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Author Topic: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?  (Read 6738 times)

Offline windfall

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what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« on: October 27, 2011, 06:01:33 pm »
This fall, I built a couple of insulated 5 frame Nucs very similar to Bluebees: thin wood core, 2" polystyrene all around.

Today I was peering into the entrance tunnel (bottom) out of curiosity since I was seeing some condensation on the mouse guard and it's finally getting coldish here (36F daytime)
Inside I see 2-3 bees fanning...not good I decide: keeping them too warm, so I open up the top entrance a bit to 1/4 X5/16...it had been completely closed.

I peek in again when done. Now I see 1-2 fanning and 3-4 apparently licking the damp cedar floor. It is just damp at the entrance, no visable liquid water except for some droplets on the galvanized mesh mouse guard.

What am I seeing? Are these bees drinking the moisture? Is this part of how they attempt to dry a hive? Or is this some kind of response to my disturbing them a bit?

Offline Hemlock

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2011, 09:16:28 pm »
It's natural for hives to have condensation in Winter.  It is a water source for the bees. They cant fly outside to a source so they utilize what they make in their own hive.  The big problem with condensation is when there is so much it drips through the cluster stealing the bees heat.  So we vent a little and tilt the hives slightly forward so it runs down the front wall and not over the bees.


Did you insulate the inside of the top cover?
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Offline windfall

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2011, 09:00:17 am »
Thanks hemlock,
I was aware that bees drank their condensate, but I had not observed it before and was wondering if their were other behaviors/actions that looked the same. It seemed especially curious since it showed up immediately after I disturbed them a bit opening up the top vent.

The nucs are insulated on all sides. On the standard hives just the tops for winter.

Offline Buffalo Bee Farm

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2011, 10:05:25 am »
I placed plexi glass inner covers on a few hives last winter to watch the condensation in the hives to prove to myself a few things since i do not ventilate the top...

Here are pictures on my blog from 2010/2011 winter...  Since i cant post a link, Google Buffalo Bee Farm Blogger and click the 2010 button on the left and scroll down...

Offline BlueBee

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2011, 01:29:27 pm »
I read your blog on winter condensation.  Nice work and nice blog Buffalo Bee Frame.

Offline T Beek

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2011, 02:31:54 pm »
Yes bees drink hive condensation throughout winter as able.  The discription appears excessive to me however. 

Does the Nuc have an 'out' for excess condensation?  Either a tilted bottom entrance or a top entrance letting it out.  Are/were you feeding and perhaps there's a leak?  Don't mean to overthink this.

If hive bottom is damp already in October, what do you think it might look like in March?  Bees can't/won't use it all before it turns bottom into an ice rink/brick causing thermal mass to go in the opposite direction needed for survival.

thomas
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Offline Finski

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2011, 01:30:41 am »
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20 kg winter food forms 13 litre water via respiration.

I follow the style of respirative inner cover. It  moves the moisture out from the hive, not to form drinking places there. Condensation over the cluster is the worst place. If it happens, inner cover has too thin insulation.

I have 10 mm thick wood panel in inner cover and above it 70 mm plastic foam matress.
Part of moisture goes through the cover material. Inner cover and raincover must have a venting gap. Otherwise moisture rains back to insulation.

Most of the moisture exists via upper hole.

Yes condensation. It happens even in summer night when warm hive air meets cold bottom.

In winter the moisture may form a thick layer of ice. Respiration moisture forms snow and ice sticks inside too. Then it melts and that is why hive bottom should tilt a bit.
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Offline rdy-b

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #7 on: October 30, 2011, 01:51:00 am »
Yes bees drink hive condensation throughout winter as able.  The discription appears excessive to me however. 

Does the Nuc have an 'out' for excess condensation?  Either a tilted bottom entrance or a top entrance letting it out.  Are/were you feeding and perhaps there's a leak?  Don't mean to overthink this.

If hive bottom is damp already in October, what do you think it might look like in March?  Bees can't/won't use it all before it turns bottom into an ice rink/brick causing thermal mass to go in the opposite direction needed for survival.

thomas
well said Thomas

Offline Finski

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2011, 10:00:26 am »


If hive bottom is damp already in October, what do you think it might look like in March?  Bees can't/won't use it all before it turns bottom into an ice rink/brick causing thermal mass to go in the opposite direction needed for survival.

thomas

it may be damp even in July.

In March the bottom looks rotten bees and black mouldy juice included. 
bottom will dry up and bees carry the mesh out.

My opinion is that uncapped food in the hive soaks moisture and dilutes the food.

What ever you think bees do well in their hive.a meshy bottom does not disturb them.

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Offline windfall

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #9 on: October 30, 2011, 10:55:31 am »
I can only see the entrance tunnel, and it is only just damp around the entrance where the interior air is cooling off. I don't believe their is much condensate in interior...at least not yet.

The questions may all be for naught as the last warmish day this nuc had bees pulling out dead with DWV and about a dozen varoa can be seen on the tunnels bottom.....not good.

I was surprised, they were started from a swarm at end of June didn't think the mite population would balloon quite so quick. I suppose I could check for brood and treat with oxalic next warmish spell. I had been planning on attempting no-treatment, so this is my first "test" of conviction ;)

I doubt I will do anything but wait and see. From what I read a nuc showing these signs at this time of year is pretty well doomed?

Offline BlueBee

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #10 on: October 30, 2011, 10:59:47 am »
There’s always that high temperature idea for killing the mites :)  I suppose that is technically a “treatment” too, but it would be chemical free.

Offline T Beek

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #11 on: October 30, 2011, 11:22:29 am »
IOM each treatment simply renews and affirms future treatment.  The only way to break dependence on treatment is to stop. 

Bees will die in either case, but its the untreated survivors that will become the future.  I believe it is our perpetual interference, more than any other factor, that is killing bees (and most other lifeforms in general :() 

(guess the cat is out of the bag now heh?) :-D

thomas
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Offline windfall

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #12 on: October 30, 2011, 11:25:39 am »
Thomas I am in principle right with you.

I waited 2 years to get starter Nucs from Kirk Webster who stopped treating years ago, accepted the consequences and bred from the survivors.

It's just hard to watch it (a colony crash) happen for the first time and do nothing....

Offline T Beek

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #13 on: October 30, 2011, 11:29:12 am »
No matter what route you take you will kill bees, I've killed plenty i'm sure.  Its part of the program.

thomas
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Offline BlueBee

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #14 on: October 30, 2011, 11:57:27 am »
You can’t solve all the world’s pest problems using the ‘survival of the fittest’ approach.  Some bugs are here to stay. 

The varroa mites may in fact be like the mosquitoes; something that is impossible to permanently get rid of.   A better idea might be figuring out how to keep them at bay like we do mosquitoes.  I’m not a fan of letting colonies crash and hoping for some magic the next time. 

Offline windfall

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #15 on: October 30, 2011, 12:11:24 pm »
I don't think anyone breeding/selecting for survivors expects the mites to be eliminated, but rather to get to a place where they can be tolerated as a less virulent parasite.

But we all know this debate, I really don't want to start it up here again.

Thomas, I am sure I will kill plenty of bees. I tinker and experiment an awful lot in all my hobbies and there are always some spectacular failures :-D. But I think I will let the mites take the blame on this first bunch.

Offline hvac professor

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #16 on: December 25, 2011, 07:32:01 pm »
as i always start out, i am a new bee keeper, and may have a moisture problem? late fall i dropped my hives from 5 boxes to four and since all of the boxes had a 1" entrance hole i blocked all of them off but the top box. To really throw a wrench into this i thought and clarified that i had a mouse/mouses in the bottom box. I was told to block the entrance off except for a small 1/4x1/4 hole which i did. I was told if i opened up the hive so late in the season that i would be better off blocking the mouse/mice in rather then subject the hive to late season opening.
Today i took the top cover off and notices a couple of small puddles of condensation, and through the oblong top cover i could see bees moving around? looking for any assistance to this situation

Offline Finski

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #17 on: December 25, 2011, 09:55:28 pm »
late fall i dropped my hives from 5 boxes to four and since all of the boxes had a 1" entrance hole

The hive is too big for winter. It should be one or two box.
Now the heat of cluster escapes totally upstairs, the interior is cold and condensation happens inside the hive.

You saw bees walking upstairs? It mean that cluster is very near top.
Your weathers seems to be near freezing point and bees should be in cluster.

What about your inner cover insulation? How much?

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Offline hvac professor

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #18 on: December 26, 2011, 08:39:56 am »
I have no insulation only top hive cover with oblong hole and top/main cover. Isnt it too late to reduce the ammount of boxes? I can see through top cover hole bees wax and bees just below hole moving around, it is likely that the mice in lower box pushed bees up to top box. out temperatures today is about freezing 32degrees and we have already had single digid nights

Offline Finski

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Re: what am I seeing, bees "drinking" condesation?
« Reply #19 on: December 26, 2011, 09:08:30 am »
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It is possible if you lift 2 top most the new bottom then take away 2 lowest.

Have you given oxalic trickling yet? It is usefull this time..
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