Venting a hive

[GSF]

Being in my first year a lot of the norm I take for granted such as venting a hive. Here's how I have mine and the question is; "will that suffice?"

I'm in central Alabama my hive is in the sun a large portion of the day. I received a 3 lb package on 7 June. I run 8 frame supers, 2 deep, & attempting 1 medium. These will be my brood boxes. On top of those is a queen excluder, inner cover, and the external top. I have a piece of a 1x4 laying about 2/3rds of the way to the rear on the inner cover. It lifts the external cover up some but I just wanted to run this past someone with experience to see if I'm close.

[Parksguyy]

Hi there,
I did something similar with my hives this summer ... its just a small shim maybe 1/4in in width and 3in in length I placed on the lip of inner cover at the back of the hive.  So it lifts the back the of the outer cover creating that 1/4in space.  I also have a ventilation/upper entrance cut into the rim of my inner cover as well and the bottom entrance is fulling open.  Seemed to work ok this summer, we did have some swarming of two hives however ... but it was bad summer for that due to the heat I've heard from other beeks.  I have have most of my hives next to a brush line, so they get some shade in the afternoon.       

[sc-bee]

In the summer, I just pick a small stick up off the ground and vent the back of the cover.

[Wolfer]

My hives get some shade. I have the standard inner cover with the hole in it. I have a notch in the front about 1/2" wide. I can close it by sliding the telescoping cover back. I keep my entrance as small as it takes to be full of bees all the time. A strong hive gets about a 3" entrance. I have IPK beetle traps on all hives and they will get some ventilation around the tray.
I've only had one hive swarm since I've been keeping bees. I think 5 years. That was my fault for leaving an old queen in her strong hive. Won't make that mistake again.

The bees want and are very capable of controlling their environment. If there's to much air they have to work harder to block it off.

What you have to remember is while we're comfortable at 70 deg the bees are comfortable at 95 deg. If the temp is 95 in the hive they don't have to work much.

I have set Popsicle sticks between the covers in the past but I don't anymore.
When you have bearding in hot weather it because those bees don't have to be working to control their temp. When you set another box on and they go back inside it because they had to go back to work.
In the winter bees need either a top entrance or a very small hole on top to let the moisture out.

This is just my opinion and anyone can feel free to straighten me out but you probably won't change the way I do it. Woody

[AllenF]

I use to prop the top up a bit in the past, but have found myself a little lazy and just don't do it anymore.  Bees don't seem to mind. I do run screen bottoms and also leave them open in winter.   

[capt44]

Wolfer I do basically the same thing except I slide a board beneath my bottom screen to shut off the draft.
I keep the top vent open and reduce the entrance.