# crazy not to wrap?



## BeekeepingIsGood (Aug 12, 2012)

My warré is built with 1.5"/38mm wood. I'm planning to leave them with 3 boxes, 1 of which has a covered window.

Is it worth it trying to wrap with tar paper around the handles/window latches, or would you think the extra wood thickness would be good enough?

Last year we had a pretty mild winter but average winter temps for my area go down to about -5c.


----------



## Zonker (Mar 10, 2010)

I think wrapping with water vapor proof wrapping might be really bad. Won't keep in the heat but would retain the water, but I basically don't know what I'm talking about. Like wearing blue jeans in the wet & cold. Use tyvec or unbatted fiberglass.


----------



## Bush_84 (Jan 9, 2011)

I run my warres a little unorthodox after last winter. I did away with the quilt and made a feeder with an upper entrance. I plan on insulating my hives with solid foam insulation and wrapping them. I also use 1.5" lumber, but again I run a top entrance.


----------



## Zonker (Mar 10, 2010)

When warm moist air moves through a wall it cools and the water condenses. The condensed water needs to be allow to evaporate or it will rot the wall or in the case of a bee hive make the bees damp. The problem with putting solid foam insulation is that the moisture is trapped inside the hive. If the whole hive is warmer than the dew point than the hive will just be humid. If some part of the hive is cooler than the dew point, that part of the hive will be wet. If that cold area is over the bees, then you could have it run down on to the bees which would kill them. I think the genus of the quilt is that it absorbs the condensation and allows it to dry to the exterior just like the unbatted insulation in our own attics. It keep the hive dry.


----------



## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Zonkers,you caution is well taken but moisture levels are just not the same in subzero cold as in your end of the dismal swamp. Wrapping is a capitaql idea. Just make sure the bees have ventilation available. I like an entrance hole about 10 inches down from the toop with about everythi ng else buffered from wind if not sealed off.


----------



## Zonker (Mar 10, 2010)

Yeah I live in a humid climate, but the bees produce a lot of water burning honey to stay warm in any climate (sugar to CO2 and water). I'd wrap but I would be careful to use open cell or unbatted insulation. Maybe a layer of tyvec (which breaths) to break the wind. Keeping warm is a lot easier if your dry.


----------



## BeekeepingIsGood (Aug 12, 2012)

I'm living in a super humid location too. I've seen green mouldy frames in langs wrapped with insulation enclosed in plastic. I was looking at a top bar today with a Plexiglas top and noticed a few drops of water on top of the bars and it only went down to about 7c(45f) last night.

If I wrap it certainly won't be air tight as the hive has handles sticking out and the wooden latches for an observation window on one box and I'm going to keep the quilt and roof vent open.

I have a plastic filled with insulation cozy I can resize for a warré.
I could also get tar paper.
There's also this axe throwing club(It's a strange world) not far from my house that produces a good deal of scrap wood, so it could also be cheap to insulate with more wood.

I'm certainly a little weary of the plastic/tar paper in regards to the potential for trapping moisture in, I'm also just wondering if it's really worth all the trouble and if things are already pretty good in a warré if turn the combs the 'warm way', with the smaller square size, and the thicker wood I used.

Bush_84 did you remove the bottom entrance when you added the top? I understand those Minnesota winters can be pretty harsh. How much honey/feed do they burn through in your experience with the warré?


----------



## Bush_84 (Jan 9, 2011)

I did not remove the lower entrance. 

http://warre.biobees.com/feeders.htm

I use the feeder that is shown at the bottom. It functions as an upper entrance, feeder, and inner cover. I have left it on all year this year. Last year was my first year beekeeping and I kept with the quilt. My bees developed chalkbrood and everybody here in my locality seems to use upper entrances. Couple that with the fact that we get enough snow to cover the lower entrances and may not always be able to or want to dig them out. 

Last year I left my Warre with 2.5 boxes. This year I am leaving them with 3.5 boxes. It's hard to judge the weight of my Warres as I cant inspect every comb. My last inspection showed me that they have at least one whole box of honey and likely a second that is mostly full.


----------



## Zonker (Mar 10, 2010)

I bet the top entrance will keep the ceiling dry. (cool link by the way)


----------

