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Author Topic: Snow buildup at entrance  (Read 347 times)
mtbe
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« on: December 28, 2009, 08:00:43 AM »

Just got about 6" of snow over the weekend.

Didn't pay attention to the hives due to the holidays. 

I have 3 TBHs that have about 2-4" of snow piled up on the entrance.  I didn't check to see if it was completely blocking the entrance or not.  Do I need to brush the snow off for ventilation? 

These are bottom entrances with 'landing space'  (built before discovering the benefits of top entrances).
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kathyp
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« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2009, 08:13:43 AM »

i would leave the top closed if they have an exit from the bottom.  if you open both, all you do is suck cold air through the hive.  i don't have TBH, but the chimney effect should be the same with two openings.
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“Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, ‘What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power.’ But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector.”  --Ronald Reagan
Michael Bush
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« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2010, 10:06:37 AM »

Snow is warm.  It's 32 F.  When it's -17 outside (as it was a couple of days ago) 32 F is quite a bit warmer.
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Michael Bush
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bee-nuts
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« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2010, 12:34:18 PM »

So it is true that ice is 32 degrees all the time and does not get colder?  It does not seem logical.
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kathyp
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« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2010, 01:19:43 PM »

ice and snow can be colder than 32 degrees.  what they do, is insulate the hive when they cover it.  they help hold the heat in to some extent, but not completely.  a good size hive will melt the snow off the top.  it's one way to know the hive is alive and the cluster is creating good heat.
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"Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.  Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again." --Ronald Reagan

“Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, ‘What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power.’ But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector.”  --Ronald Reagan
Michael Bush
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« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2010, 01:26:37 PM »

Snow has air trapped in it and is good insulation.  Ice may be another matter.
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www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm

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"Everything works if you let it."--Rick Nielsen
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