Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => Beekeeping 101 => Topic started by: Blair Sampson on June 22, 2017, 04:16:23 pm

Title: ventilated outer lids
Post by: Blair Sampson on June 22, 2017, 04:16:23 pm
Made up several ventilation lids for travel purposes. Used fiberglass screening I had on hand. Will this screening be bee proof or will the girls eat thru this fiberglass window screening? Best to know prior to hitting the road with several hives in tow.   
Title: Re: ventilated outer lids
Post by: Perry on June 22, 2017, 05:21:34 pm
Need pics buddy. I usually just screen the lower entrances and that's enough. Are you traveling by day or night?
Title: Re: ventilated outer lids
Post by: Blair Sampson on June 22, 2017, 07:03:54 pm
Packed up 3 hives to take to CB last Tuesday morning. When we got there 2 of my best over-wintered hives had fried. No fun cleaning out 60K bees.  :\'( Don't want to have it happen again. Read where you should add a foundation only super for extra space and use a screened top as opposed to a regular outer cover for extra ventilation so I build a few using fiberglass window screening. Unsure if the bees can chew thru fiberglass screening.
Title: Re: ventilated outer lids
Post by: apisbees on June 22, 2017, 11:32:37 pm
The bees could eventually chew through it first chewing of the gray covering and then working on each of the fiberglass filaments till they work through them all, but it will take them weeks to do this. There is a greater chance of the screening getting torn as it can rip fairly easy. So sorry to hear about the hives, what a bad time to loose them at the beginning of the honey flows. Water the bees need it for cooling. I have dumped cups of it through the screen in the front entrance of the hives.