Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Screened Bottom Board Question

2K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Peter 
#1 ·
I'm going to order the screened bottom board for my hive today and had a couple questions about it.

When using it for extra ventilation I would keep the sticky board out correct? Should I only insert the sticky board towards the middle or end of summer to check for mites?
 
#2 ·
Leave it out. The only time you put the sticky board in is when you want to do a mite count. Otherwise it sort of defeats the purpose (both the screen & the sticky board).

I actually use a modified version that's about twice as tall. There's almost 2" between the bottom slide rails and the screen itself. Another 3/4" strip goes on the two sides & back, over top of the screen. This allows for an entrance reducer in the front.

During the winter, I can slide a thicker piece of fiberboard in & out to control ventilation. There's also a removable front piece to allow even more ventilation in the summer.

btw, the official National Weather Service term for the kind of hot, sticky weather you've been having is "skankin'."
 
#3 ·
Yep...only put the sticky boards in temporarily for mite checks...and other than doing mite checks, many of us leave the insert board out all year long for better ventilation. You living in MN may be a different story than here in TN. So check with other beeks in your area about what to do with the screen bottom board in your neck of the woods. Good luck!
 
#5 ·
I put 20 packages of bees in a large cell - small cell comparison in April, 3 of these packages of bees were placed on screened bottom boards, all three packages on screened bottoms have excessive number of drones and it appears one queen may have vanished. I see no excessive drone population with the solid bottom boards I used. Anyone else had any bad experiences with screened bottom boards?
 
#7 ·
Soap Pixie, I leave my sbb open except for two or three reasons first mite check, 2nd requeening helps keep the Queen phermone in the hive, and 3rd if the temp drops below freezing at night. then in the morning I open it up. but check with your local beeks.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I'm just going to resolve an ant issue.
Had hundreds of black ants and pupae on the top of the inner cover which had a mason jar feeder on it. Obviously they bugged the bees who blocked the open part of the hole in the cover with the biggest piece of propolis I've ever seen. On advice from here am am going to dust the top of the cover with ground cinnamon

I only use SBB's and only put the sliding board in to do a mite count. Leaving the board out in winter appears to cut down on the amount of condensation that collects on the inside of the top cover.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top