# Condensation in the hive a good thing?



## Bubbles (Jul 14, 2012)

In another forum, there is a long thread on how condensation in the bee hive actually acts like indoor plumbing where bees get easy access to clean water. Another beek even placed a plex cover on top of one hive to see what condensation does in the winter. Still another beek from Canada has modified the Warre style by adding a top feeder with an upper entrance hole just below it and placing a telescoping flat roof over the feeder. See links below. So based on these links, I decided to remove the quilt in my Warre hive and add a modified top feeder to act as a feeder/condensation collector. So far, my bees are still alive and thriving. But the big test will be this coming winter. Has anybody else tried this method before? This is my first year of beekeeping with one hive and I'd like to have more reassurance that I'm not doing a dumb thing.
Thank you.



http://www.biobees.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11035
http://bwrangler.litarium.com/condensation/
http://warre.biobees.com/feeders.htm (check out the last feeder)


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Do a search on winter die-offs. There are plenty of posters here with condensation. L.L Langstroth's book, The Hive and the Honey Bee, has quite a bit on winter condensation and how his hives survived and others that ignored condensation and ventilation perished.


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## Zonker (Mar 10, 2010)

I think the effectiveness of the quilt is that it prevents winter condensation.


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