What is moisture board?

Moisture board is used during the winter months to help absorb the moisture of the hive and keep your bees dry. Moisture can be one of the leading causes of bee hive loss during the winter. The moisture board takes the place of having a top entrance for ventilation.

What is moisture board made of?

The “moisture boards” sold commercially are made of Homasote or a very similar product. If you want insulation approaching the quantity of a natural tree cavity, the best insulator is sheet foam. Sheet foam comes either as pink extruded polystyrene (XPS) or foil-faced polyisocyanurate.

Do moisture boards work?

I use moisture boards (homasote) with bottom reduced entrance mouse guard and upper notch entrance in a moist marine air winter climate. They work and work well.

How do you use a moisture board?

The Moisture Board will help absorb the condensation and keep your bees dry. Place the Moisture Board on top of the Inner Cover, cover the hive with a Winter Wrap and if desired, use the Telescoping Cover and a rock to hold the flaps down. Compatible with 10 Frame equipment only.

Are moisture boards reusable?

They are reusable year after year (as long as you remember where you put it.) Can you use something different? Yes!

How to Install Gyproc Moisture Resistant Plasterboard

What causes chalk brood?

Chalkbrood is caused by the fungus Ascosphaera apis and it affects both sealed and unsealed brood.

Should I remove the bottom board of a beehive?

During summer, your bees are wizards at keeping the bottom board clean, and so they often remove evidence before you see it. But with a screened bottom, the bees are prevented from reaching the pieces that fall through. They have no choice but to leave them there for you.

How do I stop moisture in my beehive?

A beehive shim placed over the top of the uppermost hive body, helps keep the moisture board in place over winter. On top of the shim, place the beehive moisture board with the darker side facing up. You may add an inner cover insulation sheet or pad to improve heat retention.

How do you keep a beehive from molding?

If you can't stand the mold and simply must do something with those combs before you give them back to the bees, put them in a warm and dry environment for a few days with plenty of space between them. This will stop the active growth phase.

What causes condensation in a beehive?

This moisture is caused by the condensation of the water vapor as it rises from the cluster and cools at the interface between the warmer and colder air. This interface is usually at the inner cover in most hives.

Where can I use moisture resistant plasterboard?

Moisture resistant plasterboard is used for dry lining internal walls & ceilings in high moisture and humid environments such as bathrooms and kitchens. Our moisture resistant plasterboards contain core additives to repel moisture, reducing the risk of water damage.

Do you use an inner cover with a quilt box?

Fill your box with shavings, put your inner cover back on, and sit atop your setup. Add your outer cover and place on your hive when temps drop consistently into 30s, usually November in our area. You may wish to wrap your hives as well. More on that in another post.

When should you insulate bee hives in the winter?

If it is cold out, it will get colder in the hive and the bees will warm the hive. The insulation helps keep in this warmth. If it is cold weather for several days or weeks and then the temperatures suddenly warm up and the sun is out beating down on the hive, the insulation will keep the hive from getting too warm.

What happens if a bee hive gets wet?

In a beehive condensation collects on the inside top of the hive, and drips down the sides or onto the bees themselves. The cold water that drips from above can kill the bees, but it's also a problem if the bees can't get rid of the excess moisture. It can grow mildew and mold on the wood inside.

Do beehives need ventilation in winter?

Proper Beehive Ventilation is Vital

If the temperature is too cold, bees die. When inside conditions are too hot, many of the bees move outside the hive. Excess moisture inside during Summer makes honey ripening more difficult. However, condensation in Winter can chill bees and cause colony failure.

Can you harvest honey with mold on the frames?

The bees are very thorough. After they are done, the combs can be used for brood or honey production. It's amazing, but no taste or smell of mold will remain on the combs. If you have more than one colony, you can divide the moldy frames between them, or you can give a few at a time.

Will mold hurt honey bees?

You pop the lid only to find mold everywhere. It cloaks dead bees in furry coats, pillows above the bars, and drifts down between the frames. It covers the surface of combs and binds the masses of dead bees together in a smelly mat. There is no doubt in your mind: mold killed your bees.

What is a beehive moisture board?

A beehive moisture board is only one of the many moisture control options available to beekeepers. The board works absorbs moisture from the air in the beehive and releases it to the air outside the beehive.

How do you use a moisture board in a beehive?

The Moisture Board will help absorb the condensation and keep your bees dry. Place the Moisture Board on top of the Inner Cover, cover the hive with a Winter Wrap and if desired, use the Telescoping Cover and a rock to hold the flaps down.

How do you remove excess moisture from honey?

Bees don't always cap the cured honey when there is a honey flow. Place supers in a room with a dehumidifier until the honey becomes thick to remove moisture from green honey.

Should you insulate a beehive?

The survival of honey bee colonies in winter is important in beekeeping. It ensures the beekeeper has a colony to start the new production year with. Wintering honey bee colonies emerge stronger in spring when they have high number of bees. Insulating beehives helps prevent heat loss.

What is the purpose of the bottom board on a beehive?

PEST MANAGEMENT

Screened bottom boards can be used as a natural way to control small hive beetles and Varroa mites by putting a sticky substance on the screen to catch them as they fall through. This strategy also allows beekeepers to monitor how dense pest populations are throughout the year.

Should I use a screened bottom board in the winter?

Since the use of screened bottom boards in hives became commonplace, beekeepers have discovered that screened bottom boards can provide improved hive ventilation, helping to keep the hive cooler in the Summer, and aiding in the prevention of moisture building up in the hive during Winter.

What is a screened bottom board for?

Screened bottom boards have become popular in the past few years because they can be used as a natural way to control small hive beetles and Varroa mite populations. As pests fall through the screen, they will be caught by a sticky substance that will trap them on the bottom board.