Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: golddust-twins on August 21, 2009, 01:57:17 pm
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Has anyone tried Ruhls ventilated tops. Does anyone have any comments on these tops.
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I'm usin 'em on three hives. They work real good for controlling moisture.
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Don't know anything about them. Do you have a photo???
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Here's one leaning against one of my hives during inspection.
(http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/15/1000479i.th.jpg) (http://img198.imageshack.us/i/1000479i.jpg/)
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I have some. And they seem to work fine. The hives with them seem to not beard as often but on the really hot days it does not seem to work any better than the hives with out them. Ive started making them it's a little cheaper and I get a little satisfaction out of making some of my equipment.
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I've made a few. I like them.
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OK they look similar to the ones I have from HoneyRunApiaries.
http://www.honeyrunapiaries.com/store/season-inner-cover-p-50.html?osCsid=04aa0707463e662a976f0a382928f700
These covers that I have from them have been great for the bees. No more bearding in the summer and no more condensation in the winter as well.
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Thank you for the link!
I've been experimenting with ventilated covers of a much cruder design this season. Being located in Sacramento, I would expect that you wouldn't have the requirements for insulation in the Winter, as I do.
I'm curious to know how these covers are insulated to prevent condensation in the winter.
It looks to be a very versatile system.
BB
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Thanks everyone for your input. And thank you Annette for the link. I knew I has seen another version somewhere but just could not remember where. Last winter I made lids from pink insulation for my hives which worked quite well. I got the idea from David Cushman's site. Here is a link:
http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/ventilation.html
This past summer I added a makeshift version of a screened ventilated inner covers getting the idea from Dadants and mixed the pink lids and screened inner covers which were great for summer. So I can see how HoneyRunApiaries ventilated lids would work. Like BB said the lids look to be a very versatile system. I had a bear come thru my yard 3 weeks ago and take out 3 of my largest hives. When I found the insulated lids busted up I realize wooden lids would be sturdier and some kind of ventilated, insulated inner cover may work better for me. So thanks again to everyone.
Corinne
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Thank you for the link!
I've been experimenting with ventilated covers of a much cruder design this season. Being located in Sacramento, I would expect that you wouldn't have the requirements for insulation in the Winter, as I do.
I'm curious to know how these covers are insulated to prevent condensation in the winter.
It looks to be a very versatile system.
BB
I do have to insulate in the winter as we can get down to the 20's and 30's at night in Dec and Jan. ( I live in the foothills, not Sacramento) They come with separate foam insulation that I place back in the top come cold Fall nights. Mostly because of the upper entrance on them, there is no more moisture problems.
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Thanks for the ideas Corinne and Annette! Gives me lots to work with.
But Annette, we'd consider the 20's and 30's a balmy daytime high in Dec.-Mar. -10 to -20F is not uncommon in Jan/Feb. No insult intended!
BB
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Here's a pic. I hope, of 1 0f my my homemade HoneyRuns, sitting on top of a double screen.
(http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk235/MrMurrell/100_0272.jpg)
Bee-Bop
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I like the concept of the adjustable entrance, but I don't get how your's work with the screened board in place. Are you using a bottom entrance, and this is an escape for bees that get in under the outer cover?
BB
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... or, duh!, is there an entrance thru the board, not shown in the pic??
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Sorry I goof again, that's normal.
The ventilated top was just setting on a double screen board !!
Here I hope is a picture of a couple of ventilated tops with a empty box on top used for feeding purposes.
(http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk235/MrMurrell/Bee-Hives7-09_03.jpg)
The top has 3 holes covered with # 8 wire, I can feed, refill, etc with out disturbing the bees.
In the winter I cover the 3 holes with seperate pieces of card board, then cover these with large bark mulch.
In late Jan. I brush the mulch to the side, remove the cardboard covering the center hole and feed.
The top adj, opening is open in the winter & summer except when feeding.
The bottom entrance during the winter is closed except for several 3/ holes.
Bee-Bop
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Here's my ventilated top:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopentrance.htm
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Bee-Bop that is a cool style of top. Thanks Micheal for the link. Anyone else want to share their own style of ventilated top?
Corinne
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Lot's cheaper to just prop them with a stick. Bees don't need lots of gadgets, just beekeepers.
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One question for Annette. Do you use the pink insulation inside in the winter on the all season inner cover ? It looks like from what I can see by the picture that the insulation would block off the the holes completely that provide the cross ventilation.
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One question for Annette. Do you use the pink insulation inside in the winter on the all season inner cover ? It looks like from what I can see by the picture that the insulation would block off the the holes completely that provide the cross ventilation.
Yes you are correct that the pink insulation goes inside the inner cover. It blocks off the hole in the center only. (the hole for feeding) It doesn't go up high enough to block off the other holes on the sides, but it really doesn't matter once you block off the center hole you are already blocking off any ventilation on the top of the hive. Which is a good thing since it is not good to have all that air going up and out of the hive in the winter.
This is when the side top entrance comes in handy. It provides not only another entrance for them, but provides ventilation for the winter months. If this isn't clear, just ask away. I just love these covers.
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I have posted this here before.
I made my own upper ventilated covers for all 4 of my hives. They work great. I use them in conjunction with my SBB. I slide the SBB tray into the closed position for the winter but I do not insulate the upper ventilated cover. I only have one center hole that I use to peek at the bees throughout the winter months and use it for feeding when necessary. Towards the end of the winter the bees are near the top and I just simply invert a bottle of honey to feed them till the spring flow. No diseases yeat considering I don't medicate or feed sugar :-D
Here in Massachusetts the winter temps do drop down below freezing. Also, as far as upper door...I cut a 3/8 inch gap directly underneath at the front similar to an inner cover. The bees start using this upper opening as their main entrance sometime around December when they are starting to work their way up. I still leave the bottom entrance available so that I can scrape dead bees out throughout the winter but then put a mouse guard.
(http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6260/010vqh.th.jpg) (http://img156.imageshack.us/i/010vqh.jpg/)
(http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/9258/insulatedhivewith4deepm.th.jpg) (http://img156.imageshack.us/i/insulatedhivewith4deepm.jpg/)
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Gaucho10 - when you feed does that effectively block the air flow through your ventilated top?
In my area it actually does get pretty cold - single digits (normal) or even below zero at times (rare times) but usually not for more than a week or so at a time. Teens or twenties overnight and highs 15 -20 degrees warmer.
Most of the bee keepers in my area just winter in uninsulated hives with bottom entrances, but lately they've been having high losses. One I talked to today (30 years experience) lost 10 out of 25 hives last winter.
I still haven't decided, but the consensus (with notable exceptions) seems to call for top ventilation.
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I made some of those fancy vented tops.. here in the south the girls propolized them up faster than I could take em off and remove the propolis. I went to one similar to Mike Bush's.. I just prop one end open with a slice of 3/8 plywood.. works wonderful and no prop.
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David LaFerney,
"Gaucho10 - when you feed does that effectively block the air flow through your ventilated top?"
No it does not for two reasons. First, I feed using a 1/2 gal. jar with its cover perforated only half way across. I can rest the bottle with only 1/2 its cover on the edge of the opening. I can also feed using that same jar by placing the jar on a circular metal bar that I formed out of a plant hanger ((1/4" solid metal bar). This bar fits right over the hole resting along the edges but it keeps the bottle raised approximately 1/4" above the opening so that air continues to flow through the opening and out through the small 1" perforated/screened holes along the side. (Pewff...run on sentence!!!!!!!)
Someone asked before if the bees could reach the perforated jar cover if the jar was resting on a screened covering over the hole. I believe that it was Michael Bush that answered that question in the affirmative.
If you notice my hive, the outside is covered with 1" insulation which I remove in the Spring. That would deffinitely not be the way to go if you have many hives. In m case I only have 5 at present and this is all a game/experiment to me anyway. :evil: :-D