Poly hives, ventilation, chalk brood, and CO2

[Mellifera Crofter]

I'm forever dithering between keeping the hive inserts in the hives, or taking them out. The wind up here is terrible and even though most of my hives are on double brood boxes or have a super above the brood box, I fear that the wind will find its way into their hives right up to the top where they might be clustering.

A venerable Aberdeenshire beekeeper told me he keeps the inserts in the hives because he tries to copy nature as much as possible, and there's no floor ventilation in nature - but he has wooden hives. I feel (perhaps wrongly) that keeping them in in a poly hive might restrict ventilation too much.

A colony where I've left the insert in, or partially in, for most of last winter suffered quite a bit from chalk brood. I don't know whether that's just a coincidence - but this article (http://www.ibra.org.uk/articles/Carbon-dioxide-activation-of-spores-of-the-chalkbrood-fungus-Ascosphaera-apis) made me wonder. (I only read the abstract.)

On the other hand, this video (http://www.king5.com/news/local/Bees-winter-better-in-cold-storage-180454391.html) seems to say that CO2 might be a good thing. So, I'm confused and none the wiser.

Perhaps the solution would be to drill a few holes in the insert boards - a halfway solution. Any thoughts?

Kitta

[Jon]

The first link is research and the second is anecdote.
The success of the bees in the second case could have a number of other explanations.

Apparently chalkbrood has a big genetic component and the first step in a bad case would be to replace the queen.
I am not sure how this works but you do get the odd colony which always seems to have half the broodnest full of gaps and chalk brood dummies.
No matter what you do these ones continue to suffer bad chalkbrood so I do not doubt the genetic explanation.

Other than that the big factors seem to be damp, stress and poor nutrition.
I saw more chalk brood than usual during the early part of the summer when it rained all the time.
I tend to leave the floor inserts out.
I have a mixture of colonies on solid wooden floors and open mesh floors.
I put open mesh floor into most of my nucs this year.

[Poly Hive]

Probably over thinking the matter.

I have had a fair few chalkie colonies in poly over the years, and the cure is the same as ever it was, re-queen. Poly wood or concrete makes no odds to chalk, its the genes. AMM seems more prone to it too btw.

PH

[Jimbo]

For chalk brood my first move is to give them a sugar feed in the spring. This gives the colony a wee boost and the chalk brood tends to disapear as the colony get stronger. I have never had a bad case of chalk brood that has needed to replace the queen. The chalk brood tends to be in colonies that don't have good ventilation and sometime have been a bit damp.
For open mesh floors and windy conditions some people put an old super on the stand first then the floor then your brood boxes. This then acts as a baffle. The colony still gets ventilation to prevent dampness but not the wind blowing through.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll keep them ventilated (and won't be fooled by an anecdote, Jon). Some of my hives have shelter, but for the really exposed ones I might add the boards with holes drilled in them. It's wild on this hill.

I suppose, Jimbo, that my hives, being on two brood boxes, should have about the same amount of wind protection (or perhaps even a bit more) as hives with an empty super below them, don't you think?

Kitta

[Black Comb]

Or you could push the inserts in half way and tape them in place.

[Poly Hive]

I find double broods in poly tend to not be in the bottom box so yes. It's warmer at the top. ;)

PH

[keith pierce]

I'm forever dithering between keeping the hive inserts in the hives, or taking them out.
I feel (perhaps wrongly) that keeping them in in a poly hive might restrict ventilation too much.
Perhaps the solution would be to drill a few holes in the insert boards - a halfway solution. Any thoughts?

Kitta

What i have done with my inserts, is to cut them back so that they are about half an inch short. This allows a small amout of fresh air into the hive and stops condensation and moldy combs.

[Bridget]

I posted this on a new thread as I hadn't been able to find this thread at the time. sorry if you see this again.

Poly Hives and Mice - After 2 weeks away went to check the hives. Pulled out a varroa board and found shredded polystyrene. Torch, plastic sheeting and terrier to hand, down on knees for a good butchers at the situation. Pesky mice have been chewing away at the under sides but have luckily not got past the mesh floor. now there was a conversation a couple of weeks ago about ventilation and varroa boards. last year through ignorance I kept my varroa board on all winter and spring. Bees did well so as its a bit chilly/windy/arctic round here decided to keep them on again this winter but I did have a bit of condensation so pulled the boards out about an inch. this obviously gave the mice a nice little entrance and then a platform to work from. I think I will go for a few holes bored through the board for ventilation. and I shall be making sure the terrier does a daily inspection in that area.
In the summer I think I may have to move that colony to another brood box so I can inspect the damage properly.



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[nellyp]

Mice are able to squeeze through quite very small openings, I would not make holes bigger than 1/2" or 13mm. Also I would not leave a gap bigger than 9mm.