screened bottom boards (screen)

[scott]

hello,

I would like to build some screened bottom boards to increase the ventilation in my hives.  I have never seen them up close, only in ads.  I was wondering if the screen is similar to house hold screen or are the holes larger or smaller for the termite control.  I have read that alot of you use them, any comments?

Thanks
Scott

[jl]

Yeah one comment.

Make me one.  I have plans that I can e-mail to you.

Jeff

[scott]

If you can tell me which screen to use, I will.  For a small fee.

Talk to you tomorrow
Just got home

Scott

[jl]

Just got home
Scott
[/quote]
That's not good.  I e-mailed you the plans and it says on them what to use.  Talk to you tomorrow

Jeff

[scott]

Alright, thanks

Scott

[pdmattox]

I belive you want the #8 mesh for sbb's.

[Robo]

Yes, #8 screen.

plans -> http://www.beesource.com/plans/ipmbottom.pdf

and

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=1603.0

[TwT]

I use number 7 hardware cloth, I know one commercial beekeeper that will only use 1/4 inch cloth, he said that he has no problem with robbing and no more problems with a freshly mated queen trying to get back in the hive and not getting stuck under it, he wants them to be able to go through the screen.....

[jl]

I use number 7 hardware cloth, I know one commercial beekeeper that will only use 1/4 inch cloth, he said that he has no problem with robbing and no more problems with a freshly mated queen trying to get back in the hive and not getting stuck under it, he wants them to be able to go through the screen.....

I thought the whole purpose of the screen was to keep the bees and the mites from having contact after they fall off?

[Robo]

I thought the whole purpose of the screen was to keep the bees and the mites from having contact after they fall off?

That is the theory, but there have been studies that have shown SBBs have a marginal (if any) affect on varroa population.  That is why it is always used in conjunction with other varroa control methods.  There is another group that believes a solid bottom board keeps the brood area a little warmer and more humid which is less advantageous to the varroa.  In fact I have seen studies that have shown the SBB hives actually had more varroa.   I believe SBB are popular because people can visualize mites falling off and thru and therefore can easily justify it to themselves that they work.  Yes some also use them for the ventilation, but good ventilation can also be achieved without them.

[scott]

Thats good to know, maybe I will rethink this.  Currently I am proping up my telescoping covers for ventilation, for the most part it has solved the bearding issue.

Sorry JL, maybe I wont make you one after all.

Thanks for the help
Scott

[Robo]

There is another group that believes a solid bottom board keeps the brood area a little warmer and more humid which is less advantageous to the varroa. 

Here is some light reading on this.  See page 4 of the attached PDF.

[Scadsobees]

I have no idea if they are any good for mites, or for ventilation.  If they do, then great.  I don't really care about all that.

I love the fact that I can pull out the insert and get a really good idea of what is going on in the hive.

Things that I can see on the insert:
-Mite count (currently low)
-What they are doing with the comb: lots of chewed capping debris, lots of crystallized honey where they are cleaning out the comb. 
-When they are building - new wax scales that drop...there were a couple, they are ramping up production
-SmallHiveBeetle - in the fall there are usually dead ones, and then in the spring as the bees clean the dead ones out of the comb that froze.  In fact, last night one of my inserts had a few little evil larvae wriggling around.  I'll have to check the hive today to make sure they aren't in the hive.
-Wax moth larvae - not so useful, but I can see the little piles of caterpillar poop where somewhere in the hive there is a moth larvae working.  I've never found the caterpillar in the hive, though.
-Pollen - they usually drop a few pollen loads, it is neat to see what they are collecting, color, taste, etc.  Sometimes they drop a load of electic blue or other exotic color pollen.

And it isn't good to let too much stuff accumulate in the trays, but the little ants try to keep it clean, and don't bother the bees much.  The trays should be cleaned out on a semi-regular basis.

So even if there aren't health benefits to a SBB, there are very interesting reasons to have one.

Rick

[Robo]

A sticky board on a solid bottom board does all the things you mentioned.

The SBB does provide a great safe area from the bees for wax moth and larvae to thrive with food "falling for the sky" though 

[Ross]

Number 7 or 8 for varoa to fall through.  Anything you want for ventilation.  I never put a slide under mine.  They are open year around. 
http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/bottomboard/bottomboard.htm

[dart96]

I'm a new beekeeper this year, and I went with a screened bottom board because I think it will make it easier to collect the fallout from powdered sugar dustings. 

[Daddys Girl]

Looking at the Bee Source plans, how do you modify that SBB for use as bottom board for a top entrance hive?  I assume that you add another piece of wood filler to close what would normally be the entrance?

[Brian D. Bray]

Looking at the Bee Source plans, how do you modify that SBB for use as bottom board for a top entrance hive?  I assume that you add another piece of wood filler to close what would normally be the entrance?

Just block it off or leave a reducer in place on the small setting.

[sarafina]

I have the Rossman SBB with the plastic slide out tray.  Last weekend I tried to pull it out and the girls had glued it in tight.  I couldn't get it out and gave up since I had already bugged them enough. 

Anybody else have this problem?

[jsmob]

One other reason that a person might consider an sbb is that it imitates a natural hive in that the wild hive always has an area at the bottom of the hive where debris falls. In a managed hive the bottom board stops this and the bees have to walk throught there garbage.