Well if your used to working on boats: If anyone can fix a water leak, it’ll be a boatie, especially a bluewater boatie.
I’m thinking of sealing the roof and other spaces that need filling with a rubber sealant. Actually it’s an automotive sealant used for car windscreens. I’ve used it in the kitchen to seal spaces where ants were coming in. It’s good because it’s a type of rubber - water resistant but still a bit soft, maybe similar to silicone sealant.
Hi The Captain from down under here ,
* stop the wind - with a windbreak from prevailing directions
* stop the rain with a cover over your hives - say 3 x feet higher .
* convert to top enterance - removes condensation
Ref Michael Bush . com
I concur to the above -cheers
CM.
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Thanks all. Do these roofs fit over the knobs on the cover of the flow hive set up? I had rather use the flat roofs frankly. Do they fit? Evidently so!!
Hi dk ,
I compare open areas to a roofed stand alone structure .I anticipate Multiple benefits , Ref also - china , (worlds largest honey producer ) where roofed structures are often used to give workers relief from rain especially in royal jelly production areas .Direct sun protection at the hottest times, protects timbers and hives from some extreme elements ,this should reduce heat stress in turn allowing more bees to forage rather than fan and cool the hive they must must reduce water . It still allows for a full air flow around hives with ease of access in fixed hive locations .It would be more expensive and harder for migratory beekeeping and large commercial operations ie : 1000 + hives .
I have 20 x hives and have roofing over 4 x nukes and 4 x hives . Commercial beekeepers use a multitude of variant’s dependant on there situation and opinions . Overhanging trees ., windbreaks ,fence lines through to open paddocks . I have benches with back walls and grape vines growing over a trellis . well the grape vines are still growing so photo next year !!
I suspect but yet can not prove an increased bee health and honey production from protected colonies . More anecdotal evidence as it comes but I am self funded and only have a limited sample size .
good luck
Cheers David (the Captain )
My father has this solution for Swedish rainy climate, which turned out quite good, made by plexiglass.
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Yes I think Flow Hive need to look at water leaks problem @Faroe . First big Winter storm and I had water in the top cover and a lot of condensation in the flow hive frames. When you look at the top, which I think is more about aesthetics than practicality, there are numerous places for ingress. Some I note are Along the ridge cap when high winds blow the rain so it can wick between the two roof slat join at the peak.
Rain wicking along the roof joints.
Ingress through the side joints when rain blown sideways by wind.
It’s no big deal just get out the silicone sealant and don’t spare any join.
If I had been anywhere near on the ball, I would have, should have sealed it all during assembly.
Hence I think either a roof rethink or a warning during assembly that joints are prone to leaks in very wet weather and silicone sealant should be used liberally when assembling.
In the absence of any further discussion I have revisited this question.
The threat of big storms later in the week was stimulus.
I bashed up up temporary tin lid and was the able to dismantle the top and have plenty of time to think about it. Going though all the options simple is usually the best choice.
I think @Dawn_SD was on the ball with the aluminium sheeting. I cut a piece of left over sarking which the building industry uses on tiled roofs with low angles to stop leaking. It is very strong and laminated but cuts with scissors. With the roof off I stapled the sarking over the top in one piece with sufficient overlap on the sides and ends to waterproof the whole top. Put tar on the roof srews and screwed the roof back on.
Simple, easy, foolproof, watertight and helps with insulating the top.
Surprised no comment from @Faroe maybe its not seen as a general problem, only in rainy places.
Must get back to the footy. West Coast Eagle killing Collingwood to half time.
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The roof is purey a “feel nice” option. Just look at what is normally used and follow. There has been many years of testing going into that outcome.
Cheers
Rob
Yes you are right. But it does look good.
Next hive will have a practical roof .
Do you have any photos? I would be very interested to see the result. I would also love to hear how it stands up to the arrival of those storms. Good luck!
Dawn
I’ll take some to day.
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This is the sarking folded down over the ends and side. If I were to do it really well I would have folded it further down the ends
This shows with the top 2 roof panels removed. The brushable tar (been a bit sloppy) is to cover the staples to stop them rusting and to seal the screws.
width=“690” height=“438”>
Showing inside. The white stuff is silicone sealer which I originally used.
For those who don’t know what sarking is. Basically, two sheets of aluminium sandwiching a woven poly layer and another poly layer. Can be cut with scissors or knife and shaped.
Always an augment as to whether the blue side out or in. Best way to decide is by climate. In hot areas shiny side up to reflect heat, cooler climes shiny side down to reflect heat back inside.
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Fascinating, thank you for your effort in photographing it! I think our US aluminium flashing is a little thicker and harder to cut, but I am sure that it does the same job. Love your tar seal! We just had solar panels installed, and had to have the roof re-waterproofed after they put the the stanchions down. The tar seals looked very similar to yours, although they torched them to make a seal, it wasn’t a paintable tar.
Wonder if I should put solar panels on the hive roof to power the Arnia, if we get one? 
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Thanks for the feedback. I will pass this onto both our manufacturer and Flow team - so we can try and find a positive solution to this problem.
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FYI Cedar is in the process of writing a FAQ in relation to this problem. Hopefully it will be up on our website soon. I can then pass the info on to you guys here on the forum.
We are advising that customers can either use a thick layer of paint, or use a sealant to solve this issue.
If the bees are getting inside the roof they may resolve this issue themselves…
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Probably not an issue for the roof, but I know that kind of silicone can not be used to seal aquariums because the anti-fungals they use in them are extremely dangerous to fish, and inverts. I would personally suggest using just plain 100% silicon with no additives or suppressants (mold, mildew etc). This would just be a precautionary thing, as I don’t think it will cause your bees problems unless they actively start trying to chew the silicone out.
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Mine has leaked too - I will try using some of the fixes mentioned here but very frustrating that it isn’t watertight.
Titebond III is a one-part waterproof glue that I use all the time on exterior projects. The joint ends up being basically as strong as the wood it’s connected to, and moves with it. Even in applications where the wood is constantly going between expansion and contraction due to changes in heat and moisture the glue seal has held up and remained waterproof. That was the first step on putting the roof together for the flow hive - Titebond III the joint and clamp until set.
The next issue with wood that’s outside is that it can split. Cedar has less of a tendency to do that than most woods (teak and ipe are even better). It’s dimensionally stable, and its grain pattern is less prone to differential expansion/contraction which is what causes cracks and splits in other woods. It also contains oils which help prevent rot, decay, and also limit water absorption. Unprotected cedar roofing and siding shakes lasts for decades even under the harshness of seasonal exposure - and those are white cedar. Western red cedar, the stuff the Flow hive boxes are made from, is even more weather resistant. Supplementing the natural oils in the western red cedar by using penetrating oils like linseed, teak oil, Thompsons, or transparent/semi-transparent oil based stains will extend the life of the cedar and aid in water repelling, although you’ll need to wipe on a new coat every couple years to keep that protection in place and prevent the natural cedar “graying” from occurring. Tung oil is a curing finish that penetrates and then polymerizes, providing the “best” and longest lasting natural look for the cedar. Titebond III, clamped, tung-oiled both sides and edges, and installed, the Flow hive roof has had no leaks this season even in thunder-boomer downpours and week-long soakings and I expect will hold up that way for the foreseeable future.
Just sharing my $.02 and success so far
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How about Cypress? There’s at least one supplier out there creating hive bodies with it.