Olivia,
I built my own in my small shop late summer ! Made three 10 frame wide ones, one 8 frame n one 5 frame Quilt boxes.
They weren’t too difficult to build for me ! Merry Christmas n Happy Holidays.
Ta ta,
Gerald
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Would you mind sending me a photo? I’m gonna see if this husband of mine can replicate it… 
Joyeux Noel!
Olivia, let me see if I still have the photos ! 
. Here’s several pix I found. Someone else had photo n plans I think on this forum too.
Cheers,
Gerald
Hi Jerry,
I think you sort of followed/modified Rusty Burlew’s instructions:
@OliviaFox - I think Jerry actually cut a Bee Thinking box in half to make the moisture box. You can do that, or just use a shallow box, then make the vent holes and cover the bottom with canvas or #8 hardware cloth, before filling with wood shavings.
Yes, one of the quilts I did cut the deep
Beethinking supper in half. The ten frame I
had to build myself. Now … Not sure about the five frame. I think I might have cut a Nuc in half too. I’ll have to look ! 
.
Been working off/on part of the day on my hive monitor. Had too many days in a row with crappie weather (dense clouds n no direct or filtered sunshine. Charge dropped below the system ability to recharge … Had to open up the control box n hook a charging cable n recharge the battery full. Interesting job. Crazy what we get into beekeeping.
. Few pix’s of the adventure in electronic n what makes my hive monitor system tick
Cheers,
Jerry
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those electronics are FASCINATING!!!
and thx for the pix!!!
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Quick questions:
- what did you use on the bottom of your quilt, canvas or hardware cloth?
- 2 inch vs 4 inch, any particular reason? I’ll go with whichever you recommend.
He used Canvas Duck from Jo-Anne 
2-inch depth for the quilt box should be plenty in SF (not much snow, right?). Further north it is colder, and 3 or 4" is perhaps better.
Hey Olivia! There’s the one I made & put on in October here in PA. I meant to use a shallow super but grabbed a medium by mistake. I tacked 1" square wood strips all around the inside bottom, flush with the bottom surface, as a frame for the old tea towel I used - I had asked my ‘sweaty’
for a canvas drop cloth when he went to the hardware store that day, but the one he brought back had rubber coating on one side. I was determined to finish the project so I figured the tea towel would work too! It does sag a little when full of chips, so I wedged a paint stir stick across the middle to act as a brace.
With the inside frame at the bottom, there’s space for a hearty serving of superfine sugar on a sheet of newspaper, placed directly on the top frames of the top brood box. I can put a pollen patty there in late winter/early spring.
You can get cedar, pine or aspen chips at the pet store. I use aspen chips as bedding inside my chicken coop (cedar & pine are too aromatic & cause respiratory probs for birds & mammals) so I had plenty on hand.
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Dawn: yah ! 2" really ought to be enough down thar ! If she could modify an old 10 frame to 8 frame 
that would work great. Just think … Cutting up an old deep could provide several at 2" each.
We really need the deeper 3 to 4"s up here. I actually have galvanized under the Quack Quack cloth for support or it sags too much. What I did was staple the metal screen on then just layed the exact fit cloth inside nail a wood cross piece n staple the screen to that wood support too. Guessing there’s no absolute right way. As long as it fits n works is RIGHT ! I try for nice look n fit but careless about Perfect 
. I think my dad would be rolling over in his grave at some of my not perfect but also proud his son (me) is trying !
Yuck ! Got to go to the dentist today. Not so much the procedures but the Bills ! Got to boggle now my friend ! Have a great Tuesday ! 
Ta ta n Cheers,
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Eva,
I get mine at the Big Pet Store ! I get all my chips at the local farm n feed outlet here !
always got CHIPs !
Chips Aboe !
Gerald
@OliviaFox, I’ve got spares … But guessing what you need is for 8 frame … Wish you were closer but don’t have spare Flow-hive ones.
.
Ta Ta,
Gerald
Don’t flame me out here, but I would think kitty litter would be more efficient than wood chips in absorbing moisture in the quilt box.
Busso:
Might be ! But most of our Kitty litter has added chemicals that I’m not sure good inside a hive Bro. Brandi would have to be checked n researched more.
The litter collects but not sure it would release its collected moisture again thru the vent holes… Price would be cheap enough.
Busso, at least it’s an idea to ponder upon ! Thankz for the input bro.
Cheers,
Gerald
Hi Dawn,
I was out help with bees today. We were checking for mites n adding new winter patties. Few of the hive had elivated levels of mite. Danny, a local college profession n head of their bee program in my mentor up here.
24 hours earlier Danny had slipped standard white sheets of paper on each Bottom Board (not SBB’s)… Today popped open the tops n added new winter patties while he quickly rechecked n counted mites found on the 8 x 11" sheets. Any hive with mite counts above 6 mite he treated with the oxide vapor method. 
We worked on about 20 hives in two separated apiaries … Wow was it chilly (about 25 dgs when we started)… The ground was very frozen n white with heavy frost. 
When I got home Jon the inventor of my beta hive monitor came by n brought me a new system. Mine had been loosing power n eratic at times. Being me … I exchanged calls, messages/text n photos of my system probing after he shared what made the inside circuits tick. Now I know what wires n boards do what n also how to interpret all the little pulsing n twinkling red/teal/n green LED’s … Fun stuff ! I switched it out quickly because it’s so chilly up here. Only got to 35 dgs today. Was 20 dgs out at the apiary this morning @ 08:30.
Later I had time to check my white bottom sheets … All above the acceptable levels. Tomorrow I will treat all three of my hopefully healthy but buggy/mitie hives. I’m going to use the oxide vapor method. My question is … I’m suppose to use one gram of granules. Is that approx a 1/2 tsp of then. My crystals didn’t come with a measuring device or spoon from Bushy Mtn so trying to get close to the correct amount of treatment. Any help would be useful.
Thanks my friend,
Jerry
Hello Jerry, try to stay warm up there! I am interested that you were vaporizing Oxalic at that low temperature. The manufacturer of my vaporizer says it should only be done when the outside temperature is above 4C (39F). Hope the bees do well with it!
Thanks for the update on your monitor. I will be interested to hear your thoughts about it over time. 
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The reason for that is the treatment relies on getting to all the bees. If they are not awake enough to fan the vapour around by being in a tight cluster the crystals won’t get to any but the outer layer. These instructions are there for a purpose.
This doesn’t apply to very well insulated wooden hives or to poly where the bees are in a looser cluster
Hi Dawn n Dee,
I was surprised to see the bees are in a rather loose cluster with chilly temps outside the hives ( mid 20’s)… Our bees have only seen the chilly low 30’s to mid 20’s off/on for week now. This is why I suspect the bees are strongly feeding n still loose cluster n feeding on patties at top of frame tops above top super. Our vapors could easily penetrate these masses … At times even on chilly frosty day we are seeing a few bee flights (probably poop runs or ?). Here it’s not like upper mid-west temp wise. We are seeing some daytime highs mid to upper 30’s (not a total deep-freeze. Our daytime high came up to 39.9 dgs even with the nights night n mornings in the Twenties. Locally our normal high/low’s per NOAA are 45/35 dgs F… It’s crazy at times up here … We can get these wild swings in temps n weather condition here in Puget Sound n Cascade Mtn foothills. Kind of gorilla beekeeping ( strange for me seeing such high rough counts in 24 hour check)…, Our Autumn has been so mild low to mid 50’s n our bees still out after feed weeds n English ivy… We get these wild swings in weather/temps from tropical pine expresses to semi-frigid arctic chills out of Inland Canada n Eastern Washington.
Our high is predicted to be mid 40’s with current 06:30 temp @ 37.2 dgs as westerly trend of milder Wx scours out the Puget Sound Lows of 20’s n 30’s.
What I still need to know is 1 gram to part of a teaspoon amount … I don’t have any other measuring tools than 1/4, 1/2 n full teaspoon stainless measuring spoons n need to complete the treatment today if possible before I loss a colony of fairly healthy bees. Someday I hope to be abile to acquire more accurate measuring tools but lack them presently.
Dawn n Dee … I will keep you both posted on this mite combat here in the PNW.
pix is a die-out…
Each hive we opened yesterday had large quantities of bees on top the honey super under the moisture cloth this local beekeeper use. We did find four die-outs because the colonies had already devoured their honey supply n winter patties. Sad but true. I’ve been checking my person hives every few weeks so they have not polished off their honey supplies n winter patties. It’s much more difficult to do this on a commercial level.
Well, its monday morning 07:45 n my washing is ready for the dryer, carpet vacuumed n more. I do not lack for stuff to do.
Cheers my friends.
Jerry