Hi, How are you everybody. I am new on this forum.
Hi, me too, welcome and enjoy the reading.
I notice water in the tray from what I am assuming is condensation in the hive. Temps are in the upper 50s(Fahrenheit) with lows in the 40s. Is this level of moisture okay? I do have a vent hole in the hive cover to help with air flow but am not sure if moisture is more of a problem than conserving warmth.
You can flip the tray over to let the water drain away.
Good suggestion. I was wondering if in the winter I should just put a flatter tray in to reduce air flow to help keep the hive warmer. My only concern would be reducing air flow and causing more condensation.
With the FH2 base you can turn the vent cover through 180° vertically to put the area with no slots at the top, IIRC. I don’t mess with mine, so I would have to go and check, but when I built it, that is how it looked to me
I did reverse the vent cover as you suggested, Dawn, which should reduce air flow a bit. I am not sure how much though. Maybe I am worrying too much about them but just hope there isn’t mold forming inside. I didn’t see any on the tray at least.
You could also make a skirt to go around the bottom if you’re worried about a draft. But it’s not that cold in Gresham… I wouldn’t worry about it.
There probably may be some mold but the bees will clean it up.
If you haven’t already, you might want to put some insulation over the inner cover to prevent water from condensing directly over the cluster.
Will do an inner cover to help. Any recommendations on material to use?
You might want to consider these 2 articles by Rusty Burlew. She is a master beekeeper, a bit north of you up the coast:
I think that @Eva uses some kind of moisture control too. Just a thought for you, and while it isn’t really easy, it isn’t that hard either.
Great suggestion. As a wood turner I have lots of shavings and I just got some hardware cloth. This is so helpful. Thanks so much!