Well . . . not exactly. But mention moisture quilts to a beekeeper and his creativity takes flight. Although our “quilt show” wouldn’t feature bright cotton fabrics meticulously cut and sewn, I’m sure it would be equally inspiring.
The post I wrote last year about making moisture quilts for a Langstroth hive garnered more comments than any other, and my recent post about creating a quilt for a top-bar hive re-energized the conversation.
I still haven’t made my top-bar quilt because I’ve been toying with the idea of using hardware cloth instead of canvas. The switch, I hoped, would lessen the sag that would necessarily occur in such a large expanse of fabric. On the other hand, I’m still wondering how much condensation would form on the hardware cloth itself and whether it would get absorbed by the wood chips or drip back onto the bees. In any case, I decided to support the fabric with two crossbars regardless of whether it’s cotton or metal. But in the meantime, quilt-related ideas have been pouring in.
Alternative uses for moisture quilts
One reader wrote early last year saying he used moisture quilts during the summer as ventilation ekes. He just dumps out the wood chips in spring and puts the eke upside down over the inner cover to increase ventilation. The fabric rests against the telescoping cover, but no harm done. I have tried this and it works well.
Mountain camp or else
I used mountain camp rims available from Kelley Bees for my quilt boxes, but others suggested using baggy feeders, shallow supers, or even medium supers. All these would work and I think those in colder climates might find the deeper boxes beneficial. If I were making mine over again, I would use 3-inch baggy feeder rims instead of the 2-inch mountain camp rims–or just cut them from 1″ x 3″ lumber.
The sagging saga
A number of people have been concerned that the quilt will sag in the center and press against the top bars, preventing free movement of the bees. I never experienced this problem myself because I always keep either a baggy feeder rim or Imirie shim between the brood box and the quilt. I use this space for pollen patties, grease patties, sugar cakes or whatever I need to give the bees, but it easily takes up the sag. Plus winter bees are not that into bridge comb, so it works well.
I stretched the canvas fabric as tightly as I could before stapling it in place. I found that, once it gets damp and then dries, it shrinks till it’s as tight as a tambourine. Seriously. Other readers have suggested preventing sag with wooden cross bars or foundation wire. I will probably try each of these ideas over the coming winter.
Canvassing for fabric
Beekeepers report using canvas, jute, burlap, duck, terry cloth, and denim. It sounds like you can use pretty much whatever you can find. I’m told treating the fabric with starch keeps the bees from chewing it, and I know that’s what Warré beekeepers have been doing for years. Last year I had two quilts that showed chew holes by spring. I just ripped out the fabric and stapled in a new piece . . . but you may want to try starch.
Creative quilting
Two of the most creative ideas take quilt-making to all new levels. Bruce (or is it Dan?) of Strathcona Beekeepers designed a quilt from a homemade eke, a piece of landscape cloth, and a couple inches of wood chips. On top of that he has a wooden separator (with convenient handles) topped with Styrofoam insulation. Well, you kind of have to see it to believe it. According to the inventor, this creation is patented by the C.H.P.—Canadian Honey Police. Po . . . lice get this guy outta here.
And winning my blue ribbon for creativity beyond all reason is Navi who enlarged and screened the hole in an inner cover and put it above the brood box. On top the inner cover he put a medium super in which he inserted a polyester pillow case filled with pine needles. Then he added a ventilation eke on top of that and covered the entire thing with a telescoping cover.
And you all thought I was crazy . . .
Rusty
Yes, you are crazy but keep in mind your loyal following is crazy also. Your site is my favorite because you CARE about your bees. Your followers care, too. If that’s crazy I will wear the label with great pride.
I made a quilt but I live in SW Wisconsin so made the following adaptions for our harsh winters. I will describe what I did by layers, starting from the 4th top medium super (I’m in my 60s so work with mediums because of weight).
• on the top super I have a 1.5″ spacer where I have grease patties (mineral salt & organic essential oils Varroa treatment)
• next is a 6-hole 1/4″ piece of underlayment using screen with wide mouth canning jar rings pressed into the holes to keep the bees below. I added this to make spring feeding less disruptive for the hive.
• then I have the quilt: 3.5″ deep with a layer of screen, a layer of 1/4″ hardware cloth to prevent sagging (feeder board also prevents sagging), 3 layers of light weight cotton canvas fabric washed to remove the sizing, ironed, sewn with the top layer of fabric turned back and then top stitched for a clean strong edge. I put three .75″ ventilation holes per long side on the quit frame.
• a 2″ spacer
• wood chips gathered from my woods and put through my chipper fill the 3.5″ quilt and 2″ spacer
• a ventilated inner cover
• a regular inner cover
• a telescoping cover
In the next few weeks I will wrap the hive in black roofing paper (up to the quilt box) also using roofing paper on the outside of the telescoping cover.
I hope this will keep the bees buzzing all winter. They have plenty of stores but we sometimes get temps of -40F, not for more than a couple of days. I’m also thinking of getting a stethoscope to see if I can “hear the health” of the hive. Have you ever done this??
Carol,
Wow, the plot thickens: this is even more complex than those quilts I mentioned. I like the mason jar feeder boards all ready to go–that’s a cool idea. And I also like the combination of hardware cloth and canvas. It’s funny how some of us wash the sizing out, while others add it back to the fabric in the form of starch.
I’ve never tried a stethoscope but I have used an empty drinking glass to amplify sound. If a hive is healthy, though, I can hear easily without any assistance.
Thanks for writing. Your method is a good addition to the “quilt show.”
Rusty,
I forgot to add that I cut a round hole the exact size of a mason jar lid and then inverted said jar as a syrup feeder. The medium super accommodates a quart jar nicely. Of course that could be controversial to feed or not to feed. The pillow case wrapped snugly around jar. Love all the different variations. Same end result: happier bees.
Thanks, Navi, for another clever idea. The syrup probably stays warm enough for a lot longer.
I am going to take a screened inner cover full if shavings with a metal pot lid suspended above it, support it over a pot of boiling water, and see if water condenses on the screen or moves on through the shavings to the lid! I may need foil “sides” hanging from this contraption . . .
Creative idea. Let me know how it works. I think the screen should be cool when you start–as cool as it would be inside the hive.
Hi,
I am a beekeeper in the U.K. and I just love your website as it is full of ideas that are new to me and it is a site that is so actively supported.
Amongst other articles, the ‘Quilt Show’ was fascinating as it contained so many interesting variations on the quilt theme – all duly noted ! I certainly will be using a similar wood-shaving quilt on my hives this next winter. Many of the beekeeping equipment names are the same everywhere, but some are very different, so I show my ignorance and ask, “What is a ‘telescoping cover’?” This is not a piece of equipment I have come across over here. Maybe we call it something else.
Hoping you can answer this and maybe this is also a piece of kit I can adopt here over ‘the pond’. Keep on supporting this great website.
G.
Graham,
You have telescoping covers but I don’t know what you call them. Maybe some of my U.K. readers can help. The term just refers to a lid that is slightly larger than the brood boxes and supers, such that the sides of the lid fits down over the top box by about 5 cm and provide some rain resistance. A telescope has pieces that slide inside of one another, hence the name. Basically, it’s just a standard hive cover.