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Author Topic: Vented Inner Cover  (Read 27158 times)

Offline gaucho10

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Re: Vented Inner Cover
« Reply #80 on: January 21, 2010, 01:11:59 pm »
Here are some new readings from this morning...

Outside temperature 19 deg. F @ 6AM
Hive #1---VIC temp. 38 deg. F
Hive #2---VIC temp. 48 deg. F
Hive #3---VIC temp. 32 deg. F

a few points to take into consideration...

Hive #1 has the old VIC with insulation on the walls but not on the top and the exit is within the brood chamber.  Bees are on top off-center and are taking honey feed and there are cappings on SBB slide tray.

Hive #2 has the new VIC with insulation all around (side walls and ceiling) exit is within the VIC.
This is my weak hive and I can't see the bees but I noticed the cappings on the SBB slide tray have moved from the rear-side to the front-center since I placed the heat tapes several days ago.  Does this mean that now there is more heat and the bees were able to shift to a new area in the hive with more food?  I don't know but that is what I am assuming.  They have not touched the bottle feeder yet.

Hive #3 has the old VIC with insulation on the walls but not on the top and the exit is within the brood chamber.  Bees are at top center hole.  They are feeding strictly on bottled honey and there are no cappings on SBB slide tray.

Also...several days ago I installed a heat tape in all three hives.  It produces approximately 3 Watts of heat per foot.
When I took the temperature this morning I stuck a 8" thermometer into the top exit holes on all three hives.
My favorite comedy program used to be Glenn Beck--The only thing is that after I heard the same joke over and over again it became BOOOORING.....

People who have inspired me throughout my life---Pee-wee Herman, Adolph Hitler, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck.
Notice I did not say they were people who I admire !!!

Offline gaucho10

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Re: Vented Inner Cover
« Reply #81 on: January 21, 2010, 04:41:01 pm »
I don't remember if I posted this before but here it is anyway.  This is a link to a paper describing an experiment done in Canada using SBB's for the control of Varroa mites.  Read it and you be the judge.  They designed the board so that the bottom tray could slide out as many designs include.  I will be redesigning the ones I have so as to accept another slide to insert and remove my "heat tapes" that I have installed recently.

http://www.reineschapleau.wd1.net/articles/AV-BOTTOM%20BOARD.pdf

By-the-way.....if you are interested in formic acid and its use you can go to the main page of the above article at
http://www.reineschapleau.wd1.net/


You have a choice of English or French for your enjoyment.
My favorite comedy program used to be Glenn Beck--The only thing is that after I heard the same joke over and over again it became BOOOORING.....

People who have inspired me throughout my life---Pee-wee Herman, Adolph Hitler, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck.
Notice I did not say they were people who I admire !!!

Offline Finski

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Re: Vented Inner Cover
« Reply #82 on: January 21, 2010, 07:54:07 pm »
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How many watts you hive gets heat in experiment?  How many feet you have the tape per hive?
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Language barrier NOT included

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Vented Inner Cover
« Reply #83 on: January 21, 2010, 08:23:18 pm »
Also...several days ago I installed a heat tape in all three hives.  It produces approximately 3 Watts of heat per foot.
When I took the temperature this morning I stuck a 8" thermometer into the top exit holes on all three hives.

How is this placed in the hive- :)  RDY-B

Offline Sparky

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Re: Vented Inner Cover
« Reply #84 on: January 21, 2010, 09:09:11 pm »
I don't remember if I posted this before but here it is anyway.  This is a link to a paper describing an experiment done in Canada using SBB's for the control of Varroa mites.  Read it and you be the judge.  They designed the board so that the bottom tray could slide out as many designs include.  I will be redesigning the ones I have so as to accept another slide to insert and remove my "heat tapes" that I have installed recently.

http://www.reineschapleau.wd1.net/articles/AV-BOTTOM%20BOARD.pdf

By-the-way.....if you are interested in formic acid and its use you can go to the main page of the above article at
http://www.reineschapleau.wd1.net/


You have a choice of English or French for your enjoyment.
Thanks !! Rich. That was some pretty interesting reading. It has opened my eyes to other avenues of thinking. I have heard so many different things from different people, (par for most of beekeeps).

Offline gaucho10

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Re: Vented Inner Cover
« Reply #85 on: January 21, 2010, 09:14:47 pm »
Finski,

The controller allows 3 Watts /ft. of tape.

I originally had 10 ft. of tape which I knew was not going to be enough to get all 3 hives hooked up.  This setup was from my "EasyHeat Fuse Plug.  I don't have all the information but I believe it is design to turn on at around 35 deg. F and turn off at 50 deg. F.  I then went and bought 20 more ft. with a new "Frostex" (Tyco) controller.  When I say "tape" it is not a flap piece of tape but a double wire encased in plastic and covered with a braided wire.  It is approximately 1/2" diameter.

Anyway, I took one controller with 10 ft. of tape and coiled it as seen in the following picture.



That's all 10 ft. coiled in my center hive (hive #2).  The other setup I pushed probably 5 ft. into the other two hives.  The remainder of the other 10 ft. was lost inside of piping leading to the hives.  Lets see if they are visible in the following pic.



This is an older pic when I had all three hives connected to the same tape but the distance was too long to have enough wire to distribute enough heat to all hives.  The tape is fed through the electrical plastic pipe at the bottom of the hives.

Something to take into consideration...the instructions for spreading the tape on a water pipe calls for either wrapping the tape around the pipe or running straight runs.  The amount of wraps depends on the diameter of the pipe.  Also, the pipe and tape requires to be insulated so that the heat stays in the pipe and does not escape into the atmosphere.  In my case I don't care if the heat escapes, actually I want it to escape INTO the bottom of the hive.

Another thing to take into consideration.....if the heat tape shuts down at 50 deg. F it probably stays only shut down for a short time in this temperature.  There is actually some heat loss going through the plastic pipes.  I took the tape outside and held it in my hands while I had it plugged.  The tape ran continuously and felt warm to the touch but it did not get hot to the touch.

rdy-b,   the above picture should give you an idea of how I got it inside the hive.  I had to finagale the controller so that it would fit INSIDE the hive so as not to get wet.  I managed.


I have more pictures on my website at http://www.beesbatsandbeyond.com/

Go to the Bee Equipment page.  I am still in the process of adding information...so its not finished.
« Last Edit: January 23, 2010, 09:19:14 am by gaucho10 »
My favorite comedy program used to be Glenn Beck--The only thing is that after I heard the same joke over and over again it became BOOOORING.....

People who have inspired me throughout my life---Pee-wee Herman, Adolph Hitler, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck.
Notice I did not say they were people who I admire !!!

Offline Finski

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Re: Vented Inner Cover
« Reply #86 on: January 22, 2010, 08:46:44 am »
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Language barrier NOT included

Offline gaucho10

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Re: Vented Inner Cover
« Reply #87 on: January 22, 2010, 10:12:31 am »
Finski,

Interesting paper and experiment.  a couple of points in reference to my three hives:

Hive #1 and #3 happen to be composed of bees and queen from feral colonies.  Not just an individual colony but several merged colonies that I removed during the summer months.  Some of the colonies where initially large and then merged with smaller/weaker colonies.  Some were removed too late in the season and would not have survived the winter therefore they were also merged with either Hive #1 or #3. They went into winter with frames that were "cut out" with minimal brood and pollen/honey.  Those bees moved to the top of the hive very early in the season.  Those are my stronger hives but I have to feed.

Hive #2 is my weak hive and that is the hive that I started last April with a purchased local NUC.  They took off really well and at the end of the season had full brood chamber loaded with bees, brood, pollen and honey.  I thought that they were going to be the once to survive the winter for sure.

According to the paper and I quote "colonies of honeybees start brood rearing because of influence of circumstances".

I do not know what my hives' brood conditions are like at the moment but I agree with the above statement.  As far as those 6 time periods mentioned in the report for brood rearing I think are interesting but probably do not pertain to my hive #1 and hive #3.  These hives have actually been disrupted in their their cycle-including food supply, winter period starting low (no food at bottom must come to the top).  I will definitely keep this information to compare my next-season bees.
My favorite comedy program used to be Glenn Beck--The only thing is that after I heard the same joke over and over again it became BOOOORING.....

People who have inspired me throughout my life---Pee-wee Herman, Adolph Hitler, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck.
Notice I did not say they were people who I admire !!!

 

anything