Do you use a means of ventilating your hives to aid the bees with this humidity problem?
I have found that more ventilation is sometimes worse actually. I'm still in the process of figuring out exactly how much is best for my situation, but I used screened bottoms and tops for several years, and I'm moving toward more solid bottoms and tops now, which seems to be helping with mold at least. When it's extremely humid, it seems better to keep that ambient moisture out with less ventilation.
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The question would be the price. Cinder blocks are pretty cheap and wood has gotten so expensive.
> I have found that more ventilation is sometimes worse actually.
Tim Durham, a 'well known' and 'respected', life long successful commercial beekeeper, keeps bees in the Mississippi Delta and has discussed the 'importance' of ventilation. The Mississippi Delta is a hot, humid, sultry, miserable place to keep bees considering the 'dense' humidity.
(There is a reason he works bees in short pants, and a rag tied around his head lol). Yet Tim has learned to overcome this problem 'with success' in that respect. He uses solid bottom boards, and only a pebble to allow the hot humid air which would be trapped in the hive to escape through the top by using a simple pebble between his top super and and hive lid....Thus eliminating the 'sauna' effect, allowing the honey a better chance to 'dry' and be capped.
Just a side: Tim once lived in North Carolina, I have posted of his experience removing bees from Aunt Bs home, The Aunt 'Bee' of the Andy Griffith show, when he was a young man and beekeeper.
>The question would be the price. Cinder blocks are pretty cheap and wood has gotten so expensive.
As far as Michael Bushs' suggestion of using treated 2X4s for our base and the reasons for it, the price at Home Depot of a 2X4X8 is $4.28. Cut into 16" lengths. (the length of a cinder block), will give you 6 base boards. I did not check the price of cinder blocks.
I hope this helps.
Phillip
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