Bee Port

Have been messing around for weeks trying to build a new concept for my future bee keeping activities. I had been planning on Bliping the work day for day and expected it to take no more than a week. Ended up taking two months. Most of the dealy was simply due to the brilliant weather, the bees being very busy and I trying to work directly around them.

It's basically a carport with one long side and two short sides. In summer the hives will be right at the edge of the long open side and almost at ground level so that I can work more easily when the honey bearing boxes are put on top. In winter they can simply be moved 1.5m inside and higher up so that I don't need to bend down to work on te single storey boxes. It also keeps them free of rain and snow. One of my concerns last winter was the amount of condensation and I am hoping this will improve now but early signs are not good. I have to sort out the ventilation vs warmth problem. Anyone out there with a tip? Typically here one closes off the top frames with a sheet of plastic before the insulated roof is put on. The plastic sheet is on the whole year and stops the bees building above the frames and eating the insulation.

During the winter, the cold nights and warmish days produce huge amounts of condensation, trapped by the plastic. I need something to place on the frames that can "breath" but not be attractive to the bees.

Today at around 20°C they were having a great time and many bringing in large amounts of pollen. Don't know where they are finding it.