Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: adamant on January 04, 2012, 05:56:00 pm

Title: making moving screens... see pic..
Post by: adamant on January 04, 2012, 05:56:00 pm
i am going to make moving screens like the one in the picture... in the pic u can see the screen is in two parts. one part in question is on a angle and has 4 holes to let the bees in. why is that on a angle? is that needed?

(http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/1747/movingscreen.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/600/movingscreen.jpg/)

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Title: Re: making moving screens... see pic..
Post by: tefer2 on January 04, 2012, 07:55:18 pm
The example has me puzzled.  I just close off the top small entrance hole in my robber screens for moving.
Title: Re: making moving screens... see pic..
Post by: specialkayme on January 04, 2012, 10:59:05 pm
The holes in the pic allow forager bees to continue to enter the hive, without losing new foragers.

If you use a robber screen as a moving screen, you need to close it late in the day or early morning, or you lose the field force. You can put a moving screen on at any time of the day, wait a little, then move the hive.
Title: Re: making moving screens... see pic..
Post by: Intheswamp on January 04, 2012, 11:28:05 pm
The holes in the pic allow forager bees to continue to enter the hive, without losing new foragers.

If you use a robber screen as a moving screen, you need to close it late in the day or early morning, or you lose the field force. You can put a moving screen on at any time of the day, wait a little, then move the hive.
Thanks specialkayme!  I had looked at that picture and wondered about it.  I can see what you're talking about.  The inside bees will focus on the most outward area of the screen where there are no holes whereas the incoming bees will move to the area that is sloped inward closer to the entrance and find the entry holes.  Neat.

Ed
Title: Re: making moving screens... see pic..
Post by: Robo on January 05, 2012, 09:39:20 am
one part in question is on a angle and has 4 holes to let the bees in. why is that on a angle? is that needed?


The bees return the bottom board,  can't get in and will walk up the screen.  At this point they are completely confused.  Without the angle (actually more importantly the wood barrier) they will just go right up the screen and passed the holes.   The wood barrier sort of leads them towards the holes.   Once you use one you will get a better understanding.   It is not like the returning bees are looking for holes and immediately go through them.  It is more of a wonder around aimlessly and eventually go through the holes.