Bottom Board Position
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Up so dead bees don't block the entrance. 
Every question has two answers.
Actually, I don't like those tiny entrances created by entrance reducers. Not enough ventilation for northern apiaries. My bees stay drier with a wide open bottom entrance with a 1/2" hardware cloth wedge for mouse protection, and a small upper entrance.
Every question has two answers.
Actually, I don't like those tiny entrances created by entrance reducers. Not enough ventilation for northern apiaries. My bees stay drier with a wide open bottom entrance with a 1/2" hardware cloth wedge for mouse protection, and a small upper entrance.
Any possibility of a picture of what you mean about the hardware cloth, Michael? I'm in Wisconsin so that qualifies for 'northern' I think
i may compromise between the 2 and keep my 4" opening i have put in since the temps are dropping at night. I have it in the bottom open position now.. i haven't decided if i should flip it the other way or not haha i've heard both ways like Michael says.
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My understanding was that mice can get through a 1/2 in square but not a 1/4 in square. Is it the wedge shape that makes a 1/2 in square acceptable in this application?
I wish people could understand that it is the smaller hole that controls ventilation. If you have a wide open entrance and a 1/2 in hole at the top that is nearly the same as a 1/2 in hole entrance and a wide open top. If a box is turned upside down and the bottom is fully open then there is no flow of air through the box. The temperature on the outside of the hive is the same as the inside during the winter months. It is not until you get near the cluster or above the cluster that there will be a temperature difference and it won't be much.
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All I can say is that it has worked for me for many years.
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Apparently Acebird still doesn't understand the concept of convection!
We have covered this ground previously: http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...=1045091&highlight=thermodynamics#post1045091
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This has to be one of the few places/forums that you can get a disagreement on everything, from the size of elephants, to how much they weigh.
cchoganjr
cchoganjr
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There should be relatively few disagreements on how much an elephant weighs - even on Beesource! Just tell the elephant to get on the scale ...
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Photo credit
Weighing an elephant at the Atlanta Zoo... photo courtesy of Wigging Scale Company, one of our best and most prominent distributors-- 3 generations of commitment to Pennsylvania Scale customers. The model has not been compensated for use of her image!
If only that approach would work for weighing beehives! :lookout:
Instead, we have often various levers involved that weigh just one side of the hive at a time, and that leads to disagreements on the impact of the accuracy of said weight depending on how much tilt is applied ... :lpf:
Weighing an elephant at the Atlanta Zoo... photo courtesy of Wigging Scale Company, one of our best and most prominent distributors-- 3 generations of commitment to Pennsylvania Scale customers. The model has not been compensated for use of her image!
If only that approach would work for weighing beehives! :lookout:
Instead, we have often various levers involved that weigh just one side of the hive at a time, and that leads to disagreements on the impact of the accuracy of said weight depending on how much tilt is applied ... :lpf:
African or Indian?
k:It is supposed to be notch up. Bees will have no problem moving the dead overf the notch when it is warm enough. With notch up, there can be a layer or two of dead bees and still not block the bottom entrance and suffocate the bees.
Hence, the 3/4 side of bottom board up for winter.
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