The logic of screened bottom boards

[tillie]

I set it  on top in such a way that there is a back entrance.  You can put it on the opposite side up without that.  I think the girls like having a back door.

I have a number of 10 frame bottom boards and use these as covers for 8 frame box hives - then there is no space for a back entrance unless I prop it up.

Linda T in Atlanta

[ruth]

I am reading all these topics with fascination, as a new beek!

I have 2 questions about the screened bottom boards:

I have one on my new hive and right now I have the solid screen in place, because the nights in Ohio right now are still cold and I have a new package.  When should I take it out, assuming I want to use a combination of open for ventilation and closed for warmth in winter?

Secondly, I learned that dusting with powdered sugar is helpful - but what type of powdered sugar does everyone use?  The powdered confectioner's sugar at the grocery store has corn-starch mixed with it - is this what people use?  Or by "powdered sugar" do people just mean the regular granulated sugar, which is not as fine as the confectioner's sugar?

[Yappy]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfeeding.htm#bottomboardfeeder

If  you click on the thumnails you can see larger pictues of solid bottoms used as bottoms, tops and feeders.  Actually all three at the same time...

Why are you not concerned about bee poop and hive garbage falling into the bottom feeders?
 

[Michael Bush]

>Why are you not concerned about bee poop

Bees don't poop in the hive.

> and hive garbage falling into the bottom feeders?

What usually falls are either dead bees or wax scales or pollen pellets.  None of them are dirty at the time.  Feeding is only a breif thing if they are short in the spring or they are short in the fall.

[Ollie]

Ruth,

1) How cold is it over there?
I run open SBB, year round. If you have received your package of bees, it should be warm enough to have the bottom open, but it is unlikely that you'll have a serious mite problem right now. In general, the mite do a number on the colonies in the second year. Leave the solid board under the hive for now, when it gets warmer change it.
 

2) Most of the confectioner's sugar does have some kind of an anti caking agent or cornstarch in it.
The bees don't actually eat the sugar, it mostly falls right through the frames.
Some of it the bees do eat some, I guess, so you have to be careful at the end of the fall that you don't wait too late and that they'll have a bit of time (fair weather) before the bad weather sets in so that they have time to defecate outside.
The powdered sugar make the mites lose their grip on the bees, it also make all the bees groom at the same time, further knocking some of the mites off. The screen let the sugar and mite fall right out.