Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Screens for bottom boards  (Read 9286 times)

Offline flyboy

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 446
  • Gender: Male
Screens for bottom boards
« on: June 06, 2014, 12:34:40 pm »
What are you using for bottom board screens? I want to make a new one that has an open area with a removeable tray for easy inspection.

I am assuming screen door screen would be too small.
Cheers
Al
First packages - 2 queens and bees May 17 2014 - doing well

Offline mikecva

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 983
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2014, 01:11:57 pm »
There are several around, different designs function slightly different so build to suit your needes
 Mann Lake's: $ 28.95
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm's: $ 17.95

 good luck  -Mike
.
Listen to others but make your own decisions. That way you own the results.
.
Please remember to read labels.

Offline danno

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2283
  • Gender: Male
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2014, 01:19:41 pm »
Just use #8 galv. wire.   Thats  8 holes to one inch.   Most, myself included are drifting away from screen bottom boards

Offline drjeseuss

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 79
  • Gender: Male
  • The bees know better...
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2014, 02:44:25 pm »
I still like the screen for a variety of reasons, particularly in warmer months. IPM, humidity, etc are good reasons to use one, though I also notice the screen can let things in that otherwise wouldn't have been there in the first place. Around me #8 screen isn't available. Several online bee stores sell by the foot. I made one using two layers of 1/4" screen perfectly offset to give the proper spacing. Having done that once I'd order #8 online next time. It was a real pain using 1/4" stuff. Window screen is too small and blocks mites and shb from falling through, while 1/4" would make the bottom virtually open allowing most anything in or out, not good.
Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
-Proverbs 16:24

Offline AliciaH

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 769
  • Gender: Female
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2014, 03:27:02 pm »
Most, myself included are drifting away from screen bottom boards

I wonder if this is a location thing?  I love my screened bottom boards!  Mold inside the hives is a huge problem for Western WA during winter.  With the mite board in, the SBB lets enough air in to better ventilate and move the moist air back out.  If I'm worried about too much air flow, I put the entire hive on a solid base. 

I still have some hives on reversible bottom boards and the difference in how much more moisture is in the hive is significant.  Yes, I have ventilation at the tops, but the solid bottoms seem to absorb (and hold) so much moisture that it just seems to get out of hand.

In the summer, they (combined with a screened inner cover) helps keep the hives cool.  It's one of the easiest modifications I can make to help keep swarming down a bit.

Offline RHBee

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1095
  • Gender: Male
  • That's my pooch.
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2014, 12:16:51 am »
I use #6 mesh for SHB control. Oil trays underneath.


Later,
Ray

Offline BlueBee

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 4587
  • Gender: Male
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2014, 01:37:52 am »
I buy #8 mesh “hardware cloth” (ie screen) from a bee supply house and staple it onto a bottom board.  It’s heavier duty material than window screen and easier to work with IMO.  Window screen has smaller holes than you really want.

I have been adding more screened bottoms to my bee hives and nucs.  They’re good for monitoring mites, vaporizers, and in the case of nucs…experimenting with a little electric heat if you want.  I don’t use mine for ventilation.

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13494
  • Gender: Male
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2014, 07:28:33 am »
I have SBB and STB on every hive I have. Only the nucs do not have them. I get my #8 from an old hardware store in town. They sell it by linear foot, it is 3' wide.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline capt44

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 740
  • Gender: Male
  • If it don't work I'll always think it should have
    • RV BEES
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2014, 12:24:39 am »
I still use the screened bottom boards on some of my hives but I am going back to a solid bottom board.
I tried screened bottom boards for around 4 years but I still had to treat for varroa mites and small hive beetles.
I also found that the bees will fill out the bottom of the frames in the lower deep box using solid bottom boards.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline drjeseuss

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 79
  • Gender: Male
  • The bees know better...
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #9 on: June 09, 2014, 01:31:04 pm »
I also found that the bees will fill out the bottom of the frames in the lower deep box using solid bottom boards.
[/quote

I use both a screen bottom and a slatted rack and they fill in the frames well. This was not true before I added the slatted rack.
Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
-Proverbs 16:24

Offline flyboy

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 446
  • Gender: Male
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2014, 01:40:20 pm »
Hi Drjeseuse,
What's a slatted rack?
Cheers
Al
First packages - 2 queens and bees May 17 2014 - doing well

Offline AliciaH

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 769
  • Gender: Female
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #11 on: June 09, 2014, 01:47:17 pm »
I also found that the bees will fill out the bottom of the frames in the lower deep box using solid bottom boards.
[/quote

I use both a screen bottom and a slatted rack and they fill in the frames well. This was not true before I added the slatted rack.

If you have extra mediums and put new frames and foundation in, that works well under the first brood box, too. 

Flyboy:  Either option gives the foragers a place to hang out and reduces congestion in the brood areas.

Offline marktrl

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 138
  • Gender: Male
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #12 on: June 09, 2014, 04:18:33 pm »
I make my own, but this is it:
Slatted rack

Moots

  • Guest
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #13 on: June 09, 2014, 04:52:00 pm »
Just use #8 galv. wire.   Thats  8 holes to one inch.   Most, myself included are drifting away from screen bottom boards

Agree....Use #8

and

Agree....I've also moved away from SBB.  In fact, my time with them was very short lived.  Personally, they struck me as a lot more trouble than they were worth and it seemed that the majority of folks I talked to had given them a try but were moving back to Solid Bottom boards.

Offline richter1978

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 152
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #14 on: June 10, 2014, 07:07:20 am »
I have SBB and STB on every hive I have. Only the nucs do not have them. I get my #8 from an old hardware store in town. They sell it by linear foot, it is 3' wide.
Jim

Jim, would that be Currie Thomas?  I'd love to buy some #8 locally.

The screened bottom with an oil tray kills a lot of beetles!

Offline alfred

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 420
  • Gender: Male
    • Alfred's Massage
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #15 on: June 10, 2014, 10:31:41 am »
I really like using them. Here is a pic of one of mine:

Hey how do I post a pic??
 I know that I have done it before...

 Well a pic of my sbb is in this thread:
http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,29234.msg230414.html#msg230414

Alfred

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13494
  • Gender: Male
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #16 on: June 10, 2014, 12:59:54 pm »
I have SBB and STB on every hive I have. Only the nucs do not have them. I get my #8 from an old hardware store in town. They sell it by linear foot, it is 3' wide.
Jim

Jim, would that be Currie Thomas?  I'd love to buy some #8 locally.

The screened bottom with an oil tray kills a lot of beetles!

No, it is
Paschal Brothers Hardware Co
1118 Myrtle Avenue North
Jacksonville, FL 32204

(904) 354-3566
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline richter1978

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 152
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #17 on: June 10, 2014, 10:04:15 pm »
I have SBB and STB on every hive I have. Only the nucs do not have them. I get my #8 from an old hardware store in town. They sell it by linear foot, it is 3' wide.
Jim

Jim, would that be Currie Thomas?  I'd love to buy some #8 locally.

The screened bottom with an oil tray kills a lot of beetles!

No, it is
Paschal Brothers Hardware Co
1118 Myrtle Avenue North
Jacksonville, FL 32204

(904) 354-3566
Jim


Thank you.

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13494
  • Gender: Male
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #18 on: June 11, 2014, 12:21:16 am »
No problem Rich.
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline flntknpr

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Screens for bottom boards
« Reply #19 on: June 13, 2014, 11:23:41 am »
I got a 50' roll of #8 mesh screen, 24" wide from Ace hardware.  They dropped the price from the usual $4/foot to $50 for the entire roll.