Anyone ever have a stuck vented cover and figure out a remedy? I went to check my base tray but can’t get the cover out. It has been very rainy so maybe the wood is swollen but I was very careful to paint the edges of the cover to prevent such a thing and now I think the very same sealer has caused it to glue itself in place. Thoughts so far are just gouging it out with a knife or chisel and suck up damage to the wood, or trying to pull from the vents using wire or similar. Can’t really push out from the inside because of the tray, can’t really get a good hold of the tray without really disturbing the bees. Have been able to get it out previously but it’s always pretty tight. If I can get it off again I guess I need to sand the sealer off. Anyone else have this predicament and find a fool-proof method?
Thanks
Hi Jenny,
It does sound like the timber may have expanded from the rain - how frustrating.
Please feel free to also email a couple of pictures to Flow Customer Support (info@honeyflow.com) for some further assistance. The team will be glad to take a look at it for you and offer some suggestions.
I haven’t had exactly that- but I have had the window covers expand and lock in after rain. In my case after a hot day it shrunk enough to come back out again.
You could run a razor between the cover and the base without cutting into the wood. Then fashion a couple hooks to feed through the slots and then yank it out. You may be able to unscrew the knob and use the screw as a grab point too.
Hi @Jennyjams -
This has happened to me on a couple of hives lately due to the incredible amount of rain we’ve had. These hives are also in a relatively damp location near a large tree clouding a lot of the afternoon sun. I blame this for why the timber hasn’t yet dried out and the ventilation cover is still stuck. I’m relocating my hives to a dryer and sunnier location in a couple of weeks.
I’ve been able to remove the cover by pushing it from behind, reaching my fingers underneath the base. A lot of finger strength is needed though.
If you’re not familiar with the important steps for moving a hive and you’re considering it, let us know so we can help.
B
I wish there were a plastic or metal cover available for those of us that live in constantly humid climates. The bees don’t touch it so the material COULD BE slightly less natural if it would help a great deal with the function. I may look into cutting one myself out of plastic on a cnc
I live in Sintra, Portugal, which is very wet. I made a ultra lightweight roof out of angled and regular pieces of wood from the local DIY. The angled wood is cut into 3 equal pieces and placed on the top and the sides. I then got some plastic sheeting which just rolls over the top and tucks under the angled wood at the sides. This makes replacing the cover very easy when branches from the over hanging eucalyptus fall on it. Mine has lasted 6 months so far and is totally water proof. I just started with a frame that was just narrower than the outer edges of the flow roof and ‘eyeballed’ the rest. I made another one for the other hive in the picture. It took me about 40 minutes to build each ‘roof’ and, despite the high winds we have too, it has never blown off.
@john_lawson this is really cool but I don’t see how a roof like this would prevent the swelling im dealing with on the vented cover in the base. Unless I mounted a little awning over that very spot, any angled rain will run over the front of it. I’m not even sure the little vented cover IS getting wet. It may just be swollen from humidity and the glued itself shut since I sealed all its edges.
Ah, ok. The overhang prevents all moisture/rain from getting on to the wooden roof and so very little actually runs down the sides of the hive. The back will occasionally get a little wet but not persistently…and that’s when I imagine the absorbtion would be an issue. Other than that I would just recommend getting an angled tool such as an allen key into the grill and pull it out with some plyers. i use the space in the roof to store things like cushion foam, which i then cut to reduce the hive entrance as required.good luck with freeing it up!