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Bee Hive building & a place to share howto's on equipment
 #6145  by MickBBKA
 02 Apr 2020, 19:43
I have discovered that my Abelo poly hives are suffering from water build up on the outside brood frames. This is so bad that the wood of the frames is completely saturated and going mouldy. I also have 4 Abelo brood boxes which I use with wood floors, supers and roofs and they are doing the same, this doesn't happen in any of my wood hives, they are all dry. These are not just a bit damp, they are soaked through and frames gone black. I can only guess its either water ingress which would be a bit strange to affect every single one of them or moisture condensing on the end walls and running onto the frames. Some have VB in place with patches of water on them but even the ones on OMF are soaked.

Any of you poly users know the cause and way to rectify this.

Cheers, Mick.
 #6149  by Japey Edge
 03 Apr 2020, 09:00
How long have you been using poly hives for Mick? I've not had mine a year so maybe not long enough to compare. Not seen any issues with mine. All floors are standard Abelo but I've had the trays in through winter and still have them in now.

Will look again on next inspection.
 #6152  by NigelP
 03 Apr 2020, 09:17
Never seen this with Abelo hives and I have quite a few of them. Occasional drip in ledge after exceedingly heavy downpour. I did have a Paynes poly that leaked through the floor/brood box this winter and left some damp at one end this year.
Only thing I can think is their position in relationship to the heavy rain, or not strapped down tight enough, but can't think you wouldn't have done that.
 #6156  by Alfred
 03 Apr 2020, 18:41
I had one cedar that was soggy but the maisemore poly nucs are bone dry except for one that has some water outside the raised lip that locates the lid
The whole brood chamber was slightly bowed downwards as a result of too firm strapping down
 #6157  by Chrisbarlow
 03 Apr 2020, 18:53
I've never had this issue, although like Nigel I've sometimes had a small amount of water where the the frames rest.

I would speculate and ask the folloy:-

Is your apiary on damp/soggy ground

Do you have your mesh floors closed in
winter and if not Is it possible that the rain could blow up and in

Are any of the roofs/crown boards damaged

These are just blatant guesses.
 #6161  by MickBBKA
 04 Apr 2020, 01:47
Thanks for the replies guys.
My hives are all ratchet strapped down, some are full poly, some are a mix, I have used them for 3 seasons, they are in 5 different locations facing different ways to the prevailing weather patterns, some in woodland, some open field and some at home, some with closed and some open floors. The only link is that all 8 are Abello poly brood boxes, not one of my other 20 wood hives has this problem in the same locations. The only other thing I can think of is they are on bare ground allowing moisture to rise into them and condense, but so are my wood hives.

Got me really scratching my head. They are so bad I won't be getting any more in the foreseeable future.

Cheers, Mick.
 #6166  by NigelP
 04 Apr 2020, 11:23
Weird is all I can say. Really can't see how it can be a problem with the brood boxes. If it was then lots of us would be reporting the same issues.
What sort of roofs did they have? I ask because I have a couple of wooden roofs which are leaking badly where the nails have come loose.
But if you want rid I'll happily take the brood boxes from you /sly grin/
 #6171  by Chrisbarlow
 04 Apr 2020, 17:11
MickBBKA wrote:
04 Apr 2020, 01:47
Thanks for the replies guys.


Got me really scratching my head. They are so bad I won't be getting any more in the foreseeable future.

Perplexing.
 #6175  by NigelP
 04 Apr 2020, 18:39
Given the Abelo brood boxes themselves are totally waterproof, assuming the inserts have been put in correctly. Then water ingress can only come from above or below....suspect that is where the problem lies. Several years of using Abelo brood boxes, supers, crown boards, roofs and floors I have never seen anything like what Mick is describing.
 #6179  by MickBBKA
 05 Apr 2020, 00:37
NigelP wrote:
04 Apr 2020, 11:23
What sort of roofs did they have? I ask because I have a couple of wooden roofs which are leaking badly where the nails have come loose.
Some are complete poly hives with poly roofs, crown boards, supers and floors, the other poly brood boxes have traditional wooden floors, supers, crown boards and all my wood roofs have a metal top which covers the sides and even with missing nails / screws wouldn't leak, All my wood hives have those exactly the same design. There is no sign of water ingress above the brood boxes, the crown boards are bone dry.

If I get sick Nigel I may cut you a deal mate.. :)

cheers, Mick.