National Bee Unit (NBU) Advice On Hive Ventilation This method establishes a convection current, warm air rises in the middle and then falls at the sides, when it reaches the bottom some of the moist air is exchanged for dryer airĪrgument against: I couldn’t find arguments against.This is more similar to how wild bees manage condensation.Side vents in the roof (allows the warm, moist air out)Īrgument for: A chimney effect allows warm moist air to rise and escape.Īrguments against: Some/quite a lot of beekeepers say that this chills the bees too much and works against the nature of bees who try to propolise top vents.īased on my experience I would advise against this chimney effect, the bees need to be cosy in winter.Insulated roof (means the warm air rising does not condense and drip down due to a cold roof).Holes open in the crown board (allow air to flow through).I say insulate the roof (and the walls if you can). The rationale for roof insulation is that with no insulation the warm moist air which rises will condense on the cold roof or crown board and drip on to the bees. In all cases insulation in the roof is deemed a positive, though some beekeepers say it is unnecessary. Note: if you have solid floors then top ventilation is required. In 2014 in separate issues of the BBKA magazine there were articles by beekeepers advocating both methods. There seems to be two schools of thought on hive ventilation and how to configure your hive between autumn and spring. The reason the colony needs good ventilation is to make sure that condensation is not dripping on the bees during the cold, winter months. My bees are in 14x12s with a super below. 20Kg of stores (read: feeding bees for more information).Preparing Bee Colony For Winterīefore we talk about hive ventilation, there are a number of elements that most beekeeping literature seems to agree on when preparing a hive to successfully over-winter: So whilst there is some disagreement in our local eco-system there is also disagreement between beekeepers when it comes to hive ventilation. ![]() My protest does not go unnoticed (my daughter says “daddy pants on”) but it is ignored. When the mother-in-law is down, she’s “freezing” (I think she has been scarred by Scottish winters), it’s 2 against 1, the thermostat goes up, the problem is exacerbated and I have to protest by wandering around naked. She sometimes pulls up her hoody but I think that’s just her trying to make a point. We compromise at 19.5C which means I’m wandering around in shorts whilst Heidi wears 3 layers of clothes. At the start of Autumn, the disagreements start about how warm to make the house.
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