Hive body sizes

[Bradlyowen]

The hives that I bought do not have screened bottoms. Would it be a good idea to replace them. I live I'm NW AR and I don't know if the varroa mites are a problem?

Thanks for the help, Brad

[robherc]

If your bees don't have bad varoa problems, then I see little benefit to an SBB in AR. I'm in TX and my bees ventilate themselves just fine with solid bottoms & only a 3/8"x3" top entrance! (I do, however, keep local, "feral" bees...so badly inbred lines may be more sensitive to heat/mites; I just don't know)

[Bush_84]

Just wondering and I am not trying to be a troll, but what do screened bottoms have to do with hive body sizes?

Somebody can correct me if I am wrong but I don't think there's any evidence of screened bottoms having any effect on varroa levels. So I would leave it.

[Bradlyowen]

My phone froze up when I posted the first time. When my phone came back I posted it and it ended up there twice. Couldn't firgure out how to delete my 2nd post so I just changed the question. I changed the title but the thread name stayed. I will change the thread name or delete it if somebody will tell me how. Sorry

[mrqb]

Just wondering and I am not trying to be a troll, but what do screened bottoms have to do with hive body sizes?

Somebody can correct me if I am wrong but I don't think there's any evidence of screened bottoms having any effect on varroa levels. So I would leave it.

o.k stand corrected