Hello- happy world bee day!!! I am new to all things beekeeping but I’m super excited about and inspired by these little insects! I found mold on the bottom tray of my hives the other day. Any reason why this might be happening and any suggestions on how to prevent it or thoughts in any way? Thanks so much!
1 Like
Hi @ashlyntj and welcome! I take it you’re talking about the coreflute slider? If so, a little mold/mildew is common and not a concern - it develops there because of humidity and all the debris that falls through the screened bottom, where the bees can’t reach it but would otherwise clean it up. Since they can’t, it’s good to pull out the coreflute and scrape/wipe it clean every week. You can use mild vinegar or bleach solution.
2 Likes
@Eva thank you so much for your reply! Yes, that is what I’m talking about. Thank you for easing my mind and for the feedback! Have a great day-
2 Likes
Hi Ashlyn, thanks for reminding us about World Bee Day. For us that was yesterday. Not one word about it on the radio or tv. There should be something said about it because without bees & other pollinators, we die, apparently.
We should spare a thought for the myriads of native bee species as well as the 100,000 species of wasps worldwide that are also pollinators.
1 Like
Hi Ashlyn, Mould in your tray will be too much humidity in the hive, warm days and cold nights will do this… if your bees are bringing in fresh nectar then this will need to be evaporated by the bees before it ferments and thus water vapour, it has to go somewhere and if the bees cannot vent it quickly enough it will stick and condensate to the colder areas of the hive such as the roof, the windows and the bottom tray. This is all quite normal, if your days are warm enough remove the tray completely otherwise give it a wash and let dry in the sun before sliding it back in. 
Hey @JeffH, World Bee Day… it was a big thing here in Sydney, Channel 10 devoted a segment to it with Bruce White… here is the link.
I reckon Queenslanders were too busy celebrating the election yesterday… 
I was so excited to watch the newscast from Sydney, but alas, I live to far and am thus banned from watching…
Ashlyn, I downloaded the video and put it up on my facebook page as it was too large to put here… I hope you can view now… and if you wait till the end you will see Bruce’s Flow Hive. He is somewhat of a Bee celebrity amongst Australians and the Pacific Islands after setting up a number of commercial beekeeping operations for the locals as well as being caretaker for Flow hives at the Governor Generals residence in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
If that doesn’t work try this link on Youtube.
1 Like
That was wonderful to watch. Thank you for posting!
1 Like