Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: gaucho10 on June 20, 2008, 09:11:28 am

Title: #8 Screen for bottom board
Post by: gaucho10 on June 20, 2008, 09:11:28 am

I purchased 2 bottom boards with #8 screen and noticed that the bees are loosing some of the pollen pellets.  I don't want the pollen to fall, only the mites :)
Anybody have bottom boards with large whole sizes...lets say #6 or #7?  I thought the bees might not get their legs cought in the larger diameter hole and won't loose their pollen.  Just an idea?!?!?!

Title: Re: #8 Screen for bottom board
Post by: qa33010 on June 20, 2008, 04:26:37 pm

   Are you using this under the hive for mites to fall through onto a sticky board?  The bees will drop pollen pellets when transferring from field to house bee.  I've never noticed that type of bottom board has any effect as I've even found pollen pellets on solid bottom boards. 

Title: Re: #8 Screen for bottom board
Post by: gaucho10 on June 20, 2008, 10:10:22 pm

QA33010-I am using this board for better ventilation so as do prevent bee diseases.  Also to diminish mite population.  I do not use a sticky board because I am not into counting of mites...although I might ,if the problem escalates. In the past, with a regular bottom board I never had a problem because I was sure the bees picked up after themselves. Now that I am trying to get into organic beekeeping and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) I am drying different avenues to maintain my bees and the screened/ventilated bottom board IS the way to go.

Title: Re: #8 Screen for bottom board
Post by: qa33010 on June 27, 2008, 11:11:16 pm

    That's all I use unless I run out and have to use my 'emergency' solid bottom boards that I have not modified to SBB yet. :-D

   If I remember correctly I bought some #7 hardware cloth, (still don't understand why they call it that, the hardware cloth part not the #7 = 1/7") I'll need to remeasure next time I'm out there.   I have found pollen when I have used a tray, but it has been so little I just assumed it was from when one bee passed it to another and every once in awhile they would drop some.  I haven't seen any getting caught in the wire.  I have seen them occasionally pass forage through the screen.

Title: Re: #8 Screen for bottom board
Post by: Robo on June 28, 2008, 08:34:07 am

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,10753.msg105971.html#msg105971