (use my boardman feeder)and remove the top box?
We're expecting heavy weather all weekend, so if I'm going to clean them up or otherwise remedy this. It'll have to be this afternoon.
Thanks.
After a month and in a second box during the honey flow, there really in no reason to feed. Open it up to air out. If they are real strong, you can tilt up the top lid with a rock and get the air to flow. They might like a new doorway in and out also. Are you running a screen bottom?
I am running a screened bottom board, but realized that the white mite collection board is still in.
Should I remove it completely, or just slide it part of the way out to give a little ventilation?
If I remove it, should I just leave it out always unless I'm specifically testing for mites?
Thanks.
As you said, after a month there's no reason to feed.
Is that true for a new package and new hive ( still building comb)?
Thanks.
.
If you have a beebox and over it a feeding box, the moist air from the hive moves up and condensates in cold place. It means that heat mentioned to brood escapes upstairs. A mesh floor too!
I
Stop that upper box feeding and keep the tiny colony warm.
Reduce the mesh floor that they have not too much ventilation. Number of ventilating bees tell when it is good. If number of ventalors during warm day are bout 5, it is good. If they are twenty or more, add openings.
Last night I completely removed the white board opening the screen for ventilation. This seemed to be the advice (on other threads on this site) for using the screened bottom board - leave it out unless it's really cold. I did this before I read Finski's post. I can always put it back in.
Today I've got 20 bees outside doing orientation/cooling flights, and a few outside the entrance just hanging out.
Gonna remove the feeder tomorrow. But I'm wondering why the sudden increase in bees outside. Are they hot, or is it just an increase in colony size as the brood hatches?
Are they just hovering around in flight near the front of the hive ? If so it is probably a bunch of them doing orientation flights so they know what their home looks like to get back.
Turns out it was not as many as I'd feared. A closer look showed about 11-15 bees:
5-7 on the landing board and
3-4 in the air hovering and orienting
3-4 landing/taking off every few seconds
In retrospect I guess that looks pretty normal for a growing hive on a humid afternoon.