Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: banjojohn on June 20, 2005, 08:31:12 pm
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I would like to get some opinions on the sbb. Are they worth it to buy them? Are they worth it to make them? I want to medicate as little as possibble. I started to put a couple on(5 hives in the yard) but it is hard to rely on a small test with so many other factors. My honey customers have built up and I don't mind doing what is necessary to help in the long run. I just wanted a hive for myself, but my bees almost always make very light delicate honey(lots of fields with clovers and lot of locust trees)and I have people waiting on it. Also what are the biggest time and money saving things to do as you expand?
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banjo,
they seem like a no brainer to me
I'm a newbie too
most everybody say's that while they aren't a solution to the mite problem, they help somewhat.
they give you an easy way to monitor the mites by placing a sticky board or something similar under it.
they don't really cost anything, if you already have equipment just saw a hole in the bottom board leaving a 1 inch border around the edge and staple in some hardware cloth.
little cost
might help
gives you a easy way to monitor
why not??
Dave
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I should have a more informed opinion soon. I just built my first SBB from cedar fence planks. They are a little less than 3/4" thick, but otherwise they work just fine for beehive part construction.
I plan to install it tomorrow morning on my strongest colony. This colony beards a little, about 6 inches above their entrance at night. The daytime temperature was 108F today. I shall keep an eye on them to see if the increased ventilation helps reduce the bearding and gets them more interested in the last part of our mesquite honey flow.
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I had built my screened bottoms not so much for mite control, but for extra ventilation. My bees were bearding every evening, and cranky. Once I put them on the screened bottoms, all that stopped. I think they really appriciated it.
Beth
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While we're on the topic...I don't have sbb's YET but I was wondering, since they provide so much better ventilation, is it wise to replace them with a regular bottom board during the winter? It would seem logical to me.
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i have sbb on my hive open all year and they came through the winter just fine. i did wrap them with tar paper almost to the ground for the winter though.
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Also as an added bonus the increased ventilation helps the bees to cure the honey and control disease that thrives in a very humid environment.
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I've heard stories how some beekeepers havn't had a single problem with chalkbrood since they moved to SBBs.
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Thanks for the input. I'll get some #8 cloth and get to cutting. My hives sit on cinderblocks 2 high. I was getting ants in some so I poured some termite insecticide around the base of the blocks. It stopped the ants and didn't hurt the bees but it might come up thru the sbb. I'll give it a week for the fumes to be gone then try one.