I have been attending a bee school near my home and the information has been amazing. We just covered wintering the bees and feeding them which brought up a few questions on my end. I did buy a top feeder for my Flow Hive 2+ and I found it was 3/8 inch wider and 2/8 inch longer than the inner cover/brood box. This brings me to a few questions:
A) Could I use a table saw to modify the frame of the top feeder to meet the same dimensions of the inner cover so that the roof will fit?
B) I was looking for a shim and moisture board to use in winter 2024 but I am finding the same issue with dimensions not matching. Did anyone find a vendor that had compatible components or does it make more sense to make my own?
C) Did people find it helpful to drill a vent in the gable and cover it with mesh to prevent pests from entering the hive and did anyone switch the inner cover to the traditional one that has a bee escape?
A) You might find that a simpler solution is to buy a traditional Langstroth flat roof to use while you are feeding. Alternatively, you could put the (empty) Flow super on top of the feeder, then use the gabled roof. It will be a tall structure, but it should work OK.
B) Flat roof would solve this one too
C) I never drilled holes in my roof - the bees really don’t need them. I actually put a tile over the hole in the inner cover too. My bees seem to love building crazy comb in the roof, even when the hive boxes are not full. The tile makes that impossible. I wouldn’t use a bee escape for more than a couple of days to clear a super. If you do, the bees will either put propolis all over it, or they will find a way through it into the roof.
Hi Mark and welcome! What @Dawn_SD said and, about a compatible shim for flat/standard Lang outer cover (roof)
[quote=“Mrk.lng, post:1, topic:36576”] Did anyone find a vendor that had compatible components
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That’s the one I use, but other suppliers have them too - just look up 8 frame feeding shim for bees. Provides enough room for a winter patty or dry sugar/fondant.
