Hive Mats - when to use?

[AyeBee]

G'days guys/gals, first year keeper here - quick question about hive mats.

When do I use them? Are they just a winter thing, or all year round?

Cheers

Andy

[Rmcpb]

What do you mean by a hive mat?

[jayj200]

do you mean quilts?

[Anybrew2]

If your talking about a Crown board/or a mat, they are good to stop the bee's from building comb under the lids. They make inspections easier.

Cheers
Steve

[Culley]

Do you mean these?



I call it an inner cover and use them all year round.

[prestonpaul]

G'days guys/gals, first year keeper here - quick question about hive mats.

When do I use them? Are they just a winter thing, or all year round?

Cheers

Andy

All year round is fine. I have heard of some people doing away with them though as they can provide a hiding place for small hive beetle. I don't have SHB where I am so still use them  :)

[Rmcpb]

I don't use them. Since the SHB arrived they are a haven for them and stop the bees kicking them out. I have switched over to Warre quilts. As there is a gap between the frames and the quilt the beetles are not a problem as the bees can get at them.

[kalium]

I don't really understand hive mats. It looks like they sit directly on the frames. Doesn't it kill a lot of the ventilation?
I use inner covers made of masonite, and they are sandwiched between the box and the outer lid (and have several
~22m holes that allow airflow).  There's about ~6mm gap between the inner cover and the top of the frames.

[Culley]

They do sit directly on the frames. It stops the bees continuing to build comb above the frames and into the lid. If you cut the spacing right they work very well for this.

That's a good point about the ventilation. I don't know if the hive mat would actually create a layer of insulation.

I just use them because that's how I learned. Would love to see pics of what other people are doing.

[ShaneJ]

They do sit directly on the frames. It stops the bees continuing to build comb above the frames and into the lid. If you cut the spacing right they work very well for this.

That's a good point about the ventilation. I don't know if the hive mat would actually create a layer of insulation.

I just use them because that's how I learned. Would love to see pics of what other people are doing.

Old thread I know but I thought I would chime in here.

I use the mats exactly the same as you have displayed and have had no problem with the 36degree heat we have here. Just need to make sure that the mat doesn't extend right to the front/back and side/side. Like the one pictured I also cut a slot in the centre to help.
Regarding the beetles I just run the hive tool across the top of each frame before lifting the mat and this will squash all the beetles that have been trapped in the propolis jails.

[Nico]

Thinking on the ventilation aspect, I used nylon insect screen, the bees immediately sealed the insect screen between every frame in two hives. I changed to linoleum.
Nico

[kalium]

They do sit directly on the frames. It stops the bees continuing to build comb above the frames and into the lid. If you cut the spacing right they work very well for this.

That's a good point about the ventilation. I don't know if the hive mat would actually create a layer of insulation.

I just use them because that's how I learned. Would love to see pics of what other people are doing.

Old thread I know but I thought I would chime in here.

I use the mats exactly the same as you have displayed and have had no problem with the 36degree heat we have here. Just need to make sure that the mat doesn't extend right to the front/back and side/side. Like the one pictured I also cut a slot in the centre to help.
Regarding the beetles I just run the hive tool across the top of each frame before lifting the mat and this will squash all the beetles that have been trapped in the propolis jails.

Interesting.

Maybe I should switch to hive mats, as they look look much easier/cheaper to make.

How would the hive mats fair as far as platforms for putting sugar syrup feeders (baggie or foil tray) ?

Cheers.

[ShaneJ]

I use the felt backed stuff with the felt facing up so i wouldn't put anything on it.

When about in the south east are you? You shouldn't need to be feeding anytime of the year!

[Culley]

I had some quite old thin lino ones start started to crack, so now I'm using lino that's a bit thicker. I don't know if it's actually felt but there's felt-like stuff on one side. I put that side down.

ShaneJ do you use the mats with migratory covers like I do, which have ventilation holes on the front and back?

I don't feed (there's dry sugar on the hive mat in my pic, as an experiment, but I stopped that). But I reckon the hive mats would easily be stable enough to put something on top of.

[ShaneJ]

I use the felt side up as the beetles lets get stuck in the felt as an added bonus. Also with the felt side down I have found the bees will still build comb between the lino and the lid where as they don't attempt to build comb on the felt.

Yes I use migratory lids with the vent holes front and back.

[kalium]

I use the felt backed stuff with the felt facing up so i wouldn't put anything on it.

When about in the south east are you? You shouldn't need to be feeding anytime of the year!

Most of my bees are in the Lockyer Valley. It's the driest part of SE QLD (average 780 mm of rain).
On top of that, the specific place that they are is in the driest part of the Lockyer Valley! I lived there for about 10 years,
and even when everyone else in the valley was getting rain we often were not. In fact, in the Ipswich
bee club newsletter back a few months ago, they were suggesting that people may have to start feeding.

The only saving grace is that urbanisation is creeping in (I should say, galloping in!) and hopefully with
it a whole bunch of backyard gardens...