This has been an especially wet and humid spring and summer. During a hive inspection I found mold growing inside the cover of the hive and also hints of it along one of the side walls. I cleaned up the mold with vinegar water and rinsed it a few times to remove any trace of vinegar. Then I put the cover in the hot sun to dry before returning it to the hive. (I used a piece of untreated plywood for a temporary cover.) To increase air flow I installed two imirie shims, one in between the two boxes and one just below the cover. To make them, we nailed together some scrap 2″ wood to match the size of the boxes, clamped them together and used a 1″ drill bit to drill through both shims at the same time. This way we ended up with about a 1/2″ semi circle opening on each shim (see photo at right). These shims have remedied our mold problem and also provide extra entrances for our bees.
