Under floor entrance plans

jenkinsbrynmair · Nov 1, 2013

By request i'm posting the plans to my slant on the underfloor entrance, as in the great move to the new server the attachments on my last thread have gone walkabouts.
I don't claim any credit for this design, just in case anyone ou there decides to pick holes! it's just what I researched on the interweb and tweaked/modified to my own liking, I also think my plans are simpler to understand as, well, being written by a err..........simpleton.
And just for you euro metricfiles out there I've used Millimetre measurments - for the entrance width!

Of course if your one of these top beespace weirdos, or you want a bit more than bog standard beespace beneath the frames you just need to tack a thin lath of whatever depth you like around the sides and over the mesh (I might try one or two this year, although I've never had a problem with just a beespace underneath).

Dave /Oscroft · Nov 1, 2013

not quite getting it

Have you a pic of the entrance set up, i'm not quite getting it, looks good though.

Dave W

drstitson · Nov 1, 2013

think underslung porch with a beespace slot above (towards front of an OMF).

Erichalfbee · Nov 1, 2013

My plans have a diagram

Tom Bick · Nov 1, 2013

I have made a few of the floors in the past to the designs and know a few people who use them and they are without doubt good floors. But to me I would like to see a slightly larger gap from the bottom of the frames and the mesh as I think this is not ideal for queen cells especially on frames of foundation.

The bees do and obviously cope with this floor but may have to settle with chewing away comb or foundation to create a good swarm queen cell and failing this may select a cell slightly higher on the comb than otherwise preferred.

The big advantage no lumps of comb hanging off the bottom of the frames and a pet hate.

Erichalfbee · Nov 1, 2013

Tom Bick said:
I have made a few of the floors in the past to the designs and know a few people who use them and they are without doubt good floors. But to me I would like to see a slightly larger gap from the bottom of the frames and the mesh as I think this is not ideal for queen cells especially on frames of foundation.

The bees do and obviously cope with this floor but may have to settle with chewing away comb or foundation to create a good swarm queen cell and failing this may select a cell slightly higher on the comb than otherwise preferred.

The big advantage no lumps of comb hanging off the bottom of the frames and a pet hate.

Ah....good point, I must check mine. I'll go look at the spares tomorrow.

McNulty · Nov 1, 2013

Are you around Derek?

I have been meaning to ask about your floor design. Is the 45 degree angle on your front bar just to provide landing room or is it for ease of manufacture? or does it provide other benefits?

jenkinsbrynmair · Nov 1, 2013

Dave /Oscroft said:
Have you a pic of the entrance set up, i'm not quite getting it, looks good though.

Dave W

A carpenter would have got it straight away, but joiners.................

Tom Bick · Nov 1, 2013

Erichalfbee said:
Ah....good point, I must check mine. I'll go look at the spares tomorrow.

I dont think you need to rush out to alter them but just worth a thought.

MuswellMetro · Nov 1, 2013

Tom Bick said:
I have made a few of the floors in the past to the designs and know a few people who use them and they are without doubt good floors. But to me I would like to see a slightly larger gap from the bottom of the frames and the mesh as I think this is not ideal for queen cells especially on frames of foundation.

The bees do and obviously cope with this floor but may have to settle with chewing away comb or foundation to create a good swarm queen cell and failing this may select a cell slightly higher on the comb than otherwise preferred.

The big advantage no lumps of comb hanging off the bottom of the frames and a pet hate.

I have 10mm upstands on mine so that gives more space between mesh and floor as a normal OMF, ic rushed a queen with the " Mr white design"

i have a smaller gap of 18mm at the entrance height than JBM and use them entrnace reducers and without winter mouse guards

jenkinsbrynmair · Nov 1, 2013

Tom Bick said:
The bees do and obviously cope with this floor but may have to settle with chewing away comb or foundation to create a good swarm queen cell and failing this may select a cell slightly higher on the comb than otherwise preferred.

good point MM and one I have been pondering the last few weeks (hence my post script in the OP. As I said, have to make a few more this winter just in case I get more bees dumped on me

so may add a few MM to the bottom space.

REDWOOD · Nov 2, 2013

What I did with mine is drop the mesh down 9mm by nailing a rim around the inner edge 9mm down from the floor level

jenkinsbrynmair · Nov 2, 2013

I thought of that - but I prefer there to be no rim between the mesh and the entrance

victor meldrew · Nov 2, 2013

jenkinsbrynmair said:
I thought of that - but I prefer there to be no rim between the mesh and the entrance

.??
Vm

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jenkinsbrynmair · Nov 2, 2013

If you buind as per my pland then tack a beading around the aperture where the mesh goes 9mm lower than the outer frame then that means the OMF will be 9mm below the 'threshold' of the entrance and the bees will have to lift up any detritus oveer this to dump it down to the outside 'lobby'

victor meldrew · Nov 2, 2013

Mesh level with floor, beading all round .
Under floor entrance is 3 frames back from front of hive . Where's the "heave up
" point? All they have to do is drop them down the slot?
VM

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jenkinsbrynmair · Nov 2, 2013

victor meldrew said:
Mesh level with floor, beading all round .
Under floor entrance is 3 frames back from front of hive . All they have to do is drop them down the slot?
VM
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And that was what I put as an addendum to my plan

victor meldrew said:
Where's the "heave up
" point? VM
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Read Redwood's post again VM - he was talking of tacking a bead around the open floor bit making the mesh 9mm below the top edge of the floor thus you'd have small front solid floor piece then the entrance slot 3 frames back (if you use warm way) then 3/4" timber (the back wall to the 'lobby') then 9mm drop to your OMF.

Sent from my Dell desktop with a slice of jamaican ginger cake in my hand

victor meldrew · Nov 2, 2013

jenkinsbrynmair said:
And that was what I put as an addendum to my plan

Read Redwood's post again VM - he was talking of tacking a bead around the open floor bit making the mesh 9mm below the top edge of the floor thus you'd have small front solid floor piece then the entrance slot 3 frames back (if you use warm way) then 3/4" timber (the back wall to the 'lobby') then 9mm drop to your OMF.

Sent from my Dell desktop with a slice of jamaican ginger cake in my hand

Read it the first time .
My point is the heave point is a little nit picky

dead bees won't pile up to the point where the entrance be blocked . Sometimes reversing the entrance block in conventional floors to deliberately create a 'heave point' is advocated to prevent blockages to entrance when over Wintering.
I hope not to be a substitute for Finny

VM

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jenkinsbrynmair · Nov 2, 2013

I only take the brood box off the floor once a year - in spring to shake any rubbish out - they manage to keep it spotess themselves for the rest of the year, my feeling is with the floor being sunken and with a 9mm step to lift any debris out to chuck out the entrance they might find it harder to keep clean.
Don't worry Victor finny is irreplaceable, in fact he's a treasure (please, noone suggest he be locked in an an iron bound chest and buried on an uncharted desert island!

)

Norfolk · Nov 2, 2013

If you drop the floor 9mm lower would that not encourage the bees to build brace comb under the frame bottom bar ?

Under floor entrance plans

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