Screened Bottom Boards ??????

[Ray]

I've never used screened bottom boards. I wonder how the Oxalic ACID effects the wire , specially galvanized wire. The acid MAY breakdown the galvanized into ZINC.   
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002570.htm

[tbonekel]

I don't use screen bottom boards. You would think that down in the south, it would make sense, but the bees seem to deal with the 100+ degree heat and humidity just fine. I think sometimes, there might be an advantage, but so far I've never used one.

[40 Acre Bees]

Thanks for all the replies and ideas...  Solid it is, much cheaper & much simpler.  Thanks again everyone.

[Riverrat]

I don't use screen bottom boards. You would think that down in the south, it would make sense, but the bees seem to deal with the 100+ degree heat and humidity just fine. I think sometimes, there might be an advantage, but so far I've never used one.

my idea would be it is much easier for the bees to ventilate a hive with a solid board than with a screened bottom.  Think about it when we ventilate our homes with an attic fan you open the window in the farthest room from the fan and close the rest to draw a breeze through the house.  When bees fan at the entrance with a screened bottom board it is not doing much good if you apply the attic fan theory IMHO

[Slowmodem]

I don't use screen bottom boards. You would think that down in the south, it would make sense, but the bees seem to deal with the 100+ degree heat and humidity just fine. I think sometimes, there might be an advantage, but so far I've never used one.

my idea would be it is much easier for the bees to ventilate a hive with a solid board than with a screened bottom.  Think about it when we ventilate our homes with an attic fan you open the window in the farthest room from the fan and close the rest to draw a breeze through the house.  When bees fan at the entrance with a screened bottom board it is not doing much good if you apply the attic fan theory IMHO

On the other hand, with the open bottom and an inner cover with a hole and a notch, there would be a natural draft, where the warmer air rises and is replaced at the bottom with cooler air, that would help to cool the hive.

[rcannon]

I really don't think the bees appreciate our concern by providing ventilation for them. They seem to prefer to control that themselves.
I actually ran a little test before I switched to solid bottoms. I had two hives side by side. One with a solid bottom, one with a screen bottom. The solid outperformed the other in every way. More brood, more growth, more honey and no more health issues.
This was in no way a scientific experiment, just a opportunity to see how it shook out. I just don't see advantage to them, even in my climate.

[iddee]

""On the other hand, with the open bottom and an inner cover with a hole and a notch, there would be a natural draft, where the warmer air rises and is replaced at the bottom with cooler air, that would help to cool the hive.""


If the bottom entrance on the solid bottom is as large or larger than the upper entrance, that statement doesn't hold water. It can still draw as much cool air as the upper entrance can dispel.

[rrog13]

I'm also planning to phase out my screen bottom boards.  I've got one hive where they began congregating underneath and had to close it up to stop them from doing it.  I have a couple others where the queens seems to avoid the bottom box almost completely.  I even flipped the bottom boxes but eventually ended up in the same condition.     

[Slowmodem]

""On the other hand, with the open bottom and an inner cover with a hole and a notch, there would be a natural draft, where the warmer air rises and is replaced at the bottom with cooler air, that would help to cool the hive.""


If the bottom entrance on the solid bottom is as large or larger than the upper entrance, that statement doesn't hold water. It can still draw as much cool air as the upper entrance can dispel.

That's a good point.

[capt44]

I have found that using a screened bottom board the bees don't build the brood all the way to the bottom of the foundation.
In my solid bottom hives the brood frames are filled out completely.
I believe it is a light or temperature issue.
Also when I would check my bees for mites in August I would have to treat in September for the Varroa Mites.
So I've went to solid bottom boards.