new bee help

rgy · May 21, 2010, 01:11:42 PM

hived my bees late last month and they are in one deep super with top feeder and entrance reducer. Supposed to get into the 80's f. this weekend in michigan. are they going to get too hot? should I shim the feed up a little?

thanks bob

jajtiii · May 21, 2010, 01:30:00 PM

They won't get too hot, but I believe it is a good idea to elevate the cover 3/4 of an inch, year round, so I would go ahead and put the 'shim' in. Ventilation is always a good thing.

danno · May 21, 2010, 01:50:54 PM

Quote from: jajtiii on May 21, 2010, 01:30:00 PM
They won't get too hot, but I believe it is a good idea to elevate the cover 3/4 of an inch, year round, so I would go ahead and put the 'shim' in. Ventilation is always a good thing.

if you elevate the cover with a top feeder you will drown alot of bee's both yours and robbers. what I do is add a top enterance below the feeder by either drilling a 3/4 hole (not my favorite) or adding a 3/4" shim with a hole drilled or a notch cut in it. In a pinch just prop the feeder up with a small twig. What size is your enterance reducer set at?

iddee · May 21, 2010, 02:54:35 PM

Just my opinion, but I think suggesting a 3/4 in. opening all the way across the top is putting out some very bad info. It is going to cause the death of many hives across the nation. A 3/4 in. round hole, or a 1/8 in. opening across the top may help with ventilation. Anything more is only going to cause many problems in many areas.

Remember, beekeeping is very localized, so what works in the far north may be deadly in the south, or vice versa.

FRAMEshift · May 21, 2010, 03:35:35 PM

Quote from: iddee on May 21, 2010, 02:54:35 PM
Just my opinion, but I think suggesting a 3/4 in. opening all the way across the top is putting out some very bad info. It is going to cause the death of many hives across the nation. a 3/4 in. round hole, or a 1/8 in. opening across the top may help with ventilation. Anything more is only going to cause many problems in many areas.

What sorts of problems are you thinking of? What will come through a 3/4 inch opening that will not come through a 1/8 inch opening? Are you concerned about robber bees?

iddee · May 21, 2010, 03:43:03 PM

Robber bees, hornets, wind, blowing snow. Maybe a few others I'm not thinking about right now. Depends on the area and time of year.

danno · May 21, 2010, 04:11:33 PM

I use only robber screens in the summer and a 4" vented top box in place of inner covers w/ a 1" notched top enterance cut in the bottom. Winter these work great with a pc of R15 fiberglass to stop moisture build up

jajtiii · May 21, 2010, 06:44:09 PM

I'm not sure of the dimensions of my t cover, but I do not think (it's really narrow and I have never seen bees coming and going - ants yet, bees no) a bee can get between the side of the top and the hive (or inner cover) with the elevation. I can definitely say that no water/snow gets in there.

Raising it the cover (or at least mine, from Dadant's) involves putting a 3/4 inch block of wood between it and the inner cover. This does not actually create a 3/4 inch 'gap'. The sides of the cover still extend down and over the hive itself. But, you get great ventilation.

But, I surely do not know the risks of other areas, so I'm not denying Idee's initial statement that this may not be the right plan for other folks. Just saying that snow and hornets are not getting in that gap.

Kathyp · May 21, 2010, 08:48:17 PM

don't think i'd worry about 80's to much. you might get some bearding, but as long as they have water, they are pretty good at regulating the temp. brood likes it warm and bees know what temp they need.

if you do need to vent, just slip and little stick or something between the inner and outer covers. that way they only have to protect the middle of the inner cover and not the whole side of the hive.