[Texas Bee Wrangler]

To anyone that i may have angered in past threads (one i can think of) i do apologize. This no excuse but i am an old man (66) and sometimes my mouth goes off before engaging my brain. I have read and gained a lot of info on this site.

Now for a question, a few of you have said "not" to use a screened bottom board when i re-hive my cut outs, why?
When i do use a screened bottom board i always use a SHB trap under it. The question is does the trap make a difference in using or not using?

Just an up date i did a removal of a swarm from a tree just on Friday the 8th of August. Surprised me to see them swarming this late here in Texas but i was glad to get them, they even paid $25, shocked me but it did pay for gas :applause:

 

[stan.vick]

I have screened bottom boards on all my boxes but I do cover them for a few days when I hive a swarm or cut outs back when I did them. It just gives them a little time to get used to the extra ventilation and light, after they have started housekeeping and have some brood I can then take the cover off without fear of them leaving.

 

[burns375]

Its not necessary but if you close them I heard to helps acceptance, the bees do not like screened bottoms, especially when the weather is cool. Thats Why I keep the inspection boards in 95% of the year. I hived 6 swarms thus far this year and they have all stayed with fully screened bottom board and inspection boards installed. They were all hived with atleast 1 frame of brood comb with some stores (mainly pollen), 4 of 6 had the queens caged for 2 days. I didn't feed any of them, they are all doing great.

IMO a frame of old brood comb with pollen is key.

 

[Intheswamp]

burns, how often do you clean those inspection boards off?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Acebird]

especially when the weather is cool.

Where would that be in Texas? I was a young lad when I was there last and my gonads still sweat at the thought of going to Texas.

 

[Mr.Beeman]

Hey Tex... I am a stright shooter (ask anyone) and I don't sugar coat anything.
It takes a BIG man to apologize and admit they may have been wrong.
Once I thought I was wrong... but I was mistaken.

Screened bottom boards are ok if they are closed off with, in your case, a trap. Most often, bees will smell the queen through a screened bottom board, get confused and stay there without finding the hive entrance.

 

[Texas Bee Wrangler]

Commerce, Texas. It got up to 100 today

 

[burns375]

burns, how often do you clean those inspection boards off?

Thanks,
Ed

No longer than once a month during the warm season. During the spring about every week or two, this time of year and fall more like every month. The sugar ants like to nest in the corrugation, banging them out is not worth it as they will be back the next day.

A thin coating of vaseline really helps keep them clean and will last for about 6-months to a year. I use a 6" plastic putty knife to scrape them Sometimes I just take a look and bang them off. Pollen is the worst. It will make a mess, molds really easily after rain. Also coming out of winter honey seepage will make a mess. I grab the hose to clean them off.

 

[Acebird]

bees will smell the queen through a screened bottom board, get confused and stay there without finding the hive entrance.

I am a straight shooter too. So don't take this wrong. They got to be dumb bees if they can't find another way in and out if it is available.

 

[jbeshearse]

To anyone that i may have angered in past threads (one i can think of) i do apologize. This no excuse but i am an old man (66) and sometimes my mouth goes off before engaging my brain. I have read and gained a lot of info on this site.

Now for a question, a few of you have said "not" to use a screened bottom board when i re-hive my cut outs, why?
When i do use a screened bottom board i always use a SHB trap under it. The question is does the trap make a difference in using or not using?

Just an up date i did a removal of a swarm from a tree just on Friday the 8th of August. Surprised me to see them swarming this late here in Texas but i was glad to get them, they even paid $25, shocked me but it did pay for gas :applause:

Screened bottom board under a new cut out tends to confuse the bees as to where the entrance is. But since you are using a SHB trap under the screen, then it is not really being used as a full open SBB. I would use a full bottom trap under a cut out to collect up the inevitable shb larva that are encountered when doing comb banding in cut outs. The bees tend to not be able to protect all the brood.

 

[Intheswamp]

It takes a BIG man to apologize and admit they may have been wrong.

TBW, I have no idea what you are referring to, but I've gotta agree with what Mr.Beeman said. :thumbsup:

Ed

 

[pndwind]

66 isn't that old, isn't it supposed to be the new 36!

 

[Mr.Beeman]

I am a straight shooter too. So don't take this wrong. They got to be dumb bees if they can't find another way in and out if it is available.

It happens more often than you think, especially in a cutout situation.

 

[Acebird]

It happens more often than you think, especially in a cutout situation.

I have never done a cutout but I would suspect honey is dripping down through the screen and they are trying to save it. In which case I would temporarily put a inner cover with a hand hole on the bottom board until the comb is repaired. You could also close off the screen until they reorient but you will waste the drippings.

 

[Intheswamp]

Brian, honey comb is usually not included with a cutout...it simply makes too big of a mess. The bees are orienting on the "scent" of the hive, brood, bees,...much like is reported of a virgin queen (or wandering mated queen) that finds herself on the bottom of the screen rather than going through the entrance to the hive interior. I've read of beekeepers who have found comb beneath a screened bottom board where a mated queen ended up settling and the workers tried to build her kingdom there.

I've used screened bottom boards since I started four years ago and haven't had a problem with the bee's getting confused about where they need to be. I *have* had some large clusters beneath the screen, but why I don't know....they were back in the hive within a day so no problem.

But, honey dripping on the screen shouldn't be an issue if the cutout is done well.

Ed

 

[Acebird]

The bees are orienting on the "scent" of the hive, brood, bees,...much like is reported of a virgin queen (or wandering mated queen) that finds herself on the bottom of the screen rather than going through the entrance to the hive interior.
Ed

All right then if you temporarily had a top entrance the scent would be much greater there then at the screen. Once the bees are use to entering the hive you can switch the entrance if you want. I don't see the SBB as a major issue if that is what you want to use.

 

[burns375]

It happens more often than you think, especially in a cutout situation.

Its true but eventually they will find there way in. I had a hive I moved from a nuc to a deep. The new location was within a foot or two. The back of the hive was where the old entrance wasn't. Well a decent amount of bees could find tbe new entrance and used the space between the inspection board slot in bottom board as an entrance for several weeks. I had the inspection board pulled out about an inch they the could out. If you have kelley style slanted landing boards you should know what im talking about. This went on for about a.month less and less bees every week. Bees e tered the back crawled underneath the screen to front to enter hive.