Screened Bottom Boards

[Lesgold]

That is what I?ve been looking at. I have a roll that is wide enough to cover about half a bottom board. As you said, I could pit a join in the middle of the bottom board by adding a joining strip to staple the two halves to. I might do this just so that I can make a couple of SBB?s to try out. I can buy this material in rolls that are 500mm wide. And that would be perfect for this situation but I may be better off just making a couple to try before spending money on a wider roll. I could buy a 10m roll of this material for $90 which would provide enough mesh for 25 bottom boards. Jim, I have seen trays available here in Australia for that purpose. I might investigate that further. One issue that I have been scratching my head about  is the slide in sheet that can be used to monitor mite drop off or to reduce ventilation during the winter. If this is not being used, it?s another piece of equipment that has to be stored. I don?t want to do that if possible. What do you do Jim? I would prefer to store it on the hive if possible rather than having to pull it out during the hot months and then replace it during the winter. Anyone with any thoughts? I will try to get the brain working on that one. Once again, thanks for all your comments in relation to the SBB?s. I was hoping to hear something positive in relation to Varroa control but it appears as though there is no real benefit from what you guys are saying. Our local wizards who are putting out information say that there is some advantage but it is only minor and they should not be used solely as a control measure. I think the advantages in relation to extra ventilation and possible beetle control have merit. I currently run 5 different styles of bottom board in my bee yard. They all work and the bees get though winter without issues with all hives building up well during the spring. Some have a few advantages but the bees seam to do what they need to regardless. When varroa does hit, it will be interesting to see if any of the hives show the capacity to deal with the pest better than others. I might make up a SBB next week and see what happens.

[BeeMaster2]

Les,
I leave my oil trays in place all year long. This way I can see what is coming out of my hives, whether it is trash or mites or SHBs. I do take them out when traveling on hot days.

Jim Altmiller

[Lesgold]

Good point Jim. How have the SBB?s faired with varroa? I?d be interested in your approach.

[BeeMaster2]

I just use them to give see if I how many mites are in the trays. I usually only see heavy metal tea in the trays when I catch commercially thrown swarms. That is why I stopped trying to catch swarms when I?m surrounded by the commercial beekeepers at the farm.
Jim Altmiller

[jimineycricket]

Lesgold:    I run self-made screen bottom boards with a plywood slide underneath all year long on my hives.  Only one hive is in a really hot location, so I pull the slide out about 4 inches in summer to give them ventilation when they start bearding.  I live in Idaho, always dry, but cold (foot of snow 10F) in winter and hot (around 100F) in summer.
          I do not use SBB for mite control.   I like the SBB because I can pull them out and tell a lot about what is happening in the hive without opening it up such as whether they are making wax, uncapping cells, eating their sugar in the winter, etc.

jimmy

[cao]

I started making a modified bottom board that is part solid and part screen.  It saves on screen and oil in tray.  I found some cheap aluminum baking trays that are about 6 inches by 9 inches.  Then cut a hole in a solid bottom that the tray would cover.  Put screen over the hole and make a couple cleats for the tray to slide on.  I get the benefit of a screen board without having to screen the entire bottom.

[Lesgold]

Look at that lovely collection in the tray. Pop it on the stove and you could make beetle pop corn??. Thanks for the posts guys. More food for thought. Has anyone tried sticky boards for beetle control?

[Ben Framed]

Look at that lovely collection in the tray.

I agree Less! Comparing the tray results to an infested hive and those results, it does look lovely!

Phillip

[Lesgold]

Had a look at screened bottom boards from a beekeeping supply shop when I was up in Sydney buying some jars. When examining them I noticed that they were stapled together and were made totally from pine. They looked like they would be difficult to paint and I was concerned that they would have a short life span due to their design. Both these points were confirmed by the salesman. He said that they are a pain to paint and they last about three years in the bee yard. Do you guys have similar opinions or are there some tricks that are used for finishing or to extend bottom board life?

[BeeMaster2]

Les,
Most of my screen bottom boards (with oil trays) are 10-13 years old the screens are in good condition but the side boards are now showing a lot of rot and soft spots. If I had made them from cedar they would probably still bee in good condition.
Jim Altmiller

[Lesgold]

If you make your own SBB?s Jim, I?m sure that the quality would be better than the ones that I was looking at. Using a timber that lasts well outside would be the ideal starting point. From a commercial perspective, the added cost would make the bottom boards even more expensive than what they are currently charging.

[The15thMember]

They are kind of a hassle to paint, but on all mine, which are purchased pine ones, I slapped it on thick as best I could.  Only this past year did I have my oldest ones, 5 years in use, showing serious soft spots. 

[Kathyp]

I painted the heck out of mine and most are still useable.  I don't think they deteriorated any faster than any of my other wood stuff, but our climate is so wet that nothing stands much of a chance for long. 

[cao]

I've made all mine.  The oldest 10 years.  I've had a few that had to be retired.  I have also made several different versions of screen bottom to solid bottom to somewhere in between.  Nothing lasts forever but if it is well made 5-10 years is a good run.

[Lesgold]

The SBB that I saw in the supply shop were made from really soft looking, poor quality pine. I could see and understand why they wouldn?t last. The big advantage of making your own is you then have the ability to paint all wood ware before the screen is added. This would be a huge advantage.

[animal]

Has anyone tried making stuff like this out of PVC board ?
2 disadvantages off the bat are cost and weight, but a full screen bottom board wouldn't require much in materials, so both disadvantages I know of would be mostly negated.
As far as rot/degradation goes, pretty much all you have to worry about is UV light and a coat of paint on exterior surfaces solves that problem.
I would have tried this, but already had good scrap wood that matched the look of the rest of the hive.

Alternately, anyone know a reason to not use it?

https://www.lowes.com/pl/PVC-trim-boards-Lumber-composites-Building-supplies/2820601687039

[Lesgold]

Found some polypropylene serving trays on eBay. They were only $4.50 each and were of a size that would sit nicely into a screened bottom board. There would only be a small gap around the outside of the tray which would mean that the odd beetle would miss the tray but that?s OK as they would then climb back into the hive and be hassled again by the bees. The only way that I could build a tray for that sort of price would be to use second hand material.

[paus]

I use, used aluminum casserole "church supper" pans for my oil.  I take a small branch about ball point pen size and roll the long side of the pan over the branches, so the pan does not bend then I use about 3/4 inch of used cooking oil in the pan, no problem, no mess if you think.  Best part no cost.  When the pan has a hole or otherwise not suitable for oil, I wrap the aluminum pan around small trees on which deer like to polish their antlers and often break the young tree. So far 100 percent successful.

[Lesgold]

Thanks Paus,

That sounds quite interesting. Do you have any pictures to post. This would give me an idea as to what you are talking about. We may have them in Australia but they would possibly be called something else.

[Dora]

The amount of live mites that fall through the screen by happenstance is just too small to make a difference, for my bees at least.  Now, if you had very hygienic bees, that were actively cleaning the mites off, would it make more a difference? 

I plan to have  BeeWeaver bees after re-queening. Since we live in the Texas High Country, those "Texas Tough" bees would seem to be the right ones for us. And I would expect them to be "highly hygienic." They claim to have been "treatment-free for varroa" since 2000.

Now that I see that specific phrase, I see that they do not claim to be completely "treatment free," which I'm aiming for.

It also seems to me that a SBB with an oil pan under it would be the way to go. The alternative would be to cut a hole in the solid bottom board, screen it, and put an oil pan under it.

Or maybe I'm missing something?