Summer Ventilation

[40 Acre Bees]

I do use upper entrances but was wondering if the girls needed more ventilation in the summer months (spacers under inner cover etc).  If so what type of temperatures are we looking at.   Thanks in advance.....   

[apisbees]

Maybe in the far south but up in the cold part of Canada, the bees will spend more time during a day keeping the hive warm than the few hours a day cooling it down. When the bees are ripening honey they are going to be fanning to remove the moisture from the hive regardless of the temperature.

[riverbee]

i use upper entrances 40 acre, in very hot and humid temps here, i will tip the outer cover back, or add a vent box.  spacers work and would be great too. temps: i do this  if we are in the 90's (hot and humid) for an extended period of time.  it doesn't hurt.  just remember to make sure your outer cover/s are either strapped down, or with heavy weight on them.  today we received a nasty storm with high winds and i almost went sailing off the deck with the umbrella from the deck furniture..........
smacked a window, tore the screen, banged the siding and carried me for a few feet before i went airborne, but the outer covers on the hives with the weight on were just fine.........

guess i need a new base for my umbrella.........

[Jen]

Hi 40, I also use inner covers for ventilation, but if I think the hive needs even more vent, then I often use the old fashioned popsicle sticks that you can buy at any box store, Walmart here. I get two or three popsicle sticks and tape them together, make two of them. Then place them between the upper edge of the super and the inner cover, at the front corners of the hive. Or, you can go down one super and place them between supers at the front corners of the hive. They kind of stick out like wings    but it does the trick when it's real hot out.

[iddee]

My bees ventilate themselves.