Alighting Boards

[Beedogg]

Thinking of adding a National hive or two to my small collection of 3x WBCs. How important is the Alighting Board to the National set-up? Is it necessary, or a gimmick? If the National(s) were put on a wooden hive stand (couple of 4” by 4” timbers) then is an alighting board necessary?

 

[Erichalfbee]

No it’s not. The bees don’t care.

 

[Boston Bees]

Thinking of adding a National hive or two to my small collection of 3x WBCs. How important is the Alighting Board to the National set-up? Is it necessary, or a gimmick? If the National(s) were put on a wooden hive stand (couple of 4” by 4” timbers) then is an alighting board necessary?

It's not necessary, but it would help the odd forager returning heavily laden with pollen avoid underflying the entrance and landing in the grass

But on the other hand, if you are just putting the hive on the ground, on a 4" plank, underflying won't be an issue anyway

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How important is the Alighting Board to the National set-up

of no importance whatsoever - designed to keep the beekeeper happy - not the bees

 

[user 20297]

I think they are useful to bees, and that the fact that they are called, "alighting boards" is odd as mine see more use as landing boards. By watching bees you can clearly see that they find it useful to have some sort of step/ledge/parapet/board from which to fly and on which to congregate or to land. The barrier it makes to the prevention of underflying is also beneficial.
They don't miss not having one, but there are other optional items that some people see as essential and others don't.

 

[pargyle]

I like them - you can learn a lot watching the bees on the landing board so great for the beekeeper ... the bees don't care it seems. My Paynes polys have landing boards the size of Heathrow terninal 4 !

 

[Amari]

I like landing boards because I enjoy watching the different colours of pollen entering. Without a board the bees enter too quickly for me see. This year, sadly, I've had CBPV and it's been useful to monitor 'trembling' bees on the board.

Large boards are a nuisance when transporting hives.

 

[rossbyjove]

I stuck one on my hive.
They would appear to find it useful and I enjoy watching them come and go.
No harm done.

 

[blackcloud]

They're great in Autumn for wasps to convene and plan a raid.

Also useful to allow dead\paralysed bees to accumulate and.......

 

[JamezF]

I can see an argument for them possibly helping to prevent underflying and then trying to work out how they get in through an OMF rather than returning to the entrance. If you can fly and walk on walls though, pretty much any surface, including the front of the hive body, is a landing board, surely? I can't help feeling that having a horizontal(-ish) surface to land on says more about humans than bees. After all, they spend a huge amount of their time working vertically. Quite possibly it's more natural for them than being horizontal.

James

 

[Boston Bees]

I can see an argument for them possibly helping to prevent underflying and then trying to work out how they get in through an OMF rather than returning to the entrance. If you can fly and walk on walls though, pretty much any surface, including the front of the hive body, is a landing board, surely? I can't help feeling that having a horizontal(-ish) surface to land on says more about humans than bees. After all, they spend a huge amount of their time working vertically. Quite possibly it's more natural for them than being horizontal.

James

Yes, a vertical surface below the entrance would be more natural. But there usually isn't one with hives placed on stands.

 

[rossbyjove]

They're great in Autumn for wasps to convene and plan a raid.

Also useful to allow dead\paralysed bees to accumulate and.......

Not a single dead or dying bee EVER left on the board by the other bees.
I will be trying out anti robbing entrances in August and may have made an underfloor entrance by then as well.
They have a graveyard about 3 feet away from the hive.

 

[rossbyjove]

I can see an argument for them possibly helping to prevent underflying and then trying to work out how they get in through an OMF rather than returning to the entrance. If you can fly and walk on walls though, pretty much any surface, including the front of the hive body, is a landing board, surely? I can't help feeling that having a horizontal(-ish) surface to land on says more about humans than bees. After all, they spend a huge amount of their time working vertically. Quite possibly it's more natural for them than being horizontal.

James

They do spend some time horizontal, on the excluder and on the tops of frames and crown boards, i forgot to add flying ?
Anyway 'up' is the right way up for a Bee ?

 

[HarryO]

I use a length of arris rail. The triangular shape allows a slight slope at the entrance so snow etc. less likely to stay and obstruct entrance. Also easily removed and narrow enough to not obstruct stacking storing. Skips can be a great source of off cuts.

 

[Ian123]

Never bothered with landing boards, you can put them along with people constantly adjusting entrance sizes

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not a single dead or dying bee EVER left on the board by the other bees

B*ll*cks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They do spend some time horizontal, on the excluder and on the tops of frames and crown boards

how on earth would they get above the crownboard?
unless some fool forgot to cover the feeder hole

 

[blackcloud]

B*ll*cks

Yes.
Blocks.

Never bothered with landing boards, you can put them along with people constantly adjusting entrance sizes

and Bee Gyms.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Remember where we are? Beginners!!!!

 

[magor]

if any of horizontal, vertical, oblique surface can accelerates the landing by minimize the risk of mid-air collisions and thus of traffic congestion could offer a collective advantage to a colony

perhaps a too large surface in relation to bees body, bee may loses the target of entry and also may the entrance walking slows down the entire process making it harder for guards to inspect them upon entry benefiting any predators