Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: watercarving on February 18, 2008, 04:38:21 pm

Title: Screened bottom board
Post by: watercarving on February 18, 2008, 04:38:21 pm
Thinking about adding a screened bottom board to my tbh's. It would be permanent the way I would build it. Is this a necessary piece of equipment nowadays or not? Would you run your hives without one?

Thanks.
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Robo on February 18, 2008, 05:51:41 pm
I have gone back to solid bottom boards after 5 or so yrs of SBB.  I know there is a lot of hype about mites falling thru SBB,  but I have seen a couple of studies that showed otherwise.

There is also a theory that with solid bottom boards, the temperature and humidity of the brood nest is higher which is less ideal conditions for mites.

I know with my solid bottom boards I get a faster/bigger brood build up in the Spring.   With proper upper ventilation and slatted racks, I have no bearding issues in the summer.

I can also say that the great majority (99.9%) of feral colonies that I have removed all where sealed up pretty well.

So is it necessary? Not at all.
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 18, 2008, 11:55:58 pm
I am now going to bottomless bee hives.  Just lay screen on the bottom side of a slatted rack and stack on the supers.  I make the hive stands out of 4X4s spaced so the hive boxes rest on the stand, in other words, the inside dimensions of the stands are the same as the inside dimensions as the supers.  But then I also use top entrances (my old solid bottom boards).
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: BenC on February 19, 2008, 12:37:23 am
I don't think it's necessary, it's just one way of approaching the problems associated with ventilation and moisture removal.  I've had hives with solids and hives with screens, currently they all have screens.  Perhaps you could constuct the hive body with a permanent screen but the capability to slide in a solid bottom if you decide to change later? 

Brian D. Bray, I did something similar last year.  Hive boxes sitting directly on rails of hive stands.  No slatted racks, no screens, no bottoms.  They did well.  24/7 there was a cluser of bees to be seen on the underside of the frames, it varied from baseball to softball sized.  I actually layed there and watched them a few times, I once saw the cluster "spit" out a wax moth larvae and a bee followed it to the gound and really tore into it!  What I found interesting was that the cluster of bees underneath remained as just that, they never built the nest downward, never drew any comb under those frames.  I figured with the winter coming I'd better do something to baffle wind so I reinstalled bottom boards, but I intend to try it again this season and make further observations.
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: JP on February 19, 2008, 01:26:22 am
I use them because of the removals I do.  Extra ventilation on really hot days is a plus when you're dealing with a large stressed colony. Depending on your location they can be good or bad. Bad for extreme colds, good when its very hot and you want extra ventilation, but necessary, I think not. Feral colonies in bldgs and trees don't have sbbs and they do fine.

....JP
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: dpence on February 19, 2008, 04:23:03 am
It's a preference, not a necessity.  I have screened bottoms on my hives, but also have a sliding board which allows me to close it during the winter.  I think it helps ventilate during the summers here but then feral hives as mentioned are pretty tight.     
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Jerrymac on February 19, 2008, 11:34:06 am
Unless it is built out in the open  :-D
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Understudy on February 19, 2008, 05:59:05 pm
In south Florida with a top entrance because heat is a factor here.


Sincerely,
Brendhan
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: dpence on February 20, 2008, 12:18:53 pm
Unless it is built out in the open  :-D

True...
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: jimmyo on February 20, 2008, 06:49:56 pm
We use SBBs all year.  we clean them as often as we can in the spring thru fall and leave them alone in the winter. I think it helps keep the mites down to a bee-managable level. 
Jim   
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Michael Bush on February 22, 2008, 07:41:33 pm
>Is this a necessary piece of equipment nowadays or not?

Not.

> Would you run your hives without one?

Sure.

Half of my Langstroth equipment has SBB on them.  I like that they stay dry.  I like the added ventilation especially in the heat.  I don't think it makes any difference to Varroa except for making it easier to monitor and probably helps make any treatment more effective.
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 23, 2008, 01:40:36 am
Brian D. Bray, I did something similar last year.  Hive boxes sitting directly on rails of hive stands.  No slatted racks, no screens, no bottoms.  They did well.  24/7 there was a cluser of bees to be seen on the underside of the frames, it varied from baseball to softball sized.  I actually layed there and watched them a few times, I once saw the cluster "spit" out a wax moth larvae and a bee followed it to the gound and really tore into it!  What I found interesting was that the cluster of bees underneath remained as just that, they never built the nest downward, never drew any comb under those frames.  I figured with the winter coming I'd better do something to baffle wind so I reinstalled bottom boards, but I intend to try it again this season and make further observations.

I buiilt my bottomless hive stands to accept a slide in sheet of 1/4 or 3/8 inch plywood with the intent of varroa monitoring.  With the SBB I left them open all winter with no ill affects.  The slatted racks provide a layer of dead air (thermal barrier) that protects the hive from wind and cold.  Wintered 4 of 4 hives and 2 of those were 2 tall 5 frame medium nucs.  My hive stands are 2 tiers of 4X4s with 2X2 cross bracing on top of that.  The 4X4 stands are now turned so the hives face east and the solid sides of the stand block the southern winds. 
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Cindi on February 23, 2008, 12:30:22 pm
Last year my Husband constructed screened bottomboards for all my colonies.  I have switched back to solid bottomboards because I was using the oxalic acid vapourizing for mite death and screened bottomboards wouldn't have worked.  I am sticking with the solid only because I am too lazy to switch them back, and I know solid bottomboards are good, easy to keep clean and don't harbour the blasted earwigs like the screened bottomboards do, less place for them to hide.  Many use the screened for cooling.  Our summers are not so hot here that the bees have a difficult time dealing with heat.  Have a wonderful and great day, lovin' this groovy life. Cindi
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Michael Bush on February 23, 2008, 09:14:22 pm
I'd keep the SBB around.  If you find a hive all bearding and you can't give them enough ventilation.  You can swap out the bottom board.  :)
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Cindi on February 24, 2008, 09:05:37 am
Michael, yes, of course, one never knows when one requires something or the other.  I have kicked my rear end so many times for being a person that discards stuff far too quickly, thinking I'll never use it again....have a wonderful and awesome day, Cindi
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: JP on February 24, 2008, 12:19:10 pm
I have several queen excluders lying around brand new, that perhaps one day I will use, or not. 4yrs and counting.  :-D


....JP
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Joseph Clemens on March 16, 2008, 01:18:18 am
I have several queen excluders lying around brand new, that perhaps one day I will use, or not. 4yrs and counting.  :-D


....JP

Those wire ones make good cookie and cake cooling racks, when they're not being used on a hive.
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: JP on March 16, 2008, 10:42:40 am
I have several queen excluders lying around brand new, that perhaps one day I will use, or not. 4yrs and counting.  :-D


....JP

Those wire ones make good cookie and cake cooling racks, when they're not being used on a hive.

Thanks Joseph, not much of a baker here though. I do bake chicken and fish though.

...JP
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Cindi on March 16, 2008, 11:06:57 am
I bet the excluders would work great as a grill on a fire pit, more use for those queen excluders that I have so many of, hee, hee.  Beautiful day in this beautiful life, Cindi
Title: Re: Screened bottom board
Post by: Brian D. Bray on March 17, 2008, 11:41:28 pm
I have several queen excluders lying around brand new, that perhaps one day I will use, or not. 4yrs and counting.  :-D


....JP

Those wire ones make good cookie and cake cooling racks, when they're not being used on a hive.

Use for a capping strainer when uncapping your frames.  I have three 8 frame, unused since I bought them, because I haven't encountered the few instances I would actually use one.