I am inclined to say that open mesh floors work very well for my couple vertical hives in my climate. I was wondering though, whether a full open mesh floor on a horizontal hive would be too much. I'm tempted to just do a solid floor. Any thoughts?
Mesh floors for vertical hives - consider how small the ratio of the opening to the hive volume is.I am inclined to say that open mesh floors work very well for my couple vertical hives in my climate. I was wondering though, whether a full open mesh floor on a horizontal hive would be too much. I'm tempted to just do a solid floor. Any thoughts?
Spaced out bottom planks - exactly what I am testing in my current CVH project.Thanks LJ. I was thinking about spacing out the bottom planks but wasn’t sure whether the gaps get blocked over time. I prefer that idea over mesh.
In my original long hives I tried something of L. Sharashkin design........
The other way of achieving the same thing would be to make the floor from strips of wood, spaced (say) 2mm apart.....LJ
You are right, you are the best for sharing this!FWIW, it doesn't have to be one or t'other - I'm in a totally different climate to yours, but find that a strip of mesh inserted along one side of the floor works pretty well. Then, if the hive is tilted a few degrees, any excess condensation formed inside the hive will exit via the mesh rather than pooling on the floor.
The other way of achieving the same thing would be to make the floor from strips of wood, spaced (say) 2mm apart. And then there'd be no need to buy any mesh (hardware cloth).
LJ
Yep - I found that out the hard way in my first Long Hive build - I installed a central strip of mesh, as I'd had a 'central strip' in my former KTBH. Tunnel vision. Soon realised that error.Yes I’ve been looking at Leo’s designs too and saw his vent hole, but I thought that for water to drain out, a centre hole is not ideal because water can still pool on one side, or corner. I think the spaced planks is really the best solution.
Depends how they're run. If you run them in a more-or-less 'leave alone' mode, perhaps just expanding the brood nest from time to time, then they probably produce less - but - if you follow D.L. Adair's method: his so-called "New Idea" (which was a system of management, NOT a Long Hive - although he used a Long Hive to demonstrate it - thus most people at that time thought the "New Idea" and the "Long Hive" were one and the same), the harvest can be very high. Doolittle pulled over a quarter of a ton of extracted honey from one Long Hive run on Adair's principle.Change of subject - from your experience did you find that long hives produce the same, or less honey compared to a similar size vertical hive? I’m reading that they might produce less, not that it is a deal breaker for me.
The main problem faced by all Long Hive beekeepers is the formation of a honey barrier immediately adjacent to the brood nest. This is formed because the bees want a supply of honey and pollen as close as possible to where they are raising brood. Unfortunately the queen will not willingly cross such a comb, as she's looking for places in which to lay - so the brood-nest size is effectively limited to whatever size it happens to be when that first adjacent stores comb is established.My plan at this stage is to not use a queen excluder, so not sure whether that might make the brood nest spread out a bit further, reducing the amount of honey frames that can be extracted.
Hehe.. be aware......
BTW - if you ever want to use a QX in a Long Hive, all that's necessary is to insert a dummy frame in the appropriate position, ensuring that there's a gap of a couple of inches at the bottom. The Bienenkiste Beehive has such a QX in place permanently.
'best
LJ
Very roughly, you'd expect less honey - but without a specific, proper side-by-side investigation you don't really know......
Change of subject - from your experience did you find that long hives produce the same, or less honey compared to a similar size vertical hive? I’m reading that they might produce less, not that it is a deal breaker for me. My plan at this stage is to not use a queen excluder, so not sure whether that might make the brood nest spread out a bit further, reducing the amount of honey frames that can be extracted.