# Quilt box ventilation



## ridgerunner (Feb 14, 2016)

I have decided to make some quilt boxes (photo attached I hope) and went with the following design:

~ 3 inch depth to wood chips
~ air space then 2+inch insulation 
~ *3/8 inch holes for ventilation 2 on each end and sides*

My question is with respect to the ventilation.... what is the appropriate amount of ventilation to ensure moist air is vented but not too much and risk loss of excessive heat? are 3/8 holes appropriate, are 2 per side overkill..

I am located in Ontario, Canada


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I use quilt boxes on every colony

My observations are this: more depth to the chips is a good thing. Three inches is too skimpy, IMO. Most of my current boxes are repurposed comb-height boxes but I find I like shallow depth boxes better (around 5.5" deep vs 4.5" for the old boxes). I am replacing all my old boxes with shallows this season.

I have only two 1" diameter holes above the QB. And in the deepest winter (Jan/Feb.) I only have one open. My shavings stay dry.

The openings are in a shim above the QB.


I actually mound the shavings up into the void created by the shim, exposing more of the sides of the pile to evaporative loss when the temps and outside humidity are right.

Here's a picture of the vent hole in action:








I use 1.5" of foam insulation tucked up into my telecover to make sure the overhang on the tele doesn't block the shim's vent hole(s).

Be sure to screen the vent holes on the inside so bees don't go in thinking they can make their way back into the hive.

I strongly suggest using a fabric floor vs screening as the bees will festoon under the fabric and oftentimes you will want to remove them. I scrape them lightly and gently off using my hive tool. When you have screening the hook their tarsi into the screen's interstices and you would wind up amputating their toes. I use organic cotton twill I buy from fabric.com Organic because it is free of fabric finishes some of which might be harmful. 

I swear by QBs and wouldn't winter w/o one on every colony. Along with good mite control, more than adequate chow, foam insulation around the boxes, QBs are the fourth pillar in my (so-far) excellent winter survival rate: 100%. I am in Z4b, north of Albany, NY.

ETA: Because getting the bottom of the QB with its fabric edges folded over and stapled flat and not lumpy is sometimes hard and because I lift the QB up to check on need for supplemental stores from time to time in the winter, I add a strip of that self-sticking thin foam weatherstripping sold for closing drafts on windows around the surface of the shim below the QB. I use 3/8ths inch wide (half-inch if I can find it). Scrape the surface well before hand. Using this makes for an occlusive seal under the QB. My bees spend a lot of timie hanging out within the shim under the QB. whiich doubles as their feeding rim and upper entrance point. To make it clear: my QB is sandwiched by two shims - one for the bees' use and the other purely as a ventilation corridor for moisture. 

Enjambres


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

Here's a version of a quilt box outer cover combination. A local fellow makes the aesthetic tops m and sells to new backyard beekeepers.

There is room for about 4 inches of shavings. There is a full vent the length of the hive on both sides under the overhang. I do not know the height of the opening - 1/2 inch??? 3/8 would be enough and keep out mice. I don't know if they are screened or not. 

IMHO, this is minimal depth of shavings for insulation. I also thought that they may ice over with moisture from the hive, however they seem to work. Perhaps with sublimation and large surface area of top of shavings, they work fine. Deeper shavings would provide more insulation value.


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## ridgerunner (Feb 14, 2016)

enjambres thanks for the detailed response they sound very effective. I can see (also by mgolden input) I am too shy with the depth of the chips for starters.
I can easily modify these however into accommodating just chips and use a top spacer (similar to your suggestion) to modify the ventilation and insulation needs.

I have used landscape fabric on a couple of them as well but will check the organic twill as well.

if you inspect late winter and decide to feed - would a candy board not suffice as the lower spacer to which you can add your feed as needed?

Also do either of you include an upper entrance below the QB?


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

enjambres said:


> Because getting the bottom of the QB with its fabric edges folded over and stapled flat and not lumpy is sometimes hard and because I lift the QB up to check on need for supplemental stores from time to time in the winter, I add a strip of that self-sticking thin foam weatherstripping sold for closing drafts on windows around the surface of the shim below the QB.


I used quilt boxes last year, and Enjambres's posts had a lot to do with it. I had 100% overwinter success rate. Granted, that is just a single season data point, but I will be using them from now on.

However, I constructed a frame (like a picture frame) that was 1/8" smaller than the inside dimensions of a hive box. I stapled wire cloth over the opening (for structure behind the cloth) and then I wrapped that with fabric (I used canvas painter drop cloth). Then I stapled 3/4" cleats inside the quilt box 1" up from the bottom, and pressed the frame in from the bottom and stapled it to the cleats. I did this so that I didn't have fabric wrapping over the edge of the box so it would mate well with the hive body and bees could propolize any leaks.

My vent holes are 1-1/4", screened, two on each long side, none on the short sides.

I made my quilt boxes 5" high. If I were to do over, I'd make them 6" Extra space at the top of the quilt box helps ventilation, and having too much above the wood shavings doesn't hurt anything, but not having enough depth decreases the effectiveness of the quilt.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

Yes, I use an upper entrance in the shim below the QB. Actually some of my hives use that upper entrance year-round, in preference to their lower one. Some use the upper one in winter and switch on their own the lower in the spring. Who knows why? I follow their lead and severely reduce the one they choose not to use in any season.

I don't use a candy board, if I want to offer supplemental chow I just plunk it down on the top of the frames in the uppermost box, surrounded by the upper entrance/feeding rim shim. I always offer them a small sugar brick at Christmas time (just as a present). I will offer winter patty (low protein, not pollen sub, mostly carbs) to any hive I am concerned about and if I foresee a really prolonged period of very foul weather in the spring because our weather can be very erratic then. I always give them pollen sub starting about the third week of March through the end of April to support a good build-up of brood. The bees come up through the frames and can munch away from underneath.

I like that there is no solid surface between the tops of the frames and the underside of the fabric-floored quilt box. Having anything solid would counteract some of the beneficial effect of the QB: the unimpeded free flow of moisture-laden air up, through, and _out_ of the hive proper before it has a chance to condense on a colder solid surface. Inserting a candy board, and inner cover, etc. would create a condensation plane right over the bees, even if the air could work its way around the surface through ventilation areas (like the open area in a typical inner cover.) I almost never have an inner cover on my hives, since I use my QB year-round. it;s only in the fall when I am feeding syrup using a top feeder, or the QBs are off for maintenance. Then I have to scramble around and find IC for my mature colonies. The new splits of the year use IC from the time they are hived until Fall comes and they get their first QB.

My bees seem to really enjoy the warm(er) hang-out area in the QB, sometimes there are huge numbers loosely hanging down from the fabric. It can be quite startling to lift the QB and be faced several thousands bees looking curiously out at you and the daylight beyond. They don't stay up there when it gets really cold, however. I was worried about that the first year. But they are quite able to slip down into a tight cluster below when the temps drops to zero F. (I have checked using IR gauges to find the cluster in the stack.)

Outside of the upper entrance (which itself is 1" diameter hole in the shim) I have two pieces of corrugated cardboard.

The first is rectangular and covers the hole. I make a finger-tip sized hole in it and let the enlarge or propolize to the diameter they like. It is attached using thumb tacks.

The second is a larger rectangle (maybe 6" x 3.5"), folded into a V along its short axis. I attach it in front of the hole so that the apex of V is about 1" out from the face of the hive. I use four push pins to attach it. Then I set one of those little wooden shims that are used to set doors and windows (you can buy a pack of 10 of them at hardware stores for a couple of bucks) across the top of the outer cardboard's V, creating a slightly slanted roof over a protected vestibule just outside of the hole. This is wind baffled spot and my bees will come out to see what's happening without getting too chilled. It is not uncommon to find fifty or more bees on the face of the hive peering out from under their porch roof.

Enj.


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## ridgerunner (Feb 14, 2016)

enjambres ~ I understand re: no Inner cover with the QB, seems to defeat the purpose. I had thought if needed to feed dry sugar on paper across the tops of the frames. I will have close to a 2 inch space between top of frames and quilt as my fabric is inset 7/8 " (which creates a similar effect as JConnolly does with his picture frame approach to inserting the fabric) and I will use another 1" spacer under the QB. 

I use an upper entrance normally and made the QB with one as well. I like the sheltered approach to the entrance and wonder if you had any pics you could post?

john


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

Just to clarify, my fabric frame insert flushes out close to the bottom of the quilt box. leaving only one bee space between the tops of the frames and the fabric. I made sets of 2" shims and those go on if I need to put on any sugar.


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## ridgerunner (Feb 14, 2016)

thanks JConnolly ~ I plan on using a 1" spacer which coupled with the 7/8" bottom rim I tacked over the fabric (to make a smooth seal and prevent any 'sagging' of the fabric from interfering with the bee space) will provide the 2" to accommodate feeding if necessary . I did place a support across the middle as well which you can see in the picture. 
Without the use of the 1" spacer there will be close to an inch of space from the frames to the fabric which I had intended as a hang out space as required? 

I should be able to improve on these QB which I have made fairly easily and will follow your lead by increasing the depth of the wood chips to the entire box and utilize the venting in a shim above.

thx
john


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