Covering Lid with tar paper instead of sheet metal?

[Jen]

I will be wrapping my hives next week as soon as my feeding rims are in place. Hubs and I were talking about putting sheet metal on the tele lids. Then we thought why don't we cover the lids with the 15 lb tar paper and stapling it down on the sides of the lid? It's water proof... ?

It's late, did I already post this question? sorry if I did

[tecumseh]

I do hope you know Jen that wrapping hives in some places is unnecessary and that there can be a significant down side to wrapping hives < the + vs the - here may be very much locally determined (ie may be almost essential in one location but be an unmitigated disaster in another).  most folks in the southern US don't wrap and there is good reason for this.  most folks in the center of the country do not wrap unless they have heavy snow loads.  and I have even talked with very much northern (yankee beekeepers) who tell me in their particular location wrapping a hive is absolutely counter productive.

[Jen]

Thanks Tec, nice to hear from you   

    I think I'll start a thread on what the purpose is to wrap a hive.

    It was suggested that last winter, our hive was insulated with 1/2 rigid board, that that may have been the reason for the early swarming, March 26th. Is it because the inside of the hive was over warm due to the insulation?

[Perry]

It sounds like they just took off raising brood earlier than normal, the insulation possibly being a factor.

[Jen]

Thanks Perry, yah, the whole episode is still perplexing. Trying to avoid it again 

[Riverrat]

Back to the original question of tar paper instead of metal.  It will work but I see it as a bandage that will need replaced often.  Tar paper becomes brittle and tears easy over time as it was never intended to be an all weather covering by itself.  I would use metal and save time and work down the road.  In the hot summer sun the tar paper will absorb and retain heat possible causing the temp to rise in the hive.  Metal or metal painted white will be more reflective of the heat helping keep the hive cool.    I would venture to guess in your region wrapping is unnecessary Theres a lot of keeps in a lot colder climates that don't wrap.  Your going to have to put the pros and cons for your area on a scale and weigh it to see which comes out best for you.

[LazyBkpr]

Mrs Jen.. how cold does it get there? Average winter temps? How LONG does it stay below freezing?

   For example.. if your average winter temperature is 40 degrees, and you get a two week blast of below 30 temps, then wrapping may not be necessary for you.
   I would put 1.5 or 2" foam between inner cover and tele cover because of that two week blast of COLD temp, but would not do anything else.

   If your temps stay below freezing for more than two months then wrapping would be of benefit in hopes of allowing the bees to MOVE within the hive a little more often during that time..   If total FREEZE is less than that I do not think wrapping will be of great benefit, and may even be of greater harm.

   Give us as much temperature and climate information as you can, and we will try to give you the best advice WE can...

[riverbee]

what rat and scott said.......

[Jen]

Okay, I'll work on those averages and get back to with ya. But it's making more and more sense to maybe keep a tarp over them for rain run off, maybe not even that.  :eusa_think:

[Riverrat]

Okay, I'll work on those averages and get back to with ya. But it's making more and more sense to maybe keep a tarp over them for rain run off, maybe not even that.  :eusa_think:

Jen your working to hard   Why not go with the metal top cover and be done

[Gypsi]

Jen we need to find you a hobby, lol.  you work way too hard at this bee stuff.   

[Jen]

If you came to my house you would see that I have a truck load of hobbies, honey bees are the most resent and perplexing one. The reason I ask so many questions on this forum is because this new hobby is a living, breathing, art form to me.

Let's see.... I have or are still working at, painting, watercolor, drawing, quilting, seashell work, refurbishing cool furniture, crocheting, embroidery dehydrating and pressing seaweeds, gardening, interior and exterior house painting, some graphic design, lotion making, collage, beading, photography, music and singing...  have won a couple of 'best of show' awards from our local fair and the California State Fair - medium was drawing.

My most fun hobby is hunting down original paintings of any medium with the original signature and refinishing frame or reframing it.

What is occupying my life the most now, in the last 10 years is, massage therapy, ashiatsu which is massage 'with' my feet, not 'on' the clients feet. Alchemy using natural pain relieving medicines which include bee venom therapy.

When I hear "Jen you working to hard" and "Jen, take a vacation" and "Jen we need to find you a hobby, lol.  you work way too hard at this bee stuff. I call it Passion 

I could pull some more out of my hat but I don't want to bore you to death...... 

snark 

[riverbee]

"The reason I ask so many questions on this forum is because this new hobby called BEES is a living art form to me. I'm very passionate about trying to do the right thing."

jen, keep on asking the questions and NEVER stop asking...........
'trying to do the right thing'..........
there isn't any one of us that doesn't ask questions (or talk to ourselves or question ourselves) trying to do the 'right thing' jen.  some of us are just a little more ahead of the learning curve with some knowledge and experience.  the 'right thing'?.........beekeeping is always a learning experience and sometimes the 'right thing' is........we do the best we can under our circumstances, we all make mistakes irregardless of knowledge and experience and many times fly by the seat of our pants. 

beekeeping isn't exactly something to go to college for and get a degree in.......so we learn by keeping them and we learn from others.

wish i could put a phd behind my name for keeping bees...cuz the college of bees has kept me busy learning for a long time...........
oh and not to mention the time/labor/dollars i have spent on the bee education/equipment....

 

[Jen]

Thank Riv- Bees are the most fascinating hobby I have ever had 

[Perry]

Thank Riv- Bees are the most fascinating hobby I have ever had 

  Me too.

[minz]

At the Oregon Beek this fall the comercials were showing their wrap (which was more of a drape) that they have gone to a plastic that goes over pallets to keep them sliding from the pallet below them.  The idea was that in our wet, warm environment it allowed the rain to run off of the top of the hives rather than wick into the top and seam of the boxes.  One of the other commercial beeks used Tecwrap (looks like silver bubble wrap) as an inner cover.  I think it is local and asking questons and looking around shows me a new way of doing things every time. That could be bad ($$$) or good (more bees), we will see this spring.

[Jen]

Hey Minz, Gypsi was talking about using bubble wrap on the windy sides of her hives. Nice use and reuse of plastic