[thisoldfish]

I used cotton cloth last year for bottom of my quilting boxes.. am wondering if burlap ok? I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work just as well yet all I find is mention of cotton. Anyone?

 

[elmer_fud]

I used a layer of 1/8 hardware mesh then a layer of burlap. The burlap keeps the wood shavings from falling thru and the hardware mesh keeps the bees from going into the wood shavings

 

[crofter]

I have used the burlap on top of #8 screen. Have a friend who uses alpaca wool scraps. I dont think the bees will care. If it is on top of screen I am sure you could use odds and sods of old T shirts, towels, old socks etc. Without some kind of bottom under shavings, as mentioned some sawdust does fall into the bees. I have done it with only the screen and I think it probably bothers me more than the bees.

 

[thisoldfish]

thanks!

 

[Robert Holcombe]

I had been using old tee shirts in place of shavings , duck cloth on the bottom. Burlap should work - vent above it. I no longer use quilt boxes but like them in special situations. I have duck cloth for an inner cover, a 1.5 inch spacer on top for holding a thermometer and a humidity sensor whihc is filled with tee - shirts (yes I washed them) with a 2-inch foam top. Going to 4 inches, R20, this year.

 

[Plannerwgp]

I am thinking of using my top feeders that hols about 2 gallons of sugar water. Instead of water fill with wood shavings. Bees could get in but doesn't seem like an issue.

 

[Robert Holcombe]

It would work I believe. I had thought of doing that once. I used old tee-shirtsover and around feeder bottles to provide easy access for refilling. I fed a couple of very small nucs all winter packed in leaves and insulation. THey boomed come Spring. I use the MannLake plastic feeders but with hay on top of the syrup ( screen does not alway work, hay does). The bees keep it warm inside my insulated hives so, if needed, I can feed late into the season. I prefer y canvass inner cover which is heavily covered with propolis all winter with a foam top, no vent. I vent or diffuse moisture out the bottom which is cold. If really high moisture of cold, high humidity days in winter water condenses on the bottom, maybe on some frames. So I do not need a quilt box anymore and the bees seem to love the canvass inner cover.

 

[JConnolly]

That's how all of my quilt boxes were designed. I has a #8 hardware cloth with a layer of burlap laid over it and then stapled to the cleats in the box. I converted all my quilt boxes to Vivalid boarads. The conversion is easy, I cut 1/2" plywood to fit inside the box, cut the vent hole, and pocket hole screwed it inside the box 3/8" of an inch up from the bottom. The screen frames were made 8x8 from 3/4w x 1" high pine strips. The frame forms a place to put a sugar brick or fondant or even just dry sugar without opening box.

 

[mcon672]

https://www.gardenguides.com/about-5030516-chemicals-burlap.html

Not trying to say it's bad I used burlap from coffee sacks as smoker fuel for years with no problems. Just something to be aware of.

 

[elmer_fud]

https://www.gardenguides.com/about-5030516-chemicals-burlap.html

Not trying to say it's bad I used burlap from coffee sacks as smoker fuel for years with no problems. Just something to be aware of.

I think the reason people generally recommend coffee bags are they are a lot less likely to contain chemicals since they are used for food. A lot of the chemicals listed there are used for treating bugs on tree's and should not be found in coffee bags.

 

[elmer_fud]

I am thinking of using my top feeders that hols about 2 gallons of sugar water. Instead of water fill with wood shavings. Bees could get in but doesn't seem like an issue.

This would help with insulation, but it probably will not help as much with moisture since there is not much area for moist air to mix with the wood shavings.

 

[crofter]

Some top feeders (Mann Lake for one) are made to fit in shallow honey supers. I have used such hive bodies, minus the plastic insert, as shavings~quilt box containers but I prefer a medium depth box.

 

[thisoldfish]

interesting about the chemicals in burlap.. can't anything be safe these days?

So- I found a roll of fiberglass window screen (basically plastic screening) that I figure would work fine/ guessing it's inert. I'll just stretch across box/staple and then put it on top of queen excluder (to prevent sagging into candy box).

 

[paulmon]

I have boxes on top of the hives with screen and last year I made separate quilting boxes to put on top with burlap stapled to the bottom and cedar shavings on top of the burlap. This year I am using all screen boxes (#8 screen) with just a piece of burlap layed inside with the cedar shavings on top of that.

I made a video of last year's hives and the quilting boxes. It's here if you are interested:

 

[elmer_fud]

interesting about the chemicals in burlap.. can't anything be safe these days?

So- I found a roll of fiberglass window screen (basically plastic screening) that I figure would work fine/ guessing it's inert. I'll just stretch across box/staple and then put it on top of queen excluder (to prevent sagging into candy box).

I put a 1x2 (ish) board down the middle of the box about 1/4" up to support the wire mesh that I installed. With it stapled on both sides of the box and on to the cross bar in the middle it seems to stay put well and not sag. Since there are still 3+ inches of shavings above the bar it maintains the insulation properties.

 

[yukonjeff]

I use a empty medium super stuffed with dry straw, on top of a inner cover with a screened 3 " feed hole for ventilation.

On a nice day you can pop the top and pull out the straw and dry it, and stuff it back in by dark. And also put a feed jar on easily when needed.

You also need a piece of foam in the outer cover to help with the condensation.