I think @Steve_Quick has more problems with poor fit of the frames, however, I have seen condensation like that on the walls of hives when I have added a new box too soon. I think it is multi-factorial - not enough bees to ventilate the space properly, and often it is when I have added the box early in the season, and the outside temperatures are still low overnight, generating condensation on the walls. Perhaps one or both of those are contributing to the condensation, but that doesn’t address the gap below the bottom of the frames.
I’d say that the condensation in the hive is something that can happen and is not such an issue in my experience -and I found adding ventilation did vey little to change it. Wood warps with moisture -so the side facing into the hive has a wetter surface than the outside face and so it warps the way it has. If you turned it around it would probably warp the other way. As an experiment, put the cover on the grass outside with the cupped part facing downwards and the sun shining on the other side. By doing so you are reversing the moisture. The moisture from the ground will go into that side and the sun will dry out the other and it will bend back the other way. Because of the way the wood you have is cut it looks prone to warping. I’m pretty sure all these issues you have will be addressed by flow as you correspond with them.
Did you find a solution to the gap between the rear panel and the metal strip? I went to have a look in the rear window this afternoon and bees started flying out so looks like I have the same problem. I also couldn’t get the rear window cover back on properly (it has been very wet and a bit humid the last few days so hoping a day of sunshine will dry it out and shrink it again). @Forum_Support
There shouldn’t be a gap unless the bottom of the frames are not sitting on top of the metal strip. Sometimes when they are put in the bottom edge can slip down past the strip which allows a small gap in the outside edges. Also painting or oiling both sides of the inspection windows will prevent swelling.
Thanks Gaz, I’ve sorted the problem - the frames just needed to be pushed back a little further and now they are sitting just on top of the metal strip. No more bees can fly out the back
Hi @Steve_Quick@Faroe did you ever find a solution to this issue. We have just added our flow frames and have exactly the same issue, gap between bottom of flow frames and metal strengthening bar.
can you use the screws in the top lugs to make sure that the plastic window parts of the frame are pushed up and flush with the wall of the box? If you screw the ones at the other end out a few mm you might be able to get the frames positioned flush and close up most of that gap. You really do want them always to sit flush up against the inner wall and the removable cover.
Hi @Semaphore yes sorry those were the first photos I had taken. The flow frames are now completely flush with the back of the box and there is still a big gap between the bottoms of the flow frames and the metal strip. The bees can simply walk out.
hmm,
maybe it is possible to play around with various screw settings till they sit properly. It seems odd to me that the dimensions of the box itself could be out by that much. However- if the wood has expanded or something I guess it’s possible. You hive has a natural finish: how have you treated it to protect from the weather? Is you hive cedar or pine? If it isn’t protected sufficiently it may has absorbed a lot of moisture and expanded.
Also I can see a faint line of propolis on the metal strip where the frames should sit- which is what I would expect to see there if they had been at that position at some point in the past? It’s as if the wood has expanded and lifted the frames up 3mm?
One solution would be to simply glue a stick/dowel to the metal bar to fill that gap? You can get little strips of wood like that from many hardware stores. Or if you have any of the wooden starter strips that ship with flow hives perhaps one of them will suffice.
