Author Topic: I think I am done with Screened bottom boards. (Read 17148 times)

lazy shooter · « **Reply #20 on:** October 01, 2014, 07:13:09 am »

Quote from: Jen on October 01, 2014, 12:35:31 am

Lou! One hive... 11 gallons? Good Night Nurse! I can only dream....

Yo Jen, this is from a man that has told me he isn't interested in making honey, as he would rather sell bees. He sells the best bees in America. His bees do not require treatment, but they will come and see you when you inspect the hive.

Lburou · « **Reply #21 on:** October 01, 2014, 10:12:58 am »

I see a trend away from the sbb while reading beekeeping forums online. The hives our Club buys when they come off almonds have solid bottom boards....do commercial beekeepers all use solid bottoms?

My surmise is that the elephant in the room(OAV or OA drench) has given us better treatment options for mites, and the small advantage of the sbb (and even powdered sugar dusting) is no longer much of a move against the mites compared to currently effective treatments. Formic and oxalic acid as well as thymol treatments, have eclipsed the small gains with some of the early stop gap mite treatments. JMO

Lazy, put your bee suit on, go out to your bee yard, clap your hands and spread your arms. Those bees will carry you back to my house for a friendly visit.....I'll give you a ride back home.

Jen · « **Reply #22 on:** October 01, 2014, 02:14:16 pm »

I think I'm seeing that trend as well Lou. I know beeks that do an OA treatment in the spring and another one in the fall, and that's all. But I like seeing the evidence of mites in the hive right away, that's my primary reason for sbb and sticky boards. It makes me ill to think of 2000 mites in the hive drilling holes in the abdomens of my bees. So I catch it right away and get rid of those little bast... beggers

Lburou · « **Reply #23 on:** October 01, 2014, 05:22:38 pm »

Quote from: Jen on October 01, 2014, 02:14:16 pm

It makes me ill to think of 2000 mites in the hive drilling holes in the abdomens of my bees. So I catch it right away and get rid of those little bast... beggers

well ventilated little beggers, eh?

Yankee11 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 01, 2014, 06:43:51 pm »

Another factor for me also is the ease of building and Solid bottoms are also less expensive.

But for me again, I just like how the bees act in the hives with a solid bottom.

I like all the discussion...

Gypsi · « **Reply #25 on:** October 01, 2014, 07:08:21 pm »

Solid bottoms are a lot less expensive, have a shed full if anyone needs some. If you can make it rain I'll give them to you for free.

riverbee · « **Reply #26 on:** October 01, 2014, 08:36:26 pm »

................

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how's this gypsi? when can i pick them up?.............

Marion · « **Reply #27 on:** October 02, 2014, 05:17:48 pm »

The hive we purchased came with two bottom boards, a screened one and a solid one under that. The bees like it. When they come in for a landing many of them sail into the space between the two for a rest then proceed up to the entrance. I like it because I can do the chart with Vaseline test to check on my mite numbers. I just place it between the two bottom boards and the screened one lets the mites fall down on it.

Jen · « **Reply #28 on:** October 02, 2014, 08:43:27 pm »

That's exactly what I do Marion! And the nice this is, is that if the mites are hitting the sticky board, and you haven't had a chance to check the board in a week or two, those mites stay stuck to the sticky board and can't crawl up to the bees again. So, it's prevention to me

Gypsi · « **Reply #29 on:** October 02, 2014, 09:26:23 pm »

Riverbee - it worked, got an inch of rain today, pick them up tomorrow! This means there WILL be a fall flow. I had seen a very small goldenrod bloom in the low areas around here, there are plenty of plants elsewhere and now they will bloom!

Jen · « **Reply #30 on:** October 02, 2014, 09:52:17 pm »

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay Gypsi! We had three days of rain last week. So I'm hoping for the same thing.... FLOW! Bring It Baby!

riverbee · « **Reply #31 on:** October 02, 2014, 10:36:58 pm »

"Riverbee - it worked, got an inch of rain today, pick them up tomorrow! This means there WILL be a fall flow. I had seen a very small goldenrod bloom in the low areas around here, there are plenty of plants elsewhere and now they will bloom!"

gypsi, i wish i could take credit for being the rain goddess.......but i can't. i'd love to pick up the bottom boards! if i get to texas, i sure would and i sure would enjoy a visit with you. i do have rele's there across that state, but me thinks i wouldn't go to see them, i'd go to wander around and visit the keeps down there and catch a little vacation on galveston island or corpus christi, or maybe san antonio, never been there.

it's been raining here for two days, and today just poured all day. can't imagine those of you in a drought climate trying to keep bees. it's cold here though, 30's in the morning and not much above 50's during the day. flurries coming soon.

i hope those plants bloom for ya gypsi!

Gypsi · « **Reply #32 on:** October 02, 2014, 10:52:56 pm »

Wow - you'd be welcome to visit but you might melt. It was 92 here before the rain.

riverbee · « **Reply #33 on:** October 02, 2014, 11:13:09 pm »

i know i would, thank you! 92? it's about 42' right now......not looking forward to what's coming....!

Marty68 · « **Reply #34 on:** October 04, 2014, 08:57:53 am »

i have screened bottom boards and have never seem a problem like that. going into winter my biggest hive has 8 solid frames of brood in bottom deep and the top deep is fulll of capped honey. and my others all have brood in the bottom. i will try a solid bottom this year to see if there's any difference's this year

Gypsi · « **Reply #35 on:** October 04, 2014, 09:45:04 am »

I left my sticky boards in too long this spring and got the full solid bottom effect. My entrances are always closed down small due to robbing due to drought, so I had moldy dead bees all over the top of the screen from moisture. Little bit of chalk brood too. Go solid have a big front door so they can ventilate. Since a big front door promotes robbing, I am screened all the way.

barry42001 · « **Reply #36 on:** October 04, 2014, 10:46:51 am »

Gypsi, why not solid bottom boards and entrance reducer using larger entrance? The key to avoid robbing is a combination of hygienic beekeeping ( leave no honey exposed including dribbled honey ) and keeping your hives equalised or very similar in colony strength. Weak hives won't rob unless it's a weaker hive.

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #37 on:** October 04, 2014, 10:58:08 am »

Both solid and screen bottom boards have good and bad features, for me i have seen an increase in honey production by using screen bottom boards. I see less bearding and bees fanning on the landing board to vent the hive and frees more workers to geather nectar. but have noticed that the queen doesn't like to lay in the bottom part of the frame next to the bottom board,and is a entrance for unwanted insects.To me it's like the movie, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Jack

Yankee11 · « **Reply #38 on:** October 04, 2014, 07:35:46 pm »

Yea Marty, but what made me notice a difference was the fact I have double deeps with super on them. The ones with screened bottoms are up in the super and upper deep. The solid bottoms have the super empty and filled the upper deep and are laying in the lower deep.

I also noticed last year the same as Brooks, Screened bottoms- the bottom of the frames in the lower deep would not be pulled. They were leaving the bottom 2 to 3 inches untouched. That's what made me try some solid bottoms this summer to see if it made a difference in pulling the bottom of the frames all the way down.

Marty68 · « **Reply #39 on:** October 04, 2014, 11:11:22 pm »

ok yankee i will look to see if thats what they are doing in mine. will try to take a picso i have something to go by next year if it's the way your talking about.