The gable roof and a humid climate

[Martha]

This year I had to rebuild new Flow Roofs because a white mold or growth developed in the roof and caused the wood to turn mushy and soft. So after talking to some bee friends they said the gabled roof is pretty but problematic in the South because of the high humidity.

I bought new roofs and assembled them. OMG the flow 2 roof went together fantastically so good job team! Well I decided to melt wax the inside the roof and drill some vent holes to see if ventilation might ad to the life of the roof.

I may have made a mess or a place for the bees to hang some comb or even make a place for the mysterious growing white stuff grow in the holes I drilled. Time will tell. I hope it works.

My bees Chewed the entrance wider and I didn’t notice it when I post de-winterized my hives and switched the bottom brood box to the top and visa versa. I now have 2 entrances. Lesson being switch the frames and not the whole box.

At any rate and ideas on making the Gabled roof more stable?

[Eva]

I think waxing was a good idea! In fact you might consider wax-dipping the whole thing - some beekeeping supply places offer this. If you want to keep the bees out of the roof cavity you could just put a piece of screen over the hole in the inner cover. This would also keep ventilation going.

I get a little mold from humidity here, but my biggest prob is baking sun. I have to repaint all my roofs and a few boxes - been on my list but I’ve procrastinated

[Wizard]

I havent had any mold. I drilled three 1" holes in the gables and screened them off. I leave the insulation on the top board at all times. If they wanted up there they could easily chew through. So far, so good. It rains a lot here! To the tune of 50.6 inches last year. it is precisely why there are wildflowers and trees all over the place.

[Martha]

I drilled some ventilation holes so I’m hoping I don’t get the mold in the holes I drilled.