When we come to this part of the year you hear the conversations between beekeepers about humidity and moisture in the hives and what to do to prepare the hives for the winter.
Firstly, what is the difference between humidity and moisture? Moisture represents the presence of a liquid containing trace amounts of water. Humidity, on the other hand, is the concentration of water vapor in a gaseous state, present in the air.
Honeybees need much higher and constant temperatures (32.2C-35.0C) and levels of humidity (50-60%) to raise their brood optimally and promote the overall fitness of the colony, and anything outside of their optimal range will prevent healthy brood rearing. Honeybees are highly efficient at regulating the biophysical parameters of their nest according to colony needs. Thermoregulation of a honeybee nest has been studied extensively but little is known how the bees regulate it. Towards the end of the season the brood rearing reduces and sometimes completely stops. Its for this reason that during these months the high humidity is not crucial.
When we look at a wild honeybee colony inside a tree we see that the optimal core temperature of a honey bee cluster in a winter hive is 35.0C. It will depend on the abode if they are able sustain this temperature. Highly insulated(thick walls) will ease the effort the bees have to put in to it to generate the the heat(by vigorously vibrating their bodies). Another factor is the influence from outside temperature, if a large area of the nest is exposed to outside temperatures(ie large nest opening), bees will have to work much harder to maintain that temperature and humidity. Dropping temperatures inside the nest cause condensation and build up of moisture on the walls, combs etc. This would have a detrimental effect on the health of a colony.
We know bees are very good at regulating the temperature and humidity in the hive. So by giving them the ideal abode (loghive) we ease the work that is needed in the winter months.